Letters to the Editor
Get out and pull that broom
Dear Editor,After pulling broom all morning, I have to say, “thanks for getting the word out about this invasive plant pest.” [Unwelcome invasion of French broom, KP May 1.]
Now if only all of us would pull three or four (dozen) (hundred) plants each time we are walking along the roadside and anywhere on our own lands, we might get rid of it. I think you opened the eyes of many who never had an inkling about just how bad the French broom plant is for our beautiful environment – I’m thinking of the dangerous increased fire hazard and loss of native wildlife habitat. Maybe we’ll all come to love NOT seeing its yellow blooms and will succeed in eradicating it. “It takes a village.”
Danny Matula
Kenwood
Bramfitt’s our man
Dear Editors,Mark Bramfitt is a candidate for the office of 1st District Sonoma County Supervisor. This is the seat currently held by Kenwood resident Valerie Brown who is not running for reelection.
Why is this election important to the readers of the Kenwood Press? The 1st District includes Kenwood, Oakmont, Glen Ellen and the Sonoma Valley as well as parts of Bennett Valley, Rincon Valley, Montgomery Village and Fountaingrove. The County Supervisor is your prime contact for dealing with County government. We need a Supervisor who has the proven skills and experience to effectively represent our needs and communities.
Bramfitt’s qualifications for Supervisor include serving for 11 years as an elected Director (and current President) of the Valley of the Moon Water District; he is also currently serving as a member of the Sonoma Valley Citizen’s Advisory Commission (SVCAC), and as a member of the County Water Advisory Panel. He serves on the County-wide Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) and led a citizen’s group that secured a planning grant for the Central Sonoma Valley Pathway, the first step in creating safe walking and biking routes to local schools. He is a small business owner, a 23 year resident of the Sonoma Valley and a UC Berkeley engineering graduate. His business designs and implements energy efficiency programs.
Bramfitt has been endorsed by the Sierra Club and has received the Sonoma Ecology Center’s “Elected Official” Environmental Award for his work in the area of sustainable water supply and conservation. He has also been endorsed by the Operating Engineers Local No. 3 who said “... Bramfitt would move beyond partisanship and do right by the 1st District and Sonoma County. A vote for Bramfitt is a vote for smart government that works for everyone.”
We agree.
Carrie and Dick Fogg
Sonoma
A vote for Sanders
Dear Editor,Beginning 1976 until 2004, I was a resident of the town of Sonoma. I still live in Sonoma Valley, in the Oakmont vicinity. I am supporting Joanne Sanders for the 1st District County Supervisor. Joanne’s leadership record as the Mayor of Sonoma is unparalleled by any other candidate. We all hear there is no money for parks, roads and schools yet we have six people running for a position which pays about $150,000 per year plus pension and full benefits. This suggests a new meaning for the term “public servant.” Joanne is the only candidate who has pledged to set an example of fiscal prudence by reducing her pay 30 percent. We need more elected officials to be like Joanne to recognize most citizens on “Main Street” are struggling to earn much less than these questionably high salaries. She has earned my vote.
Stephanie Batanides
Oakmont
Passionate about Cuclis
Dear Editor,Passion: defined as enthusiasm for one’s beliefs or cause. Passion then is something we must have in our elected representatives. They must also have compassion.
Gina Cuclis has both of these attributes. She is a consummate advocate for the people of the 1st Supervisorial district. As a resident of unincorporated Sonoma Valley, she has been working with County government for more than 25 years.
I got to know Gina when she was on the City of Sonoma’s Planning as the representative for the unincorporated area. She understands issues facing local homeowners, small business owners, and issues facing the agriculture and wine industries. She has worked tirelessly bringing people together to solve issues, and as our next Supervisor will continue to share her passion and her compassion.
That’s why I’m voting for Gina Cuclis to be our next First District Supervisor. Please join me.
Patricia J. McTaggart
Sonoma
