A leader for years to come
EDITOR: With city council elections fast approaching, it is once again time to evaluate our current situation and the priorities we want for our local government in the future. And when it comes to having a vision for the future of Healdsburg, I haven’t seen any candidate with a better one than Ariel Kelley, which is why I am writing to you today.
Ariel is a wife, mom, attorney, MBA holder, county planning commissioner and nonprofit CEO with an immense amount of care for our community. She has shown her dedication to helping the underprivileged through her work with Corazón’s programs that aim to improve the lives of low-income families and her commitment to increasing civic engagement so everyone’s voice can be heard, no matter the language they speak nor their level of income.
Over the past few years, I have been very impressed with Ariel and I encourage anyone who cares about the future of Healdsburg to check her out, as I believe she is exactly the kind of leader we want representing Healdsburg in the years to come.
Richard Bugarske
Healdsburg
A clear voice on the council
EDITOR: No one needs to be reminded that it’s an insanely crazy year, but the argument that your ballot is more important than ever cannot be understated. Especially in our local elections. We have some strong candidates this year.
But I would like to write in support of Doralice Handel for city council. I’ve known Doralice for nearly 15 years. She has always been the first person to jump in when help is needed. Her reputation for bringing the community together to support others is not only legend, it is fact. She will bring an important, independent voice to the Healdsburg City Council that has at times been painfully myopic and out of touch with the community as a whole. As anyone who knows her knows, she’ll speak her mind. But she’ll listen too, and isn’t afraid to acknowledge she doesn’t have all the answers. I want a voice like that on the city council. You should, too.
Elizabeth Cosin
Healdsburg
What’s at stake?
EDITOR: Are we so divided that we refuse to hear what is best for the future of our country? When did we begin to ignore science, demonize the poor, criminalize speaking out and turn our backs on honesty? There’s an old saying that ‘bad news spreads faster than good’ and the manipulation of social media has utilized that human characteristic to the highest level possible.
It has reached the point that we are never sure of what to believe, yet we take up the sword of misinformation with a vengeance and claim victory over the other guy. But that other guy is struggling just like you, is trying to do the right thing, do what is best for his or her family, yet we have grown to hate each other because of our differences.
How has disagreeing become so deadly? Why does someone think they should hate anyone who is not just like them? That rage spills over into violence and is applauded by their ‘team’. We were once taught to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ It is called the Golden Rule and is quoted in the Bible. It is difficult for people when feeling desperate, to remember this simple act of caring for and about our neighbors. Instead we’ve been made to believe we are at war with each other. When we begin to think with our hearts, speak with respect and show compassion for others, we will begin to heal our nation.
I am begging you to take a good look at what is at stake right now and ask yourself what you can do to make this a better world. Every choice you make, word you say and vote you cast will make a difference in our future. You can stop the manipulation and misinformation by taking back your conscience and remembering what is right and what is wrong.
The damage we are doing to our democracy is our choice and we can turn this around. Please vote with your heart.
Maggie Medeiros
Healdsburg
Why we are voting for Duffy
EDITOR: We would like to set the record straight regarding the candidates for city council.
Charlie Duffy was the first candidate to discuss the need for greater transparency and community engagement in our city government. He was the first candidate and the only one who has consistently, throughout the campaign, stressed the need for translation services for the city council agenda and live translation of city council meetings for both the Latinx community and the deaf community. His website was the first and, so far, the only website to be available in both English and Spanish, through the use of Google Translate. He has stressed reconstituting the Community Housing Committee and the Transportation Advisory Committee as means of engaging members of the community in developing policies which expressly address the community’s needs.
We have known Charlie for many years. It is the love of Healdsburg, expressed by him and his wife, Joan, that helped us make up our mind to relocate here from Chico, far and away a great move for us. He is bright, energetic, creative and has the experience in college and university administration which will reduce his learning curve as a new council member. His experience in research, analysis and planning gives him a problem-solver approach to issues. He likes to get things done.
If you compare the candidates’ responses to the Q&A in the Oct. 6, 2020, edition of The Tribune, you will see that Charlie offers sound, concrete ideas regarding how we can move forward on many fronts. He has been laser-focused on his top three priorities since he first mentioned to us last fall that he was thinking about running for council. We are sure he will be on top of these priorities from day one and will not give up.
Please join us in supporting our good friend Charlie Duffy for Healdsburg City Council.
Devon and Dianne Metzger
Healdsburg
Keep the hospital open
EDITOR: Having lived in Healdsburg my whole life and delivering my three children here at Healdsburg District Hospital, I would hate to see our community lose such a valuable asset. I am excited to have Measure BB give us the opportunity to keep our doors open for decades to come.
I started working for Healdsburg District Hospital in 2014 and quickly gained a new family. Many of our employees have been here for 20-30+ years. One of my friends and colleagues just celebrated 39 years working at the hospital — a testament to the fact that those who come here by and large stay here long-term because of the positive culture and quality care hospital employees provide to our patients.
On a personal note and to attest to the quality care the hospital provides, not long ago while moving a barbecue, I impaled my leg with a barbecue fork. I arrived at Healdsburg Hospital’s E.R. and was immediately taken back and given excellent care. I couldn’t imagine having to drive to Santa Rosa with that 20-inch fork stuck in my leg and then having to wait for the trauma cases ahead of me. This is one of many reasons why our hospital is such an important asset to our community and is an entity worth saving.
We are a unique community hospital and it would be a huge loss to us and surrounding communities to lose it. To keep our hospital open for decades to come, please join me and vote yes on Measure BB!
Lori Minaglia
Healdsburg
Vote Doralice
EDITOR: I am a long-time now-elderly Healdsburg neighbor, farmer and lout about town. Healdsburg Town. I actually live outside the city and I’ve long been known as a recovering winegrower, but my love and allegiance is with the Healdsburgers, the olds and the old timers, the workers, the disparate dreamers, the creatives and the caring who live here. And that’s why if I could I would vote for Doralice Handal, and why I support her now for city council.
Doralice is worldly but unpretentious. She tells it like it is, she sees the good but feels the needed. She loves people and acts as a conduit for both grumps and social gladiators. When I asked her what her contribution as a council member will be, without hesitation it was “to get stuff done.”
Being part of our local food world, I have known Doralice for many years, first through her innovative cheese shop and then through her activism. Never one to let sleeping dogs lie, she will call out what needs to be done in our town to make it more habitable and more sustainable. She will see the unseen and fix the broken. Building community in the new normal of COVID and conflagration will be her guiding light.
Where is the town’s proverbial Cracker Barrel in the face of the pandemic and social distancing? Our place to gather, talk and share, and laugh and cry together? I think Doralice will help us find it. Vote Doralice!
Lou Preston
Healdsburg
Qualifications matter in council
EDITOR: We are thrilled with the appointment of Ozzy Jimenez to former Mayor Gold’s vacated council seat and we need more favorable change.
With six candidates seeking three vacant council seats we believe relevant qualifications, experience and skills are essential and which are the differentiators in voting responsibly.
Considering what Healdsburg needs and examining the six candidates’ qualifications, we are supporting Charlie Duffy for city council.
With a Ph.D. in Political Science and as a university administrator, Charlie has strong experience in finance, budgets, strategic planning and metric based goal-setting. He listens, is smart, articulate, compassionate, is practical, data driven and has a sense of humor.
Charlie regularly attends city council meetings to understand community issues and makes helpful public comments. As a recent retiree, Charlie is the only candidate who can dedicate himself full-time to essential council work.
Charlie has success working cooperatively with others, respecting diverse viewpoints and reaching consensus to move forward accomplishing the right stuff on time, and on budget. Notably, he operates under the mantle of being fully inclusive and fully transparent, and we clearly need both.
Charlie’s goal as a candidate is to serve the entire Healdsburg community. Charlie is not beholden to anyone except to you the voters, and everyone who resides in Healdsburg.
We urge you to learn more about Charlie and understand for what he stands. Please visit Charlie’s website, www.duffyforcouncil.com — the first multilingual English/Spanish website in the campaign. A link to Charlie’s YouTube channel is located at the top of his website’s home page. Charlie has so far created nine 2-minute videos. Topics include: affordable gousing (low and middle Income), community engagement (Latinx and seniors), climate change, economic diversity and development and fiscal oversight and transparency. Please watch them.
Charlie will bring vision, experience and action to fully embrace and engage the community listening to everyone with emphasis on affordable housing and our Latinx and senior residents.This is a time for ongoing change. We hope that you will join us in supporting and voting for Charlie Duffy in November’s election. Qualifications matter!
Along with Charlie Duffy, we are also supporting and voting for Ariel Kelly. In combination, their skills, experiences and platforms are the strongest and complement one another beautifully. Together with Ozzy, Charlie and Ariel are exactly what Healdsburg needs now, and for tomorrow.
It’s time for more favorable change!
Tim and Rene’ Unger
Healdsburg
Jones is the way to go
EDITOR: In this era of chaotic, undisciplined and oft-times irrational behavior at the national level, it is so comforting to see that the city of Healdsburg has a number of excellent choices to fill the open seats on the city council.
Having had the experience of serving on the city council for multiple terms, I have a keen interest and appreciation for selecting a team of elected officials who have the requisite skill sets to oversee our small-ish, yet highly complex local government. I am particularly sensitive to council responsibilities as they relate to finance.
The city of Healdsburg is a large and complex business entity with combined budgets and funds that approach $100 million dollars. The city council is essentially the city’s Board of Directors and Board of Director seats are rarely filled by rookies. We need a council that can comprehend the issues, navigate through the challenges, and provide the leadership necessary to run this machine.
I have had the pleasure, as President of the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society, of working with David Jones, who has served as the financial advisor for the museum’s Endowment Fund, for the last few years. He understands finance, budgeting, strategic planning, and has the listening and communication skills to effectively inform and guide others. David is unquestionably a needed and valued asset to our city council.
As there are three seats to fill, my other votes are going to Dave Hagele and Ariel Kelley, two talented and experienced candidates who, with David, will provide Healdsburg with the leadership necessary to lead us through what promises to be some challenging and probably turbulent times before we hopefully return to calmer waters.
Eric Ziedrich
Healdsburg
