Bible camp for young fire victims
EDITOR: A summer kids’ event called Camp Restoration will be hosted at Windsor Community United Methodist Church, 9451 Brooks Road South from July 16 to July 20. The week’s focus will be empowering children to help other children who were directly impacted by last October’s firestorm.
Participants will sing catchy songs, do craft projects, play teamwork-building games, take part in Bible-learning activities, eat yummy treats and become “prayer partners” for children attending Camp Noah in Santa Rosa, a specialized, therapeutic camp for kids who lost their homes in the fires.
Each day at Camp Restoration concludes with a finale, to which parents are welcome at 11:40 a.m. Family members are also invited to attend an ice cream social on Friday, July 20 at 5:30 p.m. and a special closing program in worship on Sunday, July 22 at 10:30 a.m.
Camp Restoration is for kids from kindergarten to fifth grade and will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day. Cost is $20 per child for the entire week of fun. For more information, call 838-6898 or visit windsorumc.com.
Laurie McHugh
Windsor
Thanks for ‘obit’
EDITOR: Thank you for your editorial “An obit for democracy.” We have a president that threatens the free press, threatens to lock up rivals, ignores the separation of powers and claims to be singularly above the law.
Our local Nextdoor private website for Windsor prevents political discussion of our president’s actions. History does repeat itself. Newspapers do not censor political opinions. They request them.
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Dave Heventhal
Windsor
How much power does a town council member have?
EDITOR: What does a town council member do? How much power do they have? Council candidates from Windsor and Healdsburg, including incumbents, addressed these questions at the Windsor/North County Democratic Club meeting on Thursday, June 28.
Leah Gold, currently serving on the Healdsburg City Council, told the audience, “You really don’t have as much power as people think you do.” As far as decisions you make, “People think you can move pieces around as on a game board, putting this business here and that business there.” And, “You may feel strongly, but unless you get two other people who feel like you do, it doesn’t get agendized.”
Rosa Reynoza and Esther Lemus, running for Windsor Town Council, want to bring more control over new projects built in town. Reynoza feels that town leaders panic over going in the red, so they approve projects they feel will bring in needed revenue. But she feels that their fears are misguided and that the financial team for the town has been doing an excellent job.
As a person familiar with reading the financial accounts of various organizations, she feels qualified to understand the reality of the situation.
Can decision-making take place in different ways than it has in the past? Could the town commission polls and then be bound by the results? Sam Salmon, currently on the council and undecided about running again, spoke about his decision-making process. He feels that it’s important to get input from many places. You blend your own ideas about a decision with those of others in the town to come up with your decision. But the real control over that decision comes from the voters every two years. Once you make a decision and you are re-elected, you can stick to that decision, probably without changing your mind since the voters approved you once again.
Esther Lemus has misgivings about projects going forward without adequately addressing the needs of public safety, roads, parking and other infrastructure. For example, as has been reported in the press, the hotel off the town green does not need to be another Sheraton. She would prefer a boutique hotel.
Another factor in the town’s approach to providing housing is addressing in-lieu fees, which developers pay to avoid the requirement of affordable housing. In-lieu fees, which pay very little, say for one or two units, don’t do very much to fulfill the need of ordinary people to find housing.
The candidates felt that the town council must remain steadfast in its commitment to including and keeping significant affordable housing in new projects, as well as creating projects specifically tailored to workers and their families.
Town residents will have a chance to attend a workshop on the Jensen Lane development project possibilities on Wednesday, July 11 at 6 pm. As one of the audience members noted, if you don’t go to council meetings, you don’t have much say. For more information on the Democratic Club, go to www.windsordemocrats.org.
Rick Massell
Windsor
