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Election letters

Bill Kraus is a candidate for school board trustee, Area 1, and although a candidate must reside in the specific area he or she is running for, each candidate is voted on by the entire district, which includes North Lake and Truckee. This is the only school board seat up for election this November ” the two other seats were uncontested. I met Bill three years ago when he volunteered to help with the campaign to renew our parcel tax for our schools ” Measure A. Measure A has been a crucial source of funding for our school district for the past 17 years. Since that campaign, Bill has served on the board of the Citizens Review Committee, which oversees the spending of the Measure A funds throughout the district and of which I am the current chairperson.

Both Bill and his wife Lizbeth have been involved with the preschool community in Truckee, volunteering for the KidZone Museum and the Truckee Family Club. Bill’s children are 2 and 4 years old. His enthusiasm and commitment to both our children’s and our community’s success can be measured by the time he spends familiarizing himself with the issues we face. Bill spent a great deal of time this past spring working with Phebe Bell and the community foundation on Education Matters. I believe this community is learning what is important to everyone and how to best use our resources to achieve those goals. Our school district is at a point of change. Our funding status with the state has changed; our demographics are changing and our attitudes and expectations need to evolve with these changes. We as a community have an opportunity to have a Board of Trustees educated on the issues, impassioned about finding solutions and respectful of each other’s and the public’s ideas. This combination of energy can only lead us towards developing a school system we can all be proud of,-and thankful that our children are in it. Please help Tahoe Truckee Unified School District-move toward a positive future. Vote for Bill Kraus on Nov. 7.

Johanna Monforte



Squaw Valley

On Nov. 7 all of us will have a chance to make our voices heard at the ballot box once again. Of all the candidates for all the offices in Nevada County, one person stands out: Tom Anderson, candidate for Nevada County Superior Court judge.



For the past six years, Tom has led the Nevada County Public Defender’s Office, and in the process has gained the respect and admiration of everyone in the judicial community. He has shown himself to be fair-minded, scrupulously honest and the kind of man who can work with people from every walk of life who enter the courtroom. At the same time, he has worked to foster more trust and cooperation between law enforcement and community agencies in order to improve our local judicial system. Tom was jointly endorsed by all six seated Nevada County court judges during the primary election, and a broad coalition of community leaders, law enforcement officers and business owners.

I believe that Tom Anderson is the best man for the job of Nevada County Superior Court judge, and I encourage you to join me in casting your vote for him on Nov. 7.

Marty Woods

Truckee

It is sometimes very difficult to decide for whom to vote in an election. It takes courage, commitment, honesty and a lot of hard work to even run for office. I believe the following people meet all the requirements to fulfill the responsibilities for their selected office.

Sandy Korth and Bill Quesnel for the Truckee Tahoe Airport District board: The endorsement by both FoTTA and CARE says a lot about their willingness to work with the community of pilots, non-pilots and the communities of both North Shore and Truckee.

Bill Kraus for the school board: You can’t ask for a more dedicated, responsible and hard-working person to guide the school board on through its next few years and beyond.

Mark Brown, Richard Anderson and Robert Cassidy for the Truckee Town Council: Richard has good experience from his existing term on the current Town Council. Robert is a fresh face with a strong, diverse background in all levels of management. And last, but certainly not least, Mark Brown. He also brings a fresh perspective to the council from years of experience living in and around Truckee, as well as working on various commissions and projects throughout the state. Each are very well versed in the proposed General Plan, and by virtue of their attendance at Town Council meetings have a better idea of how things work between the council and the town staff. Each of these gentlemen running for town council bring a willingness to listen to their constituents, work hard for them and will provide exemplary service to our community with honesty, integrity and sincerity.

Carol Pauli

Truckee

I am not typically one to voice my heart-felt opinions publicly, however while observing the NTPUD race unfolding I feel that it is important for our community to understand that each candidate for Seat 3 is very capable of getting the job done. Although I am not a property owner, as a longtime resident of Kings Beach I want to express why I believe Sue Daniels is my candidate of choice. It didn’t take many discussions with Sue to realize that she is an every-day kind of Tahoe local that truly understands the needs and desires of the every-day kind of people in our community. This human quality and her ability to get the job done makes for a winning combination. As you, the public, also are a voice in our community I ask you to please consider voting for Sue Daniels on Nov. 7.

Lisa Feinberg

Kings Beach

Everyone needs to be aware of exactly what is going on in the NTPUD Seat 3 election. To her credit, Sue Daniels is running a grass roots campaign and has accepted support only from within the NTPUD. Good for Sue! She is a credit to us all. However, not everyone can make this claim. Look at the recently filed FPPC Form 460s for yourself. One of Sue’s opponents has accepted money and support from sources outside our district including Tahoe City, Homewood, Auburn, Dutch Flat, Meadow Vista, San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose, and even out of California. These include contributions from an out-of-area proponent of merger and incorporation, and also from the war chest of an out-of-area politician. This is just not appropriate.

We also question why one of Sue’s opponents is accepting a party hosted by the developer of a housing project, once failed, now resurrected, which needs an easement through our NTPUD property to succeed? Is it right for a prospective NTPUD board member to accept support from a developer who needs to acquire public property owned by the constituents in this district who stands to make huge profits from the development?

We hope everyone thinks about just who is funding this campaign before they vote next Tuesday. We, for one, do not want politics and special interests to take over our NTPUD. We will vote for Sue Daniels and encourage all of you to do the same. We need to be the “captain of our own ship.”

Pat Tidey

Carnelian Bay

Carolyn Johnson

Kingswood Estates

Dale and Pam Chamblin

Tahoe Vista

As your continuing Sierra Community College Trustee, I would like to express my support for Bill Martin and Martin Harmon, both running for the Sierra College board. In my estimation, these gentlemen offer the best prospect for Sierra College to continue to move forward in an increasingly changing and challenging educational world. As we move toward the construction and opening of our Truckee-Tahoe campus, sound, non-partisan board leadership will be a key to our success. Thank you, and please remember to cast your ballot.

Dave Ferrari

Sierra College Trustee

I recently went to the post office to get my latest issue of Esquire Magazine and found in there an article that our congressman, John Doolittle, was getting credit for being on of “The Worst Members of Congress.” They went on to say: “Campaigning ferociously for title of most unabashedly corrupt member of Congress not yet serving time… Took $140,000 from Jack Abramoff and his clients and refuses to give it back… Oh, and his wife took payments from Abramoff, too. And a 15 percent cut of all Doolittle’s campaign contributions.”

Enough is enough. If this guy gets voted back into office after such embarrassingly corrupt behavior, then his behavior is endorsed by the voters. Is that the message we want going to Washington?

Doolittle attacks his opponent for supporting civil liberties. Now that habeas corpus has been rescinded, we all should be worried about liberty. Let’s all get out and vote for Charlie Brown.

Kurt Reinkens

Truckee

Now that Nov. 7 is near, I have reviewed the ballot statements, listened to the candidates, read the numerous newspaper articles and given the local election for NTPUD directors much thought. When all of the facts, the candidates, their supporters and funding, and our needs are considered, I think the choice is clear. We need to keep Lane Lewis on the board and elect Sue Daniels to fill the position being vacated by Norma Schwartz.

Lane Lewis has been instrumental in freeing the NTPUD from the oppression of debt while holding the line on rates and requiring appropriate schedules for maintenance. Sue Daniels understands the needs of our community and will insure that our money is spent wisely, without political influence and without becoming captive to those who would spend our hard-earned money on yet more attempts to sell us already failed ideas.

Both Lane and Sue believe in fiscal responsibility and the value of recreation in our community. The success of our community depends upon building upon successes, not repeating failures.

Bob Habeger

Agate Bay

For more than 200 years our Republic has been a government “of the people by the people [and] for the people.” Our government derives its just powers only “from the consent of the governed.” This is true of the judiciary as well as the legislature and the executive. Our government works best with an involved, informed and active citizenry ” the vote is essential to that connection. On Nov. 7, Nevada County, along with the entire nation, will be voting. Last June in our primary, slightly more than 1/3 of the adults in Nevada County voted. When this occurs, the victors are chosen by only 1/6 of the population.

Your vote matters. Last June our district attorney, and a Nevada City Council member, were each elected by a handful of votes. In 2000 our President was elected by a Florida majority of 537 votes (out of almost 6,000,000 votes) ” or, as some prefer, by one vote in the U. S. Supreme Court.

We receive the government that we earn. If we, the people, fail to thoughtfully, intelligently and wisely choose our leaders, then we will inevitably receive a government that we don’t desire.

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Metropolitan News-Enterprise published an editorial calling for limiting the vote on potential judges to lawyers and judges only, saying, that, for a variety of reasons California needs: “….. to revamp judicial elections in California, removing them from partisan political influences by restricting voting to those “admitted to practice””that is, judges and lawyers.”

This idea would deprive the voters of ultimate control over one of the three branches of government. Our ancestors fought hard for the right to vote and to control the government. Please don’t allow this right to be lost through apathy and neglect. Please take the time to inform yourself and vote.

Ray Shine

Grass Valley

The guest column “Choose wisely at the polls” (Sierra Sun , Aug. 14) presents some facts incorrectly about the workers in the Marianas, a U.S. territory where garment workers are paid $3.05 hour. Here are facts about these women. Recruiters promise them good paying jobs with the same protections provided for American workers and charge a fee of $5,000 or more. Women borrow money to pay recruiters, often at high interest rates. Employers provide food and housing in crowded, squalid conditions and deduct $2,100 per year from the workers’ wages. Earning only minimum wage, workers will not make enough to pay living expenses and keep up with loan payments. It’s not uncommon for a woman to work six days a week, 20 hours per day.

There are no labor unions and women don’t complain or they can be sent back home at the will of the employer with no way to repay their debt. Women who become pregnant are forced to have illegal abortions. Ms. Magazine has a cover story about these workers in this month’s issue.

The Clinton administration and several members of Congress made repeated attempts to pass legislation to raise the minimum wage to $5.15, extend immigration laws to the Commonwealth and limit the use of the “Made in U.S.A.” label. Twenty-nine separate pieces of legislation have been sponsored, but all were held up in committee without being brought to a vote. At one point, a House bill had 243 co-sponsors, so it clearly would have passed.

The Commonwealth was a multi-million dollar client of Jack Abramoff, who worked with John Doolittle and others to block attempts at passing new legislation. In the White House, there was also support for blocking the legislation, as three of Abramoff’s former lobbyists from the Marianas account were appointed to positions in the Department of Labor.

You should know the facts about what your congressman John Doolittle supports. The facts show he indeed supported exploiting garment workers in the Marianas, including the forced abortions and sex slavery that results.

Susan Kraemer

El Cerrito, Calif.

I wish to endorse Pat Sutton who is running for re-election as director of the TDPUD. Having known Pat since l963, her commitment to local politics has been very strong and loyal. She has been a big supporter of all the Donner Lake issues through the years. “Plug the Pipeline” in the early ’70s, which my dear mother, Marge Adkerson, was very involved and successful was an example of Pat’s support from the PUD. Secondly, as a board member of the PUD, Pat supported Donner Lake in their attempt to change their water system in the ’80s. Lastly, Pat and the other board members were successful and supportive in forming an assessment district and acquiring the water system and re-building it to the successful water system Donner Lake now is using.-

We need people like Pat Sutton as a director of the PUD because she cares for Truckee and Donner Lake. Vote Pat Sutton for TDPUD.

-Sue Adkerson

-Donner Lake


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