Hefty compensation

Bob Cuddy and other Tribune reporters did a series of articles about a year ago comparing compensation packages among local city managers, law enforcement officials and firefighters, and many employees were mentioned by name.

I don’t recall any concern about bringing public attention to those people or about the stress of their names and compensation packages being thrust into public view.

Now, in his May 15 piece, Cuddy names the executive director of the Air Pollution Control District, Larry Allen, and then blames supervisor candidate Debbie Arnold for bringing Allen into the headlines.

The first time I saw the name Larry Allen in connection with the APCD was in Cuddy’s Tribune article, not in any Arnold campaign materials. Debbie Arnold only highlights the budget vote by the current supervisor and does not name the person receiving the hefty compensation package.

Cuddy’s concern for the feelings of our local APCD executive director is telling. However, regardless of any comparisons, a local county compensation package of nearly a quarter of a million dollars deserves scrutiny.

Madalyn McDaniel

Atascadero

An apology owed

Since I don’t live in the 5th District, I do not know Debbie Arnold and have not read her campaign mailer or heard her radio spots challenging her opponent’s budget spending priorities in relationship to the compensation of the executive director of the SLO Air Pollution Control District (“Air district chief hit by political whirlwind in supervisory campaign,” May 15). I will give her the benefit of the doubt by accepting her statement that these campaign materials were not about “going after Larry Allen.”

However, because the outcome of these particular campaign tactics has caused a palpable spillover of undeserved stress and tension to this esteemed public official (who needs no defending), it would clear the air (no pun intended) if Ms. Arnold would kindly offer a prompt and public apology to Mr. Allen.

Tim Rochte

Los Osos

Spelling it all out

Give me:

a C: “Community First” slogan;

an H: Honest, hardworking individual;

an R: Resolution for our aging waste-water treatment plant;

an I: Improving Morro Bay’s infrastructure, streets, harbor and utilities;

an S: Supporting business in all business districts

a T: Team builder and team player;

an I: Intensely interested in long-term planning for Morro Bay;

an N: Neighborhood character preservation;

an E: Extraordinary volunteer!

Put them all together, and they spell CHRISTINE, with whom I have had the pleasure and very positive experience of working with on the Morro Bay Friends of the Library board, of which she is serving as president. Please join my husband and me in “rooting” for Christine Johnson, Morro Bay City Council candidate, by casting your vote for her on your mail-in ballot or at the polls on June 5. Rah! Rah! Rah!

Joan and Harvey Petersen

Morro Bay

Important decision

We here in Morro Bay have another important election decision to make. We have good people running for both mayor and for City Council. Most of them have been very active in making Morro Bay a better place to live. We have had a chance to meet them either personally or via the forums they met in to discuss their vision for Morro Bay, and there are some very different visions that have been expressed.

Everyone who is registered to vote needs to make their voices heard and choose the direction they want the city to pursue. We believe that the best choices for moving the city forward are Carla Borchard for mayor and Joan Solu and Jim Hayes for City Council. Please join us in electing these three qualified people to lead us forward.

Gary and Freddie Ream

Morro Bay

No on A-12

Arroyo Grande is an extremely safe community. It was just as safe before this police chief came here and increased spending. It will still have that same ultra low crime rate if we do not go $7 million farther in the hole.

What is not safe in this city, are the potholed streets and buckled sidewalks. If we cannot afford to fix that, maybe a handful of people for the state-ofthe-art police station can go to the back of the line. I’ve waited 11 years to see the city fix an actual hazard in front of my house.

Parents are required to help at the school. The school bus costs $280 a year for my child to ride four miles each way in Arroyo Grande. Public works is looking at cuts. Tighten your belt like the rest of us, chief. Of all the things we need, yours look more like wants. I don’t want to pay for the rest of my natural life for something we do not need.

Jeff Horton

Arroyo Grande

Flip-flopping

I received a yellow mailer today from Betty Winholtz, a two-term City Council member, 2002-10. What was interesting was item No. 3: Why not to vote for anyone currently on the City Council: They “voted to enforce the sign ordinance splitting our community in two.”

As a Morro Bay business owner, I remember Betty’s first campaign and her statement why not to vote for anyone currently on the City Council: “they can’t even enforce the current city sign ordinance.” That comment by Betty split our business community in two in 2001. Betty, you can’t flip-flop your sign ordinance arguments just to please you, your campaign or the 2012 campaigns of the three package-deal candidates you support. Which is it, Betty?

I support Carla Borchard, a businesswoman who will vote for what’s right: enforcing city ordinances.

Lorie Noble

Morro Bay

Don’t create barriers

Recently, I had a chance to talk to Jim Patterson saying that I didn’t think the plastic bag ban was fair and wasn’t “the right thing to do.” He expounded on all the statistics, but he didn’t really seem to listen to what I had to say.

I use reusable bags, but if I don’t have enough with me, I don’t want to have to pay for additional bags! I reuse my plastic bags. Grocery bags, paper or plastic, have always been available to the customer without a charge! Sure, there’s a “hidden” charge factored into the cost of whatever one buys, but an upfront charge for bags! Come on!

