Letters to the Editor 6-12-14

Water fluoridation
Editor: I am surprised and a little saddened that even a small portion of the Healdsburg population would serious consider turning their backs on many years of successful water fluoridation and the overwhelming benefits that it provides the community. The scientific evidence supporting the benefits of water fluoridation is overwhelming.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says water fluoridation is one of the top ten medical achievements of the 20th century. Creditable studies have shown an 18 to 40 percent reduction in cavities for children using fluoridated water. Over a lifetime, tooth decay is reduced by upwards of 25 percent. When used in city water systems, the cost of fluoridating an individual over his/hers lifetime is less than the cost of repairing one cavity. The only documented down side of fluoridation is a minor discoloration of the teeth when the fluoride concentration was 500 times greater than defined for municipal drinking water. Only three such short term, localized errors have been reported over the last 75 years. Reports that fluoridation is related to cancer, lead poisoning and bone disease have not been substantiated. Studies have shown that fluoridated water has no impact on the environments when such water is used for gardening and related applications. As the American Dental Association (ADA) has said, fluoridation of water is both safe and effective, and over 74 percent of the US population has access to fluoridated water. Let us all ensure that Healdsburg continues to be part of this important majority now and in the future. Fluoridation benefits both children and adults.
Vernon P. Simmons
Healdsburg
High-rise outhouse
Editor: There has been some controversy about the height of the new Meat market. The typical comments from friends are “is it still growing in height?” I understand the architect being a bit sensitive with regards to this issue. I would also be a little embarrassed if I designed a structure 36.5 feet tall to yield only a two story building. And then to have designed the interior of the two floors such that they still had to build an outhouse on top of that 36.5 foot building. So we end up with a city legal, 50 foot tall, “two-story” meat market. Before we pass final judgment, we should wait and see how well the detailing of the half-moon graphics on the outhouse articulates the final design. Well, the consolation is that if nothing else, the architect will have the distinction of having designed the highest outhouse in Healdsburg.
John Vink
Healdsburg
Get local bands
Editor: I, like most of our town, anxiously await Music on the Plaza season every year and love to get together with the rest of our community and schmooze, eat, drink and dance. Every year, though, I am disappointed that our community is not represented on stage. Though we get to hear some great tunes, why not source some of the music locally?
Healdsburg’s highest profile band, Crazy Famous, recently garnered great reviews from the Press Democrat for their performance at Bottle Rock. I’ve heard they can’t be booked because their brand of rock and roll might not be family friendly, despite having totally clean lyrics and a balanced edginess of tone. (Disclosure: my little family loves Crazy Famous.) The thing is that Crazy Famous is just the type of music that the 45% of our town over the age of 45 grew up with.
Mr. December may be the best Americana/folk performers in the County and are based right here! in town. The Gomorrans and The Church are great bands with their own brass-heavy style that really gets peoples bones shaking.
So, why don’t we either get some of these bands worked into the themed rotation of bands or, better yet, dedicate at least on Tuesday to local bands?
Gabriel Froymovich
Healdsburg
To the council
Editor: I’d like to begin by apologizing for speaking out of order at the council meeting on June 2. I know the rules of order are there to run a productive and fair meeting, and I truly didn’t want to show disrespect to you or the process of our city government.
I felt compelled to speak out when I did because you were discussing making changes to the wording of the Fluoride Initiative that many of us present had worked so hard on for over two months to get on the November ballot. While your intention was to make the wording easier for voters to understand, your initial suggestions would have also significantly altered its scope. You were discussing these changes at a point in the meeting when only council members were allowed the floor. I certainly didn’t want to disrupt the proceedings or to draw negative attention to myself or my fellow volunteers. After I and others present spoke out, you changed the wording, and I thank you.
I also want to mention how disappointed I was when one council member took it upon himself to make unfounded and insulting remarks about the people who’ve worked so hard to bring this issue before the voters. We are not outsiders, as he suggested. We are Healdsburg residents concerned for our health and the health of the generations who will come after us. Also, although we worked daily, including evenings and weekends to gather over 1000 signatures, none of us were paid, as he suggested. Many of us have fulltime jobs and careers and this effort took dedication and lots of hard work. Lastly, he said a resident had complained to him that one of the petitioners behaved in an aggressive manner. I can only respond to that by saying that I walked the Healdsburg precincts for hours and days with nearly every one of our signature gatherers and I found them to a person to be exemplary in respecting the feelings of others and especially those who opposed our petition.
Finally, the volunteers who have worked so hard to bring choice to the people of Healdsburg regarding fluoride in our city water respect anyone who wants to use fluoride on an individual basis, whether in toothpaste, mouthwash, fluoride pills, or professional dental treatments. We just don’t believe that it’s right or safe to dose people with a drug indiscriminately, and especially through something as precious to us all as our water supply.
Julie Kennedy
Healdsburg
Dental health
Editor: When our family moved from a rural location to Healdsburg in 1982 we were pleased to learn that our water was fluoridated. Both of our children were quite young and we felt that the fluoridation would be beneficial to their dental health.
Years later our son entered the US Army as a combat medic. Part of their processing in Kentucky was to have a thorough dental screening. Every soldier in his platoon had serious dental issues except two soldiers. One was our son and the other was a soldeir from Colorado. Both men were raised in communities that had fluoridation in their water.
As parents, we would suggest to the good people of Healdsburg to not endanger your children’s or your own dental health by deleting your beneficial fluoridation program. It’s good science and good health proven over and over. Ask your dentist.
Bram and Gretchen Glaeser
Cloverdale
Letter headline
Editor: This should be of interest to the citizens of Healdsburg. Last week, while on vacation visiting Cape Kennedy in Florida, I met with one of America’s most famous astronaut heroes and a veteran of many successful space missions. He told me he was planning on being the first human to land a space craft on the surface of the sun. When I asked him if he was worried he would be burned to a crisp in the attempt, he calmly replied, it was not a concern because he would only land at night.
Chuck Doire
Healdsburg