Editorial

I am a local who has been visiting and shopping downtown since 1990. The current parking dilemma has arisen because of the past political marriage between downtown business and local politicians. In an effort to promote growth and accumulate revenue, Healdsburg has incorporated the in-lieu parking fee concept, which although is good for developers, it has failed the local property owning taxpayer.

Millions of gallons of oil have been spilled across the United States through ship, rail and road collisions, explosions, pipeline ruptures, storms, etc. Big oil disasters continue to reverberate through the environment and through our news cycles: the BP oil rig explosion that wreaked havoc in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the ship Cosco Busan that crashed into the Bay Bridge in 2007 dumping oil into San Francisco Bay, and the famous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989. While we watch the ongoing analysis, litigation and attempted cleanup from these high-profile events, there are measures we can all take to reduce a lesser but still very serious threat.

I want to earn your vote! You and I have the great pleasure to live in Healdsburg where, for over 150 years, people have built a great community, come to each other’s aid when required, and looked forward to an ongoing future of growth and prosperity. I believe we are now at a crossroads. One where your future city leaders will decide whether we can afford to do all the great things we want to do.

Mission implausible

Frank Robertson, in his commentary "Hard to swallow" last week