Letters (July 14, 2022)

• No Glamping Permit On Rays Road
• The Way Of The Typewriter Ribbon
• Missed Opportunity
• Bruce Broderick Sees It All Differently
• Tempered Steel, I Tell Ya
• Sign 'Em Up
• Just Give Them The Money Already
• Book Appreciation
• Send In The Clowns
• Common Sense
• Pro-Diversion 
• Memo Of The Week

NO GLAMPING PERMIT ON RAYS ROAD

TO: Mendocino County Zoning Administrator, Ms. Julia Krog, Planning and Building Director

Dear Ms. Krog:

Some neighborhoods seem to thrive over time and others become part of what is more like rural sprawl. I now live on Ray’s Road and have for some years.  I worked at Unicorn Ranch, a facility for the rehabilitation of troubled youth who were court ordered residents. I’m a retired psychologist and my license describes me as “inactive.” For over thirty years I walked the land,  participated  in the rehabilitation and education of residents, and collaborated earnestly with staff and the owners of Unicorn Youth Services.  So I know the land, the road and many of the people on  Rays Road.. I have previously met Ms. Zeebel-Radicevic but since she has purchased the land and site that housed Unicorn I have not recently sat down together with her. I’ve called for an appointment more than once and look forward to our face to face conversation(s).

Among what I would say to her is as follows:  Without a permit the owner could have nearly one hundred people here with their cars and equipment for gatherings throughout the year.  Even that number would tax Rays Road and neighborhood community. The sound would fill the neighborhood and increased activity would  strain resources.  This is a small village of but a few hundred people spread out over hills and valleys so as to be sparsely settled.  With the permit application AP2021-0010 this use of the property could destroy the present nature of who we are as a community.  The most visible center of community activity would come from the cities for group involvement through road usage, entertainment, sounds and other interests.

We (I speak as a former Unicorn service provider) worked with difficult populations and managed them well-and were very aware of any disturbances visited upon our neighbors.  I do not think Planning or the County would be able to protect the rights of residents living in the midst of this environment while sharing the flora and fauna with other life forms if this permit is approved.  The stability and wellbeing of our community is worth saving and we request your support by denying the above referenced permit. We can then sit down and work equitably with our new neighbor.

Regards,

Gregory K. Sims, PhD

Rays Road Resident

Philo

THE WAY OF THE TYPEWRITER RIBBON

Editor,

The day before my birthday I drove into the Adirondacks in a 16-year-old Scandinavian craft with a candy apple red exterior. It had been assembled by workers who earned a fair wage in their snowy socialist country, a year or so before GPS became ubiquitous and everyone agreed to have all of their movements tracked because they suddenly became too lazy to read a roadmap. It does everything a reasonable person would expect a car to do, no surprises, no anomalies. The red exterior: I was not at first fond of it. But I come around. I figure it is the color most likely to register in the hypothalamuses of the meatball minds of other drivers. In the trunk: Ginger snaps, a buck knife, a ground tarp, an old sleeping bag, a New York State roadmap, ‘My Antonia’ by Willa Cather (praised in 1919 the rascally and currently politically incorrect H.L. Mencken), a cinnamon jar half full of the ashes of my parents, a toothbrush, and a lot of cash. 

A smallish red car. I do not have insecurities about my masculinity, not the sorts for which a motor vehicle could be expected to compensate. I do not need to climb into a steroidal shell in order to feel I’m a master of the roads. I am never subject to a confusion of disorientation that would lead me to believe that a camping trip into the Adirondacks is a dangerous sortie through enemy lines that requires an impregnable combat vehicle.

I’m not qualified to analyze the current state of automobile design, much of it baffles me. I saw a new Lincoln in the parking lot of Price Chopper last week that looked like a Toyota or a Hyundai — they all look the same now. What justifies the price differences? What could you possibly be getting for $50,000 or $60,000? If it’s anything other than a vehicle that is guaranteed to last 100 years, I’d say it’s overpriced. 

Of course, you’re not going to be able to buy gasoline in 100 years, or even 50. It might even be illegal, as heroin is now, and to buy a gallon of unleaded you’ll have to ride your bike into the ghetto and take your chances.

If it’s not illegal it will simply be an obsolete item as typewriter ribbons or cassette tapes are now, certainly not on offer through regular channels, not in person nor through the Internet which will not exist in 50 years, or even 20.