Do we want more overreaching ordinances like the unpopular plastic bag ban, or do we want an environment that encourages new job-creating businesses in our county? We are living in America! For me, the choice is clear. We need to encourage economic development, not throw up barriers to potential new businesses. If you agree, I urge you to join me in voting for Debbie Arnold for 5th District supervisor on June 5.

Sharen Bloechl

Atascadero

Far from extreme

We place trust with our county supervisors to make wise and balanced decisions that consider the diverse needs of all residents. Accuracy and objective evaluation of facts are fundamental to a fair process.

In the 5th District, an aggressive and less-thantruthful campaign is under way to market incumbent Jim Patterson as an extreme left-wing career politician who never saw a new regulation he didn’t like. The history and voting record of Mr. Patterson do not support these extreme claims. Instead, the facts reveal a patient and balanced leader who has created jobs, conservatively overseen the management of county finances, and improved services without increasing taxes.

These are accomplishments that answered real needs during some of the most challenging economic times in the history of our nation. I encourage citizens to research the facts and to vote on June 5.

Far from extreme, Jim Patterson is an honest, thoughtful and committed public servant whose integrity and competent leadership are the best choice for the future of San Luis Obispo County at this critical juncture.

Charles Kleemann

Santa Margarita

Important to watch

They say if you like politics or sausage, don’t watch either being made. That may be OK for sausage, but the politics of this election year is too important for anyone to “not watch.” That’s why I decided to participate on Ed Waage’s campaign team.

San Luis Obispo County stands at a crossroads of tough decisions that will impact our community for years and years to come. That is why I encourage everyone reading this, do your own research and then decide who’s best for our county. I did, and Ed Waage was the clear winner.

I have watched him at work as a Pismo Beach councilman and as the liaison for the Conference and Visitors Bureau and I found him to be an extremely intelligent and genuinely nice man who works very hard with everybody to get the job done.

Granted, he is not is a politician, he is just a man from the community who believes that his job is to improve our lives. The way I see it, that’s a good thing.

Joseph Scott

Arroyo Grande

Biased article

I guess one’s character means nothing to Bob Cuddy (B.C.) as illustrated in his article about the “Waage fliers.”

In criticizing Waage for including in his flier comments about Supervisor Hill’s past activities, B.C.’s belief is that the assertions are “bogus.”

I guess Hill ignoring speakers at the podium while he reads from his electronic device is OK with B.C., even though it demonstrates a lack of courteous treatment of the public or even worse, a contempt for what they have to say.

Maybe it is admirable to B.C. to use another’s name as Hill did in a prank call but I wonder how Cuddy would feel if it was his name being bantered about.

And lastly, something not in Waage’s flier: Hill calling an entire group “racist” for some in the group attending a fundraiser. I surmise Cuddy wouldn’t disapprove of this indiscretion of Hill’s either, since it was Hill who relayed the info to Cuddy in the first place. To Hill’s credit, he did later apologize for his characterization of the group. A journalistic ethics course should be in B.C.’s immediate future for his biased, “hatchet job” article.

A.B. Solomon

Cambria

Voting for other guy

Mr. Ed Waage sends me, a registered Democrat, two pieces of very offensive political mailings supposedly contrasting his maturity, respectfulness and thoughtful leadership on one side, while attacking the character of Adam Hill in a most disrespectful way on the reverse.

Waage calls Hill “99% Dishonest” (a statement any thinking person would dismiss), but offers in the fine print only that “99% of Hill’s votes come from three sources” in a newspaper’s online poll.

So what does that prove? In my experience, it only shows the author has nothing positive to offer and resorts to character attacks instead.

Makes an 80-year-old like me with some past experience helping politicians win elections wonder just how such tactics are financed. They suggest tactics more worthy of a Grover Norquist or a Karl Rove than the strategists of our “happy, respectful and thoughtful” little Central Coast county.

I suspect the backlash of such over-the-top attacks will be considerable, since they tell much more about the character of the author of the mailer than they do about Mr. Hill, who has taken some positive actions to better our communities.

It sure convinced me whom to vote for: the other guy, Adam Hill.

Warren R. Belanger

Avila Beach

Divisive negativity

Considering that Jamie Irons, Noah Smukler and Christine Johnson are campaigning on the promise of bringing the community together, we were disappointed to receive the completely negative campaign postcard naming names sent by Betty Winholtz.

Even though Ms. Winholtz disagrees, there are a large number of folks in our city who think that, through their volunteer efforts, Mayor Bill Yates, Councilwomen Carla Borchard and candidate Joan Solu have given a great deal to our community. No doubt people who think highly of Yates, Borchard and Solu will look upon this type of negative campaigning as being divisive.

We know that there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the mailer disavowing the involvement of Irons, Smukler and Johnson; however, it is hard for us to fathom that they didn’t know what their supporters were planning. For three people who profess to have the ability to unite the community, this sure seems like a strange way to go about it. This example of negativity perpetuates the divisiveness in our community.

Homer and Dede Alexander

Morro Bay