He’s number one
EDITOR: Sooner or later every president reaches the point where his approval ratings are overtaken by his disapproval ratings. What’s interesting is how long it takes. Donald Trump is the speediest in history (8 days). First runner up: Bill Clinton (573 days). For the record, Reagan took 727 days and Obama 936 days. Source: Progressive Magazine, April/May 2017.
C.J. Date
Healdsburg
Gold is her choice
EDITOR: When I consider the upcoming Healdsburg City Council election I find Leah Gold to be the obvious choice. Why? Because she is a fresh and energized advocate for Healdsburg who also personally understands the ins and outs of city government. Leah Gold is a problem-solver who possesses the intellect, the creativity and the energy that will strengthen the Healdsburg City Council most today.
In the decades she has called Healdsburg home, Leah Gold has been a vocal, active and highly-regarded community member. Her conviction that it is the citizens’ work to shape the town’s future led her to serve before on the city council. She fulfilled that obligation conscientiously as an active listener, a clear communicator and a highly informed, creative thinker. One of the accomplishments from her prior tenure on the council that I am most grateful for is her spearheading the establishment of our wild and serene Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve. As an experienced civil servant she comes to the job with a clear understanding of the methods and pace inherent in city governance.
And after several years devoted full-time to her career in educational consulting, Leah will return to city government with a fresh perspective and a bright voice for the community in City Hall. Leah Gold has demonstrated that she tackles the questions facing Healdsburg with precision and heart. Confronted with today’s complex challenges of city growth, land use, tourism and housing affordability, Leah is eager to do the hard work necessary to create lasting solutions. Leah is discerning in the positions she takes on difficult issues, recognizes the nuances and is eager to find solid means to bridge differences. Leah Gold has the mind, the imagination, and the resolve to respond to Healdsburg’s current difficulties in order to preserve our town’s vibrancy, charm and its residents’ sense of home.
Kate Foley-Beining
Healdsburg
Fair entry deadline
EDITOR: It’s that time of year again. The Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair (HFFCF) is right around the corner and we are gearing up for the start of the fair with the Twilight Parade on May 25 at 6 p.m. The theme this year is “The World’s Biggest Little Fair.” Entries are available through our website www.healdsburgfair.org. The entry deadline is April 28. We look forward to seeing all your familiar faces along the route again this year. Remember if you are not in the parade you need be out enjoying it.
Kelly Zimmerman
HFFCF
TrumpCare and missile strikes
EDITOR: Liberals and Progressives were gratified with the outcome of the TrumpCare legislation. This rollback of a program benefitting millions of people was defeated by Trump enemies and allies alike. The headlines are filled with connections to Russian Intelligence, Trump’s hysterical allegations of Obama tapping his phones and endless alternative facts shown to be fantasies. We began to feel that the catastrophe of Trump could be minimized. Don’t believe it, this is no time to relax.
Donald Trump decided to change the narrative. He needed something that would divert people’s attention away from the incredibly negative consequences of his Tea Party policies. Then there came Syrian chemical weapons attacks. Some believe that the missile strikes are a dangerous escalation of involvement in more Middle East conflicts. Others that this was a valid attack on a purely military target in response to a horrific action by Assad.
Either way, we all must admit the obvious. Trump thought Assad was OK and Putin was a pal only a week before. Trump repeatedly voiced his support for Putin in Syria, cancelled any asylum for Syrian refugees and specifically stated that “this is not our problem.” The endless bombing of hospitals and civilian aid centers by Assad, the hundreds of thousands of dead made zero impression on Trump before. Now he is deeply concerned about the death of civilian children?
This action is purely political. The missile attacks have knocked hysterical Trump tweets, the deportation of millions and the rape of the EPA off the front pages. If you were worried about Trump policies before, you need to keep worrying about them now. Congress is planning another bill to overturn the ACA. The EPA is cancelling oversight of the nation’s largest polluters. Mass deportation is just around the corner. We must continue to resist Trump policies. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
Michael Miller
Healdsburg
Healdsburg has heart
EDITOR: Some British acquaintances, John and Irena, visited Healdsburg last week. I admired their pluck in traveling so far, because Irena is severely disabled by advanced multiple sclerosis. She has no use of her hands and can’t sit upright, she must be strapped onto her wheelchair. I was touched by the loving care John provided for his wife, and apparently, I was not the only one. When they had finished their meal at Healdsburg Bar and Grill last Wednesday and asked for the check, they were told that it had already been paid by another diner. They were very moved by this kindness, which they thought would not occur in Britain. Healdsburg has heart.
Leah Gold
Healdsburg
What is really going on?
EDITOR: The Memorial Bridge, originally built in 1921, is now more narrow than the original version. Sure, it took $12 million bucks to refurbish the bridge, but the steel guardrails alongside the road weren’t there originally and neither were those big concrete abutments at both ends of the bridge that folks keep running into. You can see the paint scrapes and damaged concrete. Who decided to make the bridge narrower than the original design which was narrow enough?
And then there is the roundabout project at five corners. It is a year behind schedule, just like the bridge project, and what a mess.
And then there is the addition to City Hall which is progressing rapidly and with no worries. As an observer, taxpayer and Healdsburger I wonder what is really going on at City Hall? I’m sure that there is a logical explanation.
Tim McGraw
Healdsburg