Unfortunately, for almost all of us there is no such thing as “easing” into a post-abundance economy or society. If people weren’t so addicted to their current standards and “lifestyles,” mostly the result of their mammalian love of hibernation and mental stolidity, the poverty of imagination, etc., then the coming era very well could be a glorious renaissance of human creativity, a period of soaring self-confidence. We currently exist in an environment comprised mostly of devices and systems the workings of which are an inscrutable mystery to us; largely, we relegate our sense of helplessness to the subconscious level, but we anyway carry around with us a sneaking suspicion of our impotence should complicated arrangements — our devices, tools, and supply lines, electrical power, etc. — begin to break down. It need not be that way.

I don’t know if Neil Young has the answer — I don’t know how I feel about retro-fitting a 55 Buick Century to run on french fry grease. Doesn’t that mean that there has to be a whole lot of french fry grease in our future? Maybe the Cubans are jealously guarding a secret: after all, one often sees photos of huge American cars from the 50s still going strong in the streets of Havana. Where do the parts come from to keep them going? The gasoline? We’ve been told that their economy is all screwed up. 

I played my hunches and found a campsite at night; it had a landing or a launch for my canoe which I had not brought along. It was a good spot no to sit Indian style and read ‘My Antonia’ as the breeze off the lake kept the biting insects away. The novel has about it a beautiful ache and the feel and texture of molasses and one learns or is reminded that human beings used to live in holes in the ground in Nebraska and not so very long ago.

That night there was a new moon, which means no moon, and the sky was clear and spangled with what were obviously other suns, small because very far away. Why couldn’t the ancients figure it out? They had a story that everything revolved around the earth, and they stuck to it even when their own observations suggested something was awry. The planets (from the Greek “planetae,” or wandering stars) did not seem to orbit the Earth crisply as did the sun and the moon. Sometimes they shifted a little in the “wrong” direction, then moved back in the “right” direction. Therefore, it was proposed that while the planets were orbiting the Earth, they were also engaged in a tighter orbit around… nothing. These were called “epicycles.” But just why would planets be tightly orbiting … nothing … while orbiting in a wide circle around the Earth? The obvious answer then as well as now is that they’re not doing any such thing, you’re just stubbornly cleaving to nonsense.

The next day on my birthday I climbed Ampersand Mountain. It rises 1,774 feet in the last mile and a half of the trail. One is mostly climbing over boulders that have cascaded down the side of the mountain and it was wet and what was not a boulder was mostly muddy. I found myself alone at the top and I discovered pools of rainwater in depressions in the rock and tadpoles in the pool. That is where I put some of the ashes of my parents, in one of those pools, then I ate gingersnaps and started down. I’ve sometimes wondered about the people who go into wild places and make their way through forests and mountains that have escaped man’s improvements, places without guard rails or safety nets or services that will give way to rapidly inflating cushions upon impact. And although I don’t believe we can assume they adhere to one sort of politics rather than another, I bet they all share a dislike for those who seek to foolproof the world.

Malgré Tout,

Volt-Voort

Rome, New York

MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Editor,

It appears as if a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redevelop Fort Bragg’s former mill site into something that promises economic growth and quality jobs may have come and gone.

Over the past several years, Mendocino Railway, the operators of the Skunk Train, purchased portions of the former mill site to support current and future rail operations, and to restore the railway’s historical connection to the land. With these purchases came the first opportunity in 20-years to redevelop the blighted property into something far more promising. A conceptual plan called for growing the community’s hospitality and tourism industry and attracting businesses in the area of technology, energy, and healthcare; new housing, open space, and providing greater public access to beaches and trails.

Unfortunately, thanks to the current Fort Bragg City Council it is now an opportunity lost as they chose not to work in partnership with the railway. Their limited perspective and headstrong objective to stop the conceptional plan is denying the community significant improvements and economic growth. To make things worse they are wasting taxpayer dollars to fight this purely vindictive battle. Their strategy is twofold; 1) use taxpayer dollars to finance a lawsuit that aims to give the city greater control over the railway’s operations superseding state and federal laws, and 2) lobby federal authorities to deny a federal loan intended to restore the movement of freight and passengers between Fort Bragg and Willits. If they are successful, the combined effect will result in over $21 million not being invested in local jobs and materials, and the railway’s full potential to move passengers and freight will never be realized.

