More Letters to the Editor
More recommendations for Sebastopol City Council (and one shout-out about the high school board election)
We love hearing from our readers! If you’d like to write a Letter to the Editor, please send it to hagarlaura@gmail.com and/or dale.dougherty@gmail.com.
To the Editors:
Across the country, there is a trend in candidates running for elected offices who have a worrisome combination of having no experience in public offices and who have libertarian or “small government” values.
I’ve been caught off-guard to see this trend playing out in Sebastopol in the vacuum left by the retirement of incumbents on the city council and high school board. We need elected leaders who understand the lessons of the pandemic that revealed how critical it is that we invest in tax-funded services that keep people healthy.
Our leaders must also understand — not diminish — the relevance of George Floyd’s murder to every community, and who are committed to making our community more inclusive, just and equitable.
In a recent debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters, it was clear that a slate of three Sebastopol city council candidates lack an understanding of either, let alone the ideas and values to lead.
I’m voting for candidates who understand our local issues and have concrete strategies about how to serve our youth and our most vulnerable community members. I’m voting for Sandra Mauer and Stephen Zollman for city council, and Debbie Ramirez for West County High School Board.
Renata Brillinger
Sebastopol
To the Editors:
Stephen Zollman has that rare combination of soft spoken intelligence, compassion, experience and vision that creates an exciting opportunity for the citizens of Sebastopol. He is running for Seb City Council and I support his candidacy with enthusiasm.
Unlike other candidates, he has the experience and resume' that will allow him to successfully work with other council members to create a positive vision for our town. I am impressed with the number of diverse governing boards he has and is working with. He's not just parroting pretty campaign slogans like the majority of candidates. He has the experience to create results. He's also a social justice advocate and one of the ideas he wants to implement is to formalize and pair mental health protocols with policing in order to prevent the tragic results we have all too frequently witnessed in emotionally charged policing situations.
I have walked door to door with Stephen and I am convinced of his authentic desire and ability to serve and partner with people and government agencies to enhance the greater good for Sebastopol.
With the goal of keeping this brief, I ask you to follow this link for more about Stephen and why he is more than very qualified to run for City Council!
https://zollman4sebastopol.net/about/
Please vote for Stephen Zollman for Sebastopol City Council.
Karin Lease
Dear Editors:
I highly recommend Sandra Maurer as our next City Council member. This past year I have worked often and closely with Sandra. I have found her to be a person of stellar integrity. She is highly intelligent, truthful, inclusive and steadfast in her desire to serve our community.
Sandra's list of endorsements attest to her outstanding qualities as a candidate. She has been endorsed by Sebastopol Tomorrow and the Sierra Club and is the only Council candidate to have received the endorsements of the Sonoma County Democratic Party and the North Bay Labor Council. Among her many other endorsers are standing Councilmembers Sarah Gurney, Una Glass and Diana Rich.
I encourage all to vote for Sandra Maurer. For more information: http://www.sandimaurer.com/
Sincerely,
Angela Ford
Dear Editor,
I've been involved in a number of political campaigns in Sonoma County and have been most impressed by Sandra Maurer, who is running for Sebastopol City Council. Her leadership skills are unsurpassed! There's a good reason why she is being endorsed by so many excellent organizations and individuals, including the Sierra Club, Sebastopol Tomorrow, North Bay Labor Council, and the Sonoma County Democratic Party. She has a deep commitment to community vitality and environmental wellness, which is critical at this time. Sebastopol will be lucky to have her as a Council Member.
Sidnee Cox
To the Editor:
Watching Sandra Maurer's work during this campaign for City Council suggests that as a Council Member, Sandi will serve our town with diligence, caring, and heart. I believe that this is what her myriad endorsers and supporters have seen in choosing her as their candidate to whom to lend their support. Her commitment to the environment and helping Sebastopol respond to the climate emergency is seen in the Sierra Club's endorsement among others.
Sandra is not only hard-working and smart, but she is willing and able to delve deep "into the weeds" of public concerns, policy, rules, and procedures. Her word is her bond. She does not make promises or claims unless she expects to be able to follow-through on them.
I think people will be really pleased with her work as one of our New City Council Members.
Sincerely,
Martha Glaser
Sebastopol
To the Editors:
This is in response to the one-issue candidate accusation against Sandra Maurer
Yes, of course she is dedicated to education about EMFs, but that does not make her a one-issue candidate. All the issues, including the unhoused, our fire department, the budget, increasing business, climate solutions, etc. are of equal importance. This is a political ploy to ignore her knowledge of the issues, which I would treat as equally important. And, let's not forget that 4 of the 5 candidates are in favor of Sebastopol's general plan, which is reducing EMFs to safer levels to protect public health and safety.
Sandy Tate
Sebastopol
Dear Editors,
I have known Sandra for over 20 years and I support her campaign. She is honest, trustworthy, kind, generous and a true asset to our community. She stands her ground and has gone against big business to protect our city. We need her in our City Council.
Barbara Bella
Sebastopol
To see more letters to the editor regarding the current election campaign for the Sebastopol City Council, go HERE.