LETTERS TO THE EDITOR EXTRA 9-20-12

Thanks Jim Corbett
Editor: Thank you Jim Corbett. Jim wrote in his Sept. 13 letter to the Sonoma West Times & News (“Good candidates, all”), “We in Sebastopol could start a whole new trend by throwing away the politics of anger, confrontation and pettiness, for cooperation, respect and gratitude for those willing to serve.”
It seems to me that many cannot let go of the anger, confrontation and pettiness that was a shameful sideshow for all to see, regarding the multi-year slog through the CVS/Chase project. Those deemed as even remotely connected to and/or supporting the project, including city staff, council members, developers, property owners or regular citizens of Sebastopol had a target on their backs and were fair game for the anger and confrontation that Jim Corbett is suggesting the citizens of Sebastopol need to consider exchanging for an atmosphere of cooperation, respect and gratitude.
Sebastopol, can we move into these next weeks before the election without making the candidates that we are not supporting into candidates who we paint with our words as not having the courage, integrity, heart, minds and taste to represent us?
Jim Corbett, in essence, is asking us to decide which Sebastopol we want to be.
Thanks again Jim for making the paths ahead so clear.
Read our words and watch our actions. You’ll easily be able to tell which path we are taking.
Cie Cary
Sebastopol
Decision-makers
Editor: I agree with Jim Corbett that the candidates for City Council are decent people (“Good candidates, all,” Sept. 13). In a political system like ours, office holders make decisions that may not please everyone, and that is as it should be.  
Holding office is not easy, nor always that rewarding. They are to be commended for serving the community. But that is not a reason to be silent. While our system allows the freedom to criticize elected officials, we should never make personal attacks. Good people sometimes make bad decisions. If the critiques are based on the actual demonstrable record and/or conduct of an official, that seems to me to be acceptable.
In the case of hardworking Councilmember Kathleen Shaffer and the CVS issue, which has become the central and most important issue in this election and one of the most important in recent times, any criticism need only refer to her verifiable actions working for the project before the vote and her final approval of what many residents consider a very poor strip development.
Richard Nichols
Sebastopol
Foster care coverage
Editor: Your columns on foster children and the problems with funding and finding foster parents is very valuable. As a retired child welfare worker, I hope that you will cover the four different heroes who are involved in this very difficult work.
The first heroes are the child welfare field staff. There are two general responsibilities: the intake and emergency response workers are the first responders who take the calls and then go into the field to interview the children and those taking care of them to determine if the child is safe and to arrange for services to prevent the child from having to leave the home, if possible. Those with the other set of responsibilities are the workers who work with the family and children to make the home safe for the child to either stay in or return home.
The second heroes are the children who have faced sometimes unthinkable hardships in their short lives. They become heroes when they can overcome their history and become responsible productive adults. It always surprised me how resilient these children are.
The third group is the parents of these children who choose to change their lives so they can become effective parents. Not all succeed, but those who do are certainly heroes too.
The fourth group is the foster parents who live with the children every day. Not only do they live with children who have multiple problems, they more often than not have to supplement the inadequate stipend they recievew.
All are heroes.
Jerry Newman
Sebastopol
Sending a message
Editor: First, let me state that I truly appreciated the letter last week, “Good candidates, all.” I also liked the article about Christina Nichols’ new book and I was reminded of Sebastopol when the article described a person trying to “modernize his eccentric, dysfunctional, and absurdly romantic culture,” or in our case, town. A great place to live but there are some “mean girls” trying to rule our City Council.
A couple of weeks ago at a Rotary meeting the chief of police revealed that Sebastopol teens have a marijuana smoking rate that is the highest in the country, not state or county but the USA. What kind of messages are we sending our teens and community? Remember, one man’s medicine can be another man’s poison.
I feel that we can send the right message to our community by selecting candidates Kathy Austin and Kathleen Shaffer. Kathy Austin was the mayor of Sebastopol and understands the laws on development, i.e. the General Plan, Zoning Ordinances, Subdivision Ordinances, etc. Experience and knowledge is needed and she would be a valuable councilwoman. Anyone who has walked the streets of the Valley View neighborhood know that Kathleen Shaffer was instrumental in getting those streets fixed. She has been in charge of getting Christmas gifts/bags for teens that would probably not have a Christmas without her. She is also involved in helping to establish a Career Day at Analy High. We need this kind of hands-on approach to reach our teens and show that there is a future and there is hope for their future.
Christina Beaty
Sebastopol