The railway announced this month that they have abandoned its redevelopment plan, but not because the council threatened its bottom line. Rather, it was investors and prospective employers who reached the conclusion that the city council was outright hostile to forward progress and economic opportunity, making any potential redevelopment project on the former mill site virtually impossible so long as they’re in office.

While they may be celebrating at City Hall, some Main Street business owners believe the council failed to consider the broader economic implications of their actions. While Skunk Train passengers spend millions of dollars annually in local shops, restaurants, and hotels, the city continues to deny the value of economic generation. Damages by the city against the railway are mounting and these costly attacks on our operations come as rising inflation and fuel prices are limiting how much tourists are willing to spend on travel and outdoor recreation.

The city council, in particular Mayor Norvell and Vice-Mayor Morsell-Haye, were so focused on derailing the redevelopment project that they never considered what to do once they achieved that goal. But for railroad operations, the land will now remain fallow. How is that a win for the city council?

Now, they must consider the political benefits of continuing their frivolous lawsuit and sabotaging schemes. Voting residents should realize that this City Council tends to give more weight to someone living outside of the city limits than to those who live within the boundaries actually paying property taxes. Just look what they’ve done to other well-established businesses or those wishing to start up.

As residents watch the sunset over 300 acres of blighted property sink into the sea, they will be reminded of the council’s colossal failure to act and what could have been. They are unwilling to set aside that the development of ‘railroad’ items is pretty small as compared to the overall project scope. We repeat, but for a very few ‘railroad’ items the entire project is subject to the city’s jurisdiction. Unfortunately, inaction and squandered opportunities will be this city council’s legacy. New leadership on the council is needed to restore trust and to bring real economic opportunity to the city.

Robert Pinoli, President of Mendocino Railway

Fort Bragg

BRUCE BRODERICK SEES IT ALL DIFFERENTLY

Editor,

Is Mendocino Railway’s Aka Skunk Train's Probable Land Fraud Scheme Now Confirmed?

After a lengthy, friendly and somewhat candid conversation with the construction workers remodeling the old shack on mill site property that was taken by Mendocino Railway, AKA Sierra Railroad, AKA Skunk Train, I was able to confirm that the remodeled structure is going to be used to wine and dine potential investors that would potentially want in on the development of the old mill property. The direct quote from the head workman was that “it was going to be a sales office to help market the mill site property.”

The remodel includes a nice glass screened barrier and a concrete patio to keep the potential investors safe from the occasional housing deprived individual or that delightfully pungent odor that wafts ever so gently from the waste treatment plant, usually after a high headcount of tourists staying in both motels and the ever increasing amount of corporate owned B and B’s. Some of which I understand belong to the railroad either directly or indirectly.

The interior is tastefully done as well to give the impression to investors that they are dealing with a reputable organization. The view is mostly of the old mill pond and soldiers bay beyond. But to the untrained eye one could actually believe that they were looking at a real estate goldmine and not a toxic waste site 100 years in the making and the center of a cleanup controversy for almost the last 20 years.

When I went to the Fort Bragg Planning and Building Department to see if there had been any permits acquired for the extensive remodel on the structure, I was told by Valerie Stump, the code enforcement officer, that she was aware of the project and there are no permits for the project. But, being that the city was involved in ongoing litigation with Mendocino Railway, they couldn’t fulfill their code enforcement obligations as it could seem prejudicial in the eyes of the court. So it seems possible anyway that the railroad is railroading its way into controlling our community and taking advantage of any opportunity it may see to move forward with their plans, courts be damned.

Other than the obvious disregard for local laws and ordinances, the biggest issue with the railroad proceeding with their sales office prematurely is the fact that the attached parking lot on the south side of the structure that has allowed parking for those who wish to traverse the coastal trail and take advantage of the real benefits of our coastal community and not the carnival aspects, is that the parking lot and center access trail to the main trail is only on loan to the city by the owner of the adjacent property. I discovered this disturbing fact in a freedom of information request when I was looking for who owned the area between the fences, i.e. the center trail. And at this time, the adjacent property, unless a court deems otherwise, is owned by Mendocino Railway. This means that the railroad could take back that access at their pleasure without the city or the community having a say. Which would cut off center access to the coastal trail.

And if you think they wouldn’t do just that, remember what they did with the parking lot at their Depot that the City upgraded for them under the condition that it would be public parking. Where is that public parking now? It’s private railroad patron parking. Ticket required. Ask the Brewery how they lost their storage area on the west side of the lot when the railroad decided to triple the rent in order to move them off the property to have more tourist parking for their carnival rides.The community is in danger of losing its access to the trail, other than on the north and south ends of town. Do you think the railroad will hold the city for ransom on that access? You better believe they will. If their past actions are any indication of future shenanigans, we can look for it in the near future.

Bruce Broderick

Fort Bragg

TEMPERED STEEL, I TELL YA

Editor,

A Supreme Court ruled in my favor -- an illegal conviction. The general opinion was might case should have been dismissed at arraignment. I should never have taken the deal. I can only deal with so much stress. So to all the “judges” who handled my case and violation like a hot potato so they wouldn’t be liable for all the shady crap they did: They aren’t worth the dog shit on the bottom of my boot. Being humble, I held my silence and sat there as you all lied and created a fantasy narrative because the truth was so obvious a blind man could see it. Enjoy your kickback money from the California Department of Corrections. They went around, bent and twisted two dozen laws and case statutes just to send me to prison. There is no justice. The courts are chaos. Nothing is set in stone when cops and professional liars are in power. Have you ever heard of the “Kids for Cash scandal”? That’s just the tip of the iceberg. In my violation hearing I liked the lie about the glass jar. According to Maresh, Eyster and Faulder, I turned to face Maresh “aggressively” and she threw the jar like a boomerang, defying physics and it hit me in the back of the head and the cops mysteriously lost the photo of the lump on my head. The allegedly “small” jar was a 32-ounce Mason jar that left a huge pile of glass and condiments. 

In a prison riot, defending myself, I hit a big guy once shattering his jaw, cheekbone and orbital bone and giving him a stroke. Yet allegedly I hit Maresh two or four times and left not a mark. Truly amazing. She changed her story a dozen times. But Faulder said people who change their story are telling the truth. Especially against Mr. France. 

The law only protects the powerful and corrupt. Not once have any basic rights been protected by the scum who broke our system. I should have taken the stand but I thought it was too obvious that I was innocent and it wasn’t necessary. The judges knew I’m innocent and they still covered up the perjury against me and sold me out. So if you think those people at the courthouse are going to do the right thing, you are wrong. Maresh even stated her vindictive motive plain as day and Faulder ignored it. My girl Sadie told the truth. Sadie’s story never changed because the truth never changes. Faulder made a lame excuse about that too.

I never got a chance to tell my story. Here’s the truth. My word is solid gold. I own my actions. I was raised like hand forged tempered steel. I had no parents growing up so I have no patience for BS. I will be resentenced and released soon. I lost everything. I have to rebuild. You are your own best lawyer. Innocent or guilty you have to defend yourself because nobody else will.

Respects,

Michael France

Tehachapi

SIGN 'EM UP

Editor: 

Mandatory service.

One way to stop many of the mass shootings is to institute two to four years of mandatory military service, starting at 18 years of age, for all males. Upon completing their service, they would have the GI Bill for education and GI loans for housing. The most serious students at college that I met were on the GI Bill. I believe that Israel has a similar program that also includes women.

William Ward

Santa Rosa

JUST GIVE THEM THE MONEY ALREADY

Editor,

I was pleased to read that the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors decided to earmark sales tax revenue for fire protection services. I hope as part of the tax measure that the board will insert language that distributes the new revenue evenly to all of the county's fire districts. Because of the mutual aid agreements all of the fire districts respond to emergencies throughout the County and should receive equal support.

I would also suggest adding ambulance services to the tax measure. The majority of calls that fire districts respond to are medical emergencies which require the assistance of ambulances to provide transportation. Our Coast Life Support district is a bi-county special district that stretches from Irish Beach to south of Fort Ross in Sonoma County. It could use the additional funding.

Since all special districts are dependent on tax assessments and user fees, it would be prudent to support the ambulances that provide valuable assistance to our fire agencies.

The County still has money from the $16 million American Rescue Plan that can be used for water, sewer or broadband services. The County has up to December 31, 2024, to obligate that money.

I encourage the Board to address the serious water issues that face all of us by identifying projects that could be funded from the American Rescue Plan. 

Lastly, I recently found out that the new waste management contract currently with Waste Management that serves the coast transitioned to Redwood Waste Solutions effective July 1.

The new service would add green waste containers. But unfortunately not for the South Coast from Irish Beach to Gualala. Why not? We are paying a lot of taxes with little return in services.

Kevin Evan

Gualala

BOOK APPRECIATION

Dear AVA Readers,

Words cannot adequately express the gratitude which I feel for having received three books from an anonymous reader of the Advertiser. Not only am I thankful for something to read in solitary confinement, I am most thankful to be reminded that there are still kind giving people in this world.

Thank you, and God bless.

Alan Crow A#6325

Mendocino County Jail, Ukiah

951 Low Gap Road

Ukiah, CA 95482

SEND IN THE CLOWNS

Editor,

My theory is, whether you picked Trump or Biden, the person is a symptom, not a cause. Con men and their successors don’t necessarily invent the problems. They take advantage of problems that are already there, or they fail to address the right ones.

The actual fault is in the fact that responsibility for our leaders and how they perform is in the hands of our citizens, and we have failed. I think we elected Trump president in 2016 because we felt we needed someone in America’s own image: lazy, self-indulgent, misinformed and willing to follow a corrupt degenerate imbecile.

We have allowed our heritage of freedom and opportunity to go into sharp decline. We have failed to monitor, by ignoring ideas such as federal term limits, the process of electing people to high office. We can’t simply blame the people who we elected.

As a result of our negligence, one “clown act” after another is walking the halls of Congress, with a life fully paid for by the taxpayers, unaccountable to the voters. As the late French philosopher, economist and futurist Bertrand de Jouvenel, wrote, “a society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.”

To me, that means we have exactly the leadership that we deserve.

Craig J. Corsini

San Rafael

COMMON SENSE

Editor,

I went to the Mendocino July 4 parade. It was really nice to see such a big gathering with no masks, well maybe one or two. No boobs not bombs. Floats complaining about the recent court decision. The black signifiers mourning for lost loved ones. Little lost loved ones. 

Let's consider the motivation of the right to life movement which the Court sided with. Apparently some people think it's wrong to kill babies or dispose of unwanted fetuses. I suspect that the right to life movement is mostly populated by women who have had an abortion and now suffer guilt for doing the wrong thing.

Listening to the enemy's propaganda — the one that wants your baby dead is the enemy. Here is some of the propaganda.

You are too young to have a baby.

You hate the father.

It is an inconvenient time in your life to have a baby.

It's okay to use abortion as a contraceptive.

Etc..

Why not use common sense and don't do what will make you feel guilty or be guilty.

The court did the right thing, but it will not change the number of dead fetuses. There is going to be abortion states like California where women can come and remove unwanted fetuses and get paid to do so. As far as boobs not bombs, there is not not going to be any bombs just rot. When we are rotten enough and weak enough and boozed and drugged enough, we will be handed over to our enemy by our leaders. Other than the parade there were lots of babies, moms and dads enjoying themselves and it was a wonderful gray rainy day Fourth of July.

Tom Madden

Comptche

PS. What is freedom? Being your own boss is freedom. If that's not working out for you perhaps you should call the Democrat Program Hotline to find out what program is right for you. Crazy pay, welfare, homeless vouchers, etc. They want you to be weak and dependent and out of your right mind. Don't take your pills, do some work and be healthy. Happy Independence Day — really.

PRO-DIVERSION 

Editor,

Sometime in 2020 I began to read about this proposal called the “two basin solution”. Every time I would read an article with this reference, it would make me wonder and shudder as I would contemplate the loss of the water supply that feeds Lake Mendocino.

Finally in May of 2022, I spoke to our Board of Supervisors asking them for leadership regarding this extremely important issue. I was somewhat aware of work being done by Inland Water and Power

Commission and the Mendocino County Farm Bureau, but I wasn’t aware of any organized response to educate and rally the local citizens to confront this threat.

Since the water supply from the Project is used for fire suppression, fisheries, domestic and agricultural water supply, recreation and tourism affecting over 600,000 people in not only our county but also Lake, Sonoma, and Marin, I believe that destruction of this infrastructure is unthinkable. As in just about every situation, solutions are complex when we wish they were easy and black or white.

The Board of Supervisor’s recent proposal to bring a tax measure that would utilize the expiring assessment from Measure B to fund county fire and water needs certainly was never meant to be a threat to the proposed library initiative A that the virtuous and diligent efforts by our friends and neighbors qualified for the November ballot to establish permanent funding for our libraries. The issue is timing, that we are in the third year of a drought and we must deal with significant water issues county wide.

When I began composing this letter the board was discussing Supervisor Mulheren’s proposal to use the expiring tax money from the Measure B mental health initiative to fund fire and water needs.The short time to get this on the November ballot, lack of unity with the Board regarding the percentage of taxation, etc. caused the board to recently drop water from this discussion and proposal and and focus a future tax initiative solely on funding for fire needs.

We must have a vision for our future and therefore need to create a funding mechanism for water projects. By far the best way to bring about an initiative is from a grassroots petition effort from the citizenry. If we are successful in getting enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot we will know better if we have the needed support and also it would take 50% not 67% of the votes to make it pass.

Furthermore, then the funds must be directed to this specific cause and will be non-discretionary, so everyone will be confident that the money is spent solely for this purpose. There isn’t time to do this before the next election in November. So we must begin now in preparation for the 2024 election and in the meantime hope that voters do not forget our current reality of drought which may have improved by then.

As residents of Mendocino county we must not be naive. Those who wish to stop the less than 2% Eel River water diversion to feed the Russian River, who originally spoke of a “two basin solution”, don’t really care about leaving us any water now that PGE has been directed to start the license surrender process. They have a severely misguided perception that the Eel can be saved by destroying the Project infrastructure and that seems to be their sole focus. The water needs for the people in the Russian River basin are not their concern.

No matter where you live in the county, the Ukiah Valley as the county seat is an economic hub for services, supplies and jobs. If there is no water to support these endeavors what is the alternative? If Mendocino County doesn’t stand together to support the water supply from the Potter Valley Project it will be a mistake equal to our lack of insight that caused us to only end up with less than 10% of the water rights of Lake Mendocino.

Hindsight is always 20-20, so we must get a united vision to move forward. I am willing to be a catalyst to help us unite to gain this water right. I welcome ideas, and participation on any level to move forward now.

Please if you wish to contact me you can call me at 707 485-7567 and please leave a message.

Your neighbor, friend, and lover of Mendocino County,

Randy Dorn

Potter Valley

MEMO OF THE WEEK

(Board’s failure to plan comes back to bite them…)

Date: July 5, 2022

To: Honorable Board of Supervisors

From: Chamise Cubbison, Acting Auditor-Controller

Re: Expedited Consolidation of the offices of the Auditor-Controller and Treasurer Tax-Collector 

Due to the recent unanticipated retirements of Treasurer Tax-Collector Schapmire and Acting Treasurer Tax-Collector Forrester, there has developed an urgent need to expedite the consolidation of the offices of the Auditor-Controller and Treasurer Tax-Collector nearly six months earlier than anticipated. There is an immediate need to be able to conduct the financial business of the County. Both Acting Treasurer Tax-Collector Gordon and I have been experiencing trouble transferring authority to conduct the financial affairs of the County with the Acting titles. In order to resolve those issues and be able to move other time sensitive processes forward, the Board needs to take action to make an appointment or move up the consolidation. 

As the Acting Auditor-Controller and the Auditor-Controller Treasurer Tax-Collector Elect, I would like to clarify why I am not releasing a plan for the consolidation of the offices of the Auditor- Controller and Treasurer Tax-Collector. I have given the consolidation considerable thought and reached out to other Counties that have gone through consolidation. However, I am not prepared to put forth a plan without having had the opportunity to meet with staff in the Treasurer Tax- Collector’s office and to have further discussions with other Counties. In my opinion, it would be premature to presume that I have all the answers. 

Both the Auditor-Controller and Treasurer Tax-Collector’s offices are short staffed and have critical deadlines fast approaching. The recent departures of Treasurer Tax-Collector and the Acting Treasurer Tax-Collector took place with very little warning and preparation of staff. My immediate concern is to provide support wherever possible and to assure staff that they will not be left adrift. I feel strongly that both offices need the stability of a leader that they see working with them to help shore up the resources of the offices, seeking to learn from others and looking for ways to improve processes without reