LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, 5-3-2012

Opposed to meters
Editor: Last week, while in Ukiah on business, I read an article in your newspaper on the idea of garnering additional revenue by installing parking meters in downtown Healdsburg and the attendant controversy.
I live in Ventura, located between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. The City of San Buenaventura (Ventura) did exactly this, over the strident and sustained objections of most of the downtown merchants and more than a few city residents.
Nearly every merchant has seen a drop in business. Tourists & residents alike are confounded by these meters, which lack adequate instructions for use. The city has not realized anywhere NEAR the promised revenue, and has added numerous meter maids who mostly irritate everybody while strutting around like martinets. I personally know one business owner that had to shutter his downtown business as a direct result of the drop in business.
All in all, it has been a complete failure. DO NOT ALLOW your city council to execute this idiocy. If the city council is having problems meeting budgetary requirements, perhaps they should set the example by reducing their salaries in the spirit of civic duty. Maybe they could even consider volunteering and returning their salaries to city coffers. The solution is not extracting more money from the public. The solution is reducing expenditures.
Dion Hansen
Ventura


Shelter facts
Editor: Responding to “Concerned about Animals” in last week’s edition, “tired of the drama” does not begin to appropriately characterize the happenings, of late, at and around the Shelter.
· The Cash story has really never ended in that the dog, as I have been told, has still not been adopted out and still lives at Kings Kastle.
· The story of what happened to the most recent Executive Director is markedly different depending on the story teller.
· The last time I talked with the Animal Control Officer he seemed upbeat that the current board has his, the staff’s, the volunteers, the shelters’ mission, and most importantly the welfare of its animals at the top of their priority list.
· Their statements have shown that the recently resigned board members had varying reasons for their decisions; it didn’t happen in unison. Let them, individually, characterize their rationale.
· “The Board” didn’t fail to complete the new building. The construction management team (project manager, architect, general contractor) was charged with that mission.
· What do you expect, with regard to the current exec committee, when twelve board members are quickly whittled down to four?
· The current board has not has not only “tried their best” but have steadfastly remained at their stations working to right the wrongs, fend off the political attacks with truth, and develop a cohesive forward thinking plan.
· Green Dog Rescue might be a worthy organization of good people. So are my next door neighbors. If they demanded that I walk away from my land and turn over the title and assets to them I would give them exactly the amount of attention they would deserve; NONE!
· To the Healdsburg Animal Shelter board: Please stay on.
John Lloyd
Healdsburg