LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Unvarnished hypocrisy
Editor: Recent letters to the editor by Dan Smith and Heidi
Gillen, in support of their slate of candidates for Palm Drive
Health Care District Board have called into question the $800,000
contract that Palm Drive Hospital has with Brim management
corporation. These criticisms are unvarnished hypocrisy and
deception.
First, the contract with Brim was negotiated by Dan Smith
himself, while he was serving as president of the district board in
2009. A $250,000 contract was unanimously approved by the board
Second, Heidi and Dan fail to mention what the Hospital receives
in exchange for the $800,000. This includes the salary and benefits
for the CEO, salary and benefits for the CFO, HR services, and
access to Brim’s 39 years of experience in hospital management
through its staff of consultants and experts. These salaries,
services and consultants are expenses that Palm Drive Hospital had
before Brim and would have without Brim. In past years, the
Hospital CEO, COO, CFO and numerous outside consultants exceeded
this amount 
Without the management stability and expertise brought to the
Hospital by Brim, the bonds could not have been issued and sold.
With the sale of the bonds, the Hospital has emerged from
bankruptcy. Since bankruptcy, the Hospital has begun to show a
profit and has hired a permanent CEO. Strategic planning for
physician recruitment, service expansion and outreach is well
underway.
Is the Hospital out of the woods? No. Its financial heath, while
improving, is fragile. Unquestionably, much work remains to be
done. However, do not be deceived by the naysayers. Substantial
progress has been made and goals are being met. Keep the momentum.
Re-elect Chris Dawson, Nancy Dobbs and Linda Johnson to the Palm
Drive Health Care District Board.
Greg Reynolds
Sebastopol
Vote for Dawson
Editor: I have known Chris Dawson for 25 years. It is a
relationship I value. He is a good and trusted friend, a man of
honesty and integrity. Chris is a problem solver. He is a keen
observer who is able to hear and understand all sides of a
complicated issue and move people toward a workable solution. I
appreciate his fairness, his commitment to justice, his dedication
to any project he undertakes and his wonderful sense of humor. I
have worked closely with Chris on a number of projects and
committees, both in our church and the wider community, and have
consistently found his insights and depth of analysis immensely
helpful. I trust his judgement. Thus, I am very pleased and honored
to add my endorsement to his candidacy for the Palm Drive Health
Care District Board. The board and the hospital will be stronger
with Chris Dawson as a member.
Rev. Gene Nelson
Sebastopol
Support the incumbents
Editor: We strongly endorse Nancy Dobbs, Chris Dawson, and Linda
Johnson for reelection to the Palm Drive Hospital Board.
We believe the current board, together with the remarkable Palm
Drive staff and the strong management team, has made unprecedented
strides in building a positive future for our local hospital.
Crisis management and bankruptcy are behind us. Palm Drive is no
longer running at a deficit and has begun making investments to
improve its services to the community, including a new and larger
rehab center, electronic medical records, and more. We all can
point with pride to the outstanding patient satisfaction scores,
the nationally certified Primary Stroke Center, the innovative
Telemedicine program linking seven North Coast hospitals with Palm
Drive, and many other similar, remarkable accomplishments at our
very own hospital.
We are at the beginning of a revolution in the delivery of
health care in this country, spurred by national health care
reform. While the reform is not as much as some of us would have
hoped, it is an important and historic beginning. Palm Drive needs
a board that understands the significance of this moment, is
capable of analyzing the options, and will shape the best
alternatives for health care in West County.
We urge you to vote for Nancy Dobbs, Chris Dawson and Linda
Johnson. Together they make a team that understands the challenges
and can continue to move Palm Drive Hospital forward on a path to
success for us all.
Mike Reilly
Former West County Supervisor,
Guy Wilson
Vice-Mayor of Sebastopol,
Dr. Nancy Walters
Occidental Veterinary Hospital,
Barbara Armstrong
Una Glass,
Pam and Joel Neuberg,
Barbara Hirshfeld and David Sussman
Yes on Prop. 19
Editor: Harry S. Truman once said, “A pessimist is one who makes
difficulties of his opportunities, and an optimist is one who makes
opportunities of his difficulties.”
Whether you support or oppose Proposition 19, one fact is clear:
prohibition has failed to prevent the use of marijuana in the
United States. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, marijuana is
the most widely used illicit drug in the Western world. A 2006
study cited by State government estimates that more than 22 million
pounds of marijuana is grown in the United States each year with a
value of nearly $40 billion, almost $14 billion of that activity
occurring right here in California.
Marijuana prohibition, not use, is responsible for
marijuana-related crime. Recreational cannabis is being produced
and distributed without any regulatory oversight by federal, state
or local government. As is the case with any illicit activity, the
marijuana black market encourages unsavory characters and creates
opportunities for criminal activities unrelated to the use and
cultivation of marijuana.
In 2008 alone, over 60,000 Californians were arrested for
misdemeanor marijuana possession, a three-fold increase from 1990
levels. The vast majority of these arrests involved non-violent
offenses related to possessing or cultivating marijuana. Prop. 19
provides a real opportunity for California to turn the corner on
decades of failed marijuana prohibition and allow our state to
climb out of the financial, legal and moral abyss left in its
wake.
Prop. 19 is not perfect. For instance, the measure’s authors
could have clarified that medical marijuana, provided to patients
with a valid doctor’s recommendation, be exempt from taxation (just
like the anti-wrinkle drug Botox is). Prop. 19’s drafters could
also have required a socially responsible business form for any
organization that sells marijuana, to defend this burgeoning
industry from becoming another corporatized commodity.
Fortunately, each of Prop 19’s shortcomings can be addressed
through the existing legal system. Patients can petition the Board
of Equalization to change the taxable status of medical marijuana
and city councils or the Legislature could act to restrict the
business forms of cannabis retailers. No ballot initiative can ever
be perfect, but Prop. 19 is an important first step and our best
chance in a generation to end marijuana prohibition.
Most importantly, however, is the message we send to the country
on Nov. 2. People often say, as goes California, so goes the
nation. Our state has pioneered everything from environmental
protections to wage protections. On Election Day the world will be
watching us, and they won’t be concerned with the internal debate
amongst medical cannabis patients or a discussion of Prop. 19’s
fine print. When 19 passes on election day, the message to the
world will be simple: “In the year 2010, Californians were asked
whether they supported the legalization of marijuana … and
Californians voted yes.”
Please join me in supporting Prop. 19 and taking one strong step
towards reforming our nation’s antiquated, expensive and unfair
marijuana laws. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity.
Robert Jacob
Sebastopol
Yes on Prop. 21
Editor: It’s our choice: Possible closure of our state parks or
permanent funding to keep our parks open, repaired, and
beautiful.
Proposition 21 will create a trust fund used only for its
intended purpose: to support state parks and wildlife conservation.
For the Vehicle Licensing Fee of $18 per non-commercial vehicle, we
will enjoy free vehicle admission to all state parks that charge a
vehicle access fee. It is a Win-Win situation!
Let’s not follow in Arizona’s footsteps: due to lack of funding
two-thirds of their state parks are completely closed down!
It’s our choice. Vote “yes” on Proposition 21!.
Sandy Koshari
Santa Rosa
Dawson for Palm Drive
Editor: On Election Day in November, we have the opportunity to
vote for Palm Drive Healthcare District Directors. This letter is
in support of one of the candidates, Chris Dawson.
Over the 30-plus years I have known Chris Dawson, I have grown
to respect him for his integrity, honesty, work ethic and community
involvement. I believe Chris has the skills and personality to make
an excellent Palm Drive Healthcare District Director:
1. He brings a strong business and leadership background that
will provide a valuable mix of organizational experience and
financial oversight;
2. He is committed to balancing the need to innovate and build
for the future, while maintaining the day-to-day viability of the
hospital;
3. He values teamwork, and bringing people together around the
common goal of high quality health care for the community;
4. He will work with integrity, think for himself, and will do
the right thing when it needs to be done.
Chris Dawson gets my highest recommendation for Palm Drive
Healthcare District Director. Please join me on Election Day and
support Chris with your vote.
Harry Polley
Sebastopol
What cost, Brim?
Editor: Heidi Gillan and Dan Smith have been repeatedly
attacking the performance of Brim and the hospital board. One has
to ask, why? It is obvious that if Dan achieves a majority on the
board they will move to terminate the contract with Brim
(HealthTech). This would be very damaging to Palm Drive and to the
community. Dan Smith urged the Palm Drive Board to hire Brim and
signed the contract. But Dan easily becomes disillusioned with
managers that don’t follow his line exactly. This is what happened
in June and July of 2009 when Dan engineered the firing of Jim
Russell and Lori Austin. That debacle cost the district over
$800,000 in legal fees and settlements! If Dan is successful this
time around the costs will be even higher.
To terminate Brim’s contract will cost over $500,000 in
settlement costs. But the real costs are later. There will be chaos
and headlines again. The community confidence in the hospital and
board will plummet. The Standard and Poors bond rating, that
improved based on Brim’s hiring by the District will plummet. We
will not be able to re-finance the bonds in two more years as we
had planned because the S&P rating will be so poor and that
will cost us $600,000 per year. The staff, who have been very
pleased with the management that Brim has provided, will be in
disarray, and we will lose more key members of our staff than we
did last time. The physicians will not want to support the hospital
and will sign up with Sutter or Memorial. Is it worth it?
What good has Brim done for Palm Drive for the “$800,000” that
they claim? First they turned around our financial picture from a
$175,000 loss to a $2,800,000 profit. They continue to save us
about $30,000 a month in consultant fees. They are leading us in a
well-structured strategic planning process that would have cost us
at least $25,000. They have found us Richard Pohlheber, our new CEO
who will join us Dec. 1. There is much more.
Vote for keeping the momentum and maintaining stability by
electing Dobbs, Dawson and Johnson.
Frank Mayhew
Palm Drive District Board
Voting Basso, Slayter
Editor: This election is very important to the direction that
Sebastopol will take. I am voting for Ron Basso and Patrick
Slayter. I live in the Valley View area, and have waited many years
to have my streets repaired. The project is finally underway.  Ron
and Patrick will be the kind of City Council members who will be
excellent stewards of the citys infrastructure and properties. 
They are also actively working to help our local economy by serving
on the committee to start a business and food incubator. They are
the kind of council members the city needs, because they are
involved, they care about the community and they will work for all
of us.
Linda Rouse
Sebastopol
Bravo Will Riggins
Editor: Bravo to Sonoma West for printing Will Riggin’s letter
last week. It was an intelligent, courageous, passionate and
accurate assessment of Sebastopol City Council’s refusal to protect
its citizens from the negative effects, exposures, and risks of
PG&E’s untested, unproven, so-called “Smart”Meters. It’s absurd
for the council to suggest we can and should start this protest
from a national level. Sonoma County’s educated and proactive
citizens give grassroot efforts their best beginnings. Mayor
Gurney, thank you for your sole support. Keep “Smart”Meters out of
Sebastopol.
Sue Gimpel
Sebastopol
Basso,Slayter, Shea
Editor: Who will be an effective Council Member for our unique
and special city? I am supporting Ron Basso, Patrick Slayter and
Maureen Shea. I believe Sebastopol will benefit from, and needs,
council members who understand how to manage a business, who will
work to support local business and will help create plans to boost
the local economy with action, not just words. At our recent town
hall, “Let’s Talk Business,” we were given the sobering statistics
of how many millions of sales tax dollars drive through and are
lost to other cities. We need to focus on capturing more of those
dollars to support our local services. For many months, I have been
working with Ron Basso and Patrick Slayter on economic strategies
as well as the business incubator project which will help local
entrepreneurs start, grow and stay here. I know they both
understand the importance of attracting new businesses that will
fit within our city. Both Ron and Patrick manage their own
businesses, so they understand what it takes to succeed. Maureen
Shea has also joined the incubator project, and she works in her
family’s business of which she is part owner. My experience with
these three candidates is they are common sense individuals,
committed to Sebastopol, dedicated to the work, and do not want
accolades for their efforts.
What I also know is they will creatively work toward sustaining
our environment such as promoting walking and biking as a
necessity. They will represent all of our citizens, not just a few,
and will make decisions that benefit the community as a whole. They
will ask questions about decisions made, even if theirs is a
minority opinion and will embrace thinking outside the box to solve
city problems. They support moderate income housing, which will
help young families stay in Sebastopol. They are supportive of the
needs of senior citizens and will protect the safe environment we
enjoy. I enthusiastically support Ron Basso, Patrick Slayter and
Maureen Shea for the City Council.
I also commend them for conducting positive campaigns, and for
focusing on issues pertinent to the city.
Kathleen Shaffer
Sebastopol
Gurney, Kyes, Shea
Editor: Sebastopol is considered by many to be the greenest city
in Sonoma County. It lead the way in preserving the Laguna de Santa
Rosa, was an early adopter of a green building ordinance, installed
solar panels on its municipal buildings and passed an Urban Growth
Boundary by a wide margin. People in Sebastopol love their
eco-conscious small town community. Sebastopol is also in good
financial condition compared to other small towns because it
doesn’t rely on new construction to fund existing city services.
Good environmental sense makes good economic sense too.
I urge the voters of Sebastopol to continue Sebastopol’s
environmental leadership by electing Sarah Gurney, Michael Kyes and
Maureen Shea to the Sebastopol City Council.  Sonoma County
Conservation Action and Sierra Club have researched the candidates
running for Sebastopol City Council and both organizations
concluded that these three candidates support Sebastopol’s
environmental tradition. All candidates talk about being green but
these candidates walk their talk. Elect Gurney, Kyes and Shea to
Sebastopol City Council!
Dennis Rosatti
Camp Meeker
New leadership needed
Editor: It’s Time for a change on the Palm Drive Hospital
District Board. At least three members of the current board has
refused to hold Brim accountable and feel if Brim said it’s white
but the color is really blue say it’s white. Why sue the County of
Sonoma and waste our tax payer money to help the Healdsburg
hospital? This board has forgotten the County lent us the money to
keep the hospital open. Yes, it’s time for a Board who will
question the operation of an out-of-state corporation getting over
$800,000.00 of tax supported funding. I will cast my vote for
Dreyfus and Maresca and a current board member who wants to take a
close look at the Brim operation Chris Dawson.
Martin M. Webb
Sebastopol
Hope for Palm Drive
Editor: I have been on staff at Palm Drive Hospital since 1975.
I have seen good times and I have seen very bad times such as the
day in 1998 when Columbia gathered the staff together and told us
they were closing the Hospital in 2 weeks. The West County was
passionate about their Hospital and they saved us. I want to thank
the Community and tell you that I think we are entering another
very good time.
One of the reasons that I am so optimistic is that, with the
help of Health Tech (formerly Brim), we have gotten out from the
cloud of bankruptcy. We now have a little bit of money to improve
the Hospital and we can build a strategic plan for the future. That
is what we are doing right now with the help of the community that
saved us. We are building a strategic plan for next year and for
three years and even looking toward goals for 10 years.
Another reason I am optimistic is that we looking beyond the
health of the Hospital and considering the health of the West
County. The future of health care lies in promotion of health and
healthy living. That is a new focus which is much broader than
taking care of sick people. The Hospital will become the leader in
promoting Health in West County.
A third reason for my optimism is the physician staff is
energized and involved in the plan for making the Hospital the
center of health promotion for West County. As chief of the medical
staff, I see this everyday in the Hospital. Along with the
enthusiasm of the Medical staff, I see the nurses and all the rest
of the hospital staff continuing their personal “tender loving care
of our neighbors and family”, that made the West County community
save Palm Drive.
A fourth reason for optimism is that, with the help of Health
Tech (Brim), we do finally have a new and permanent CEO who is a
dynamic leader and one who will catalyze the evolution of Palm
Drive as the center of Health in our community. Finally, I want to
thank the Palm Drive District Board for the incredible amount of
uncompensated time, energy and passion that they have given to get
us to this point.
Richard E. Powers, M.D.
Sebastopol
Vote for Gurney
Editor: I support Sarah Gurney with great enthusiasm as we
approach election day 2010. Sarah is smart, knowledgeable and
even-minded. Her experience in mediation gives her a talent for
listening and trying to meet everyone’s needs as she makes choices
about what is the best for Sebastopol. She’s shown us that she is
an elected official we can trust and honor.
We’re lucky that Sarah is willing to serve another term. I urge
Sebastopol’s citizens to vote for Sarah Gurney for City
Council.
Barbara Briggs-Letson
Sebastopol
Find a way
Editor: We can continue with the same council priorities and
actions that seem to favor minority opinion. This has created a
slow/no growth environment in our city, cost us a free Wi-Fi
installation for downtown and permitted hours of council discussion
about the health effects of SmartMeters when there is no conclusive
evidence that they present a health concern. A noise ordinance was
passed that prohibits noise in commercial areas above 55db. In the
meantime, while our businesses are struggling with the economy,
there is $20,000 budgeted for a parking lot study. A wayfinding
sign project has been in the works for two years .This is a project
that could really help our downtown merchants and tourists by
identifying and directing customers to our parking lots and local
attractions. Let’s see some Council action — perhaps using
qualified residents to help solve problems in the community. Yes,
we have fared well during this recession, but that was due to the
foresight of our residents who voted for the utility tax.
We have a clear choice to see a change. We can elect new Council
Members who are not beholden to any minority groups and who will
make decisions that are in the best interest of the city. We can
vote for action rather than for consultant studies and more
conversation. Vote for Ron Basso and Patrick Slayter.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who
participated and supported the town hall meeting.
Randy Coffman
Sebastopol
Ashes to ashes
Editor: One is overawed by the incredible amount of money (a new
record: $188.1 million, of which $142 million, or 75 percent and
counting- has come from Meg Whitman) being spent by the two
contenders for governor. (Local news reporst) the previous record
was $80 million (Gray Davis vs. Bill Simon in 2002). Consider that
this is less than half of this year’s total with more than a week
to go.
Have you had enough yet? Of all the hit ads smothering the
airways; Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, Barbara Boxer and Carly
Fiorina, along with all the other greedy politicians trying to get
a point or two up in the polls on their opponents. The Grateful
Dead had it right in “Ashes Ashes, All Fall Down”:
“Darkness never goes from some men’s eyes,
politicians throwing stones,
kids they dance and shake their bones …”
Despite all the bucks thrown away in advertising, all the
debates and polls, and all the lies and promises, California’s
problems never seem to get solved. Amid the stuff and circuses, the
yeas and nays, the sweetheart deals to sports promoters, the
backroom deals that rob our kids of a decent education, that hurt
the sick, the destitute praying for decent health care, and that
have brought our entire state to the brink of ruin, every day the
sun comes up and the sun goes down.
Some say, “why should I care? Those really dying are mostly only
the poor. Those really not learning are their children, not
ours.”
We should all care because when one of these children gives up,
we will all suffer.
Frank Baumgardner
Santa Rosa