Year in Review

During the final week of the year, we always take a glance back
at the events, people and milestones that made the local news. It’s
always amazing how the more things seem to change, the more they
also seem to stay the same. That’s a good thing, we think. Too much
of the world seems to be speeding up and hurtling by. What’s the
rush? Why all the tweeting and blogging?
We like the slower pace of small local news stories and
community happenings that only matter to us. We enjoy the richness
of a well-informed conversation.
We look back at the year’s news, not so much to take inventory
of big accomplishments as to take stock in the work we need to
continue into the new year.
Not to say there wasn’t any shortage of news headlines, comings
and goings and a few historical moments during 2010. The economy,
the weather and a round of elections shaped our lives and the
decisions we shared in our community.
If there was a top local news story this year, it would have to
be either the continuing slow economic recovery or the taxing and
demanding harvest just completed by our winegrape growers and other
farmers.
There were other news headlines from our local and state
elections, the difficult budget picture for schools and government,
more loss of local jobs and a few historical milestones and public
celebrations.
Looking forward, no one can say what the weather will bring us,
but we’ve been told our local economy will continue to be cloudy
for most of the year. There should be small but steady gains in
jobs, income and business activity, we are also being told.
In Healdsburg, we actually had a pretty full news year. The
Saggio Hills project won city council approval, got challenged in
court, and is now coming back for a new council vote.
Memorial Bridge was saved after a year-long debate, engineer
studies and an economic reality check. The geothermal Geysers
Project turned 50 and Healdsburg’s Carnegie Library building turned
100. (So did Louis Foppiano.)
There were lots of retirement parties at City Hall. Police Chief
Susan Jones and Fire Chief Randy Collins both retired. Council
member Eric Ziedrich retired (again). And “unretired” Tom Chambers
was elected the new mayor.
The dam at Memorial Beach went up in June — but might not go up
at all in the coming year.
In Sonoma County, we witnessed a new makeover to the Board of
Supervisors with the election of Healdsburg’s Mike McGuire and
David Rabbit from Petaluma. Joining Efren Carrillo, Shirley Zane
and Valerie Brown, our county leaders face another very tough
budget year that promises reduced services, rough roads, public
employee concessions and probably new fees and taxes.
Jill Ravitch defeated Stephen Passalacqua in a heated election
for District Attorney. A new set of Superior Court judges also were
seated and we will have a new sheriff, Steve Freitas from
Windsor.
The SMART train seemed to go backwards over the year as
estimated project costs soared and promised revenues dwindled. The
new year promises to be full of debate about the SMART commuter
train project.
Our school superintendents and trustees will continue to face
very tough choices over declining revenues, large class sizes and
threatened programs.
The changing health care landscape will continue to be in the
local news next year.
The local news forecast sounds bad. But we are relatively
certain that readers of The Healdsburg Tribune will also find
plenty of “positive” news in the new year.
It’s not as if we live in Prairie Home Companion’s Lake Wobegon
where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and
all the children are above average.” Actually, we think things are
even better than that around here in Healdsburg.
— Rollie Atkinson