Letters to the Editor 12-19-13

It has been a privilege to serve
Editor:   
I would like to express my deepest thanks and appreciation to city staff and Cloverdale residents for all the support and encouragement I received over the last 12-months while serving as Mayor.  I am truly grateful for this ongoing support during some very challenging times.   
As I reflect back over the past 12-months I feel a sense of accomplishment.  The most notable accomplishment has been filling key management positions within city government.  It has been a pleasure to welcome City Manager Paul Cayler, City Attorney Jose Sanchez, and Finance Manager Joanne Cavallari, to the management team.  They are well qualified and will help guide the city as we continue efforts to rebound from the global recession.
The decisions we make are not always easy and become even more difficult as we attempt to resolve the financial challenges we face within the General Fund. I remain convinced that working together, we will identify solutions that will allow us to retain vital services and preserve our “quality of life.”
I would like to personally thank my fellow council members for electing me Mayor for 2013. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the community in that capacity.  
I want to congratulate our 2014 City Council officers, Mayor Carol Russell and Vice Mayor Bob Cox.  
Thanks again and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!   
Joe Palla, Councilmember
My Christmas Angels
Editor:   
On Dec. 13th after a doctor’s appointment in Santa Rosa, I stopped at Walmart to pick up some baking ingredients and headed home to Cloverdale. Between Arata Lane and the Healdsburg Ave. exit on 101 my car struck debris in the road and punctured my radiator. I pulled over the side of the road and to check the damage and several people stopped to ask if I was O.K. One of those was Tammy Leitz of Cloverdale. She suggested I call AAA and when I went look for my purse I realized I had left it in a shopping cart in the Walmart parking lot. Tammy stayed with me until the police arrived, she was my first angel.
When Officer Scott Zwetslott (another angel) arrived he suggested we go back to Walmart to see if my purse was still there. He was very calm, caring and professional in his manner. He dialed Walmart on his cell phone and let me call ahead to see if it was turned in. To our surprise someone had turned in my purse and we retrieved it from Walmart with everything in tact; money, check book credit cards and cell phone. The angel who did this was Martha Rosa and her mother from Santa Rosa.
On return to my car, Officer Zwetslott stayed with me until the tow truck arrived. It was the wrong type of truck and a flatbed needed to be dispatched. In the meantime the driver, whose name I cannot recall, took me to a safe area off of the Healdsburg Ave. exit to await the flatbed truck with my vehicle and take me to Cloverdale. It was a while and soon more tow trucks and the supervisor Ryan from Cloverdale Tow appeared.  Ryan saw I was getting cold and took me back to my car so I could get my coat. By then the flatbed truck had arrived and was loading my car and the driver, Nate, soon had me on my way to Cloverdale.
What some may consider a bad day turned out to be a very good day thanks to the many Christmas Angels mentioned here that watched over me and cared for me that day.
“Thank you” to each and every one of you.
Lois Palma-Brown, Cloverdale
Your 2014 Mayor
Editor:   
It is an honor to have been selected once again by my colleagues on the City Council as your incoming Mayor and I want to invite you to contact me now and throughout the coming year with your questions, concerns, comments and ideas whether via email, call, letter or a meeting at city hall.
I always welcome your input and views. They are an invaluable source of information and inspiration and, while I may not have the right answer or solution right away or be an expert on the subject under discussion, I pledge to always work hard to get you to the right person(s) and/or resource(s) that can provide the answer, help resolve the problem or work with you on the idea.    
Here’s how to get in touch. Emailing me directly at

in**********@co*****.net











offers the best opportunity for filling me in on the details quickly. If you’d rather call, the city’s voicemail is at 894-1750. Please be sure to leave your first and last name and the name of the business, if applicable, plus the best number and days/times to contact you along with a brief summary (message time is quite limited). Send your letter to my attention at City Hall, 124 No. Cloverdale Blvd. If you’d like to talk it over in person, just let me know and we’ll set a mutually convenient date and time.  
Looking forward to hearing from you and wishing you, your family and our wonderful city the happiest of holidays and the best of new years!
Carol Russell, Cloverdale