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<font face="Times New Roman">Thought you might like to read John's
piece in today's (Sunday's) Ukiah Daily Journal. </font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman">Steve </font><br>
<br>
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</style><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span
style="mso-fareast-font-family: Times-Roman"><font face="Times
New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Candidates needed</font></font></span></b><b><span></span></b><br>
<br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:
; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';
mso-bidi-font-family: ArialNarrow"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">BY
</font></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: ;
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';
mso-bidi-font-family: ArialNarrow"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">J</font></span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New
Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialNarrow"><font
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">OHN </font></span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New
Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialNarrow"><font
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">S</font></span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New
Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialNarrow"><font
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">AKOWICZ</font></span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Narrow"></span><br>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;
mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family:
ArialNarrow; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">Another Voice</span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Narrow"></span><br>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family: ArialNarrow">SUNDAY VOICES</span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Narrow"></span><br>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New
Roman'"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2013</font></span><span
style="FONT-FAMILY: "></span><br>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: "><font style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">UKIAH
DAILY JOURNAL</font></span></font><br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"></span><br>
<span><a href="http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/letters/ci_23226566"><font
face="Times New Roman" color="#0000ff"><font style="FONT-SIZE:
6pt">http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/letters/ci_23226566</font></font></a><font
face="Times New Roman"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 6pt"> </font></font></span><br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"></span><br>
<font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Recently, I
got into a rather ugly email exchange with a county official. We
seemed to disagree on a basis premise. We disagreed that
contested elections for </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">County</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Treasurer</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> and </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">County</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Auditor</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> -- at lease once in a while -- is a good
thing, a healthy thing for the government and its people. I said
yes. This public official wasn't so sure.</span></font><br>
<br>
<font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">But such is
the nature of a democracy, correct? Contested elections.
Debates. Public discourse. At least, that's what I was taught in
grade school civics class. I was taught that no job in public
office is a lifetime appointment, not even the jobs of </span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'">County</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'">Treasurer</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> and </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">County</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Auditor</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'">.</span></font><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Indeed, we should
encourage contested elections, if for no other reason than to
have a public debate about the issues that most concern us.</font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">For the occasional
citizen, highly committed to run for public office, and with the
time and money to run for office, it is healthy for county
government to run against any incumbent, including Treasurer or
Auditor.</font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">For most other
citizens, it is healthy for county government to be informed, to
bring critical thinking to the issues of the day, to form
well-reasoned opinions, and to be public and outspoken about
their opinions. </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">And be outspoken!
Be outspoken in op-ed pieces at newspapers, at public affairs
shows on the radio, at community television in Ukiah and on the
Coast, at the bimonthly Board of Supervisor meetings, at the
monthly meetings of the Retirement Board, at the quarterly
Treasury Pool meetings, which have finally opened up to the
public, and at the various other, often obscure board and
commission meetings throughout the county, which have always
been open to the public but which are rarely well-attend, i.e.,
Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCo), Mendocino Council of
Governments (MCOG), school districts, water districts, the
college district, and other special districts.</font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">And what of my
opinions? </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">This is what I
believe: I am adamant in my belief that socially responsible
investing is a good thing. I am equally adamant that public
banking is a good thing. And I am adamant that a county-wide
moratorium on robo-foreclosures is a good thing.</font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Some may disagree
with those beliefs, but would they disagree that a public
discussion on these issues and other issues of public finance is
a good thing?</font></span><br>
<br>
<font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Bear in
mind, disagreement with public officials is not a public
referendum on them. They shouldn't take disagreement personally.
Public comments are almost always motivated to make our beloved
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Mendocino</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">County</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> a better place to live, work, and raise our
kids. </span></font><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Years ago, I,
among other critics of county government, weighed in on our
undocumented Teeter debt, very little was disclosed, and even
less was documented, not even a promissory note of Teeter debt.</font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">I also weighed in
on the undisclosed and improper diversions of county
contributions from the pension system, and on the abuses of our
excess earnings policy, to the detriment of county workers and
taxpayers, alike.</font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Much has changed,
of course. Things got better. But there's still more work to do.
I'll explain. </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">We are a poor,
rural county, with no population growth and no tax revenue
growth. Our underground economy -- the engine of our economy --
is collapsing as neighboring states decriminalize marijuana,
and, hence, the wholesale price of that commodity is falling
like any other commodity where there is an over-supply. Our
poverty is real. We live in a county where one out of every two
residents is eligible for Food Stamps, and one out of every four
or five residents are Medi-Cal recipients. </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">The health of our
county suffers as a result of this poverty. There is a direct
link between our county's poor finances and our county's poor
health, particularly mental health, and drug and alcohol abuse.
</font></span><br>
<br>
<font face="Times New Roman"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">At the April
23 meeting of the Board of Supervisors, we heard that the rate
of substantiated child abuse or neglect here in </span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'">Mendocino</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">County</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> is 19.1 kids per 1,000. This is twice the
State of </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">California</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"> average of 9.0 kids per 1,000. We heard that
during the last year alone, five kids have been either killed or
seriously hurt while "in the system" at </span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'">County</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> </span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'">Health and Human Services</span><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'">. </span></font><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Indeed, it is my
guess that in the closed session of the April 23 meeting of the
Board of Supervisors that the Board settled at least one of
those cases quietly out of court. </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">What remains
"unsettled"? </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">What remains
unsettled is the direct link between our county's poor finances
and our county's poor health, particularly mental health, and
drug and alcohol abuse.</font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Hence, we need
responsible, committed, civic-minded people to run in what would
be otherwise uncontested elections. </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Run to stimulate
public debate. Run to bring the obscure workings of government
into the light of day. </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">Run to help
relieve the poverty and suffering of Mendocino County through
right-sizing government, containing rapidly escalating county
pension and health costs, public banking (a county-owned bank),
sustainable economic development, transparency and
accountability in financial disclosure, socially responsible
investing, a moratorium on robo-foreclosures, and the
realignment of state and federal resources to the county,
particularly in the areas of law enforcement, corrections,
probation, drug and alcohol treatment, child protective
services, and other key health and human services. </font></span><br>
<br>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">I pray these
candidates come forward.</font></span><br>
<br>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><span
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family:
'Times New Roman'"><font face="Times New Roman">John Sakowicz is
a Ukiah resident.</font></span></i><br>
<br>
<font face="Times New Roman"></font>
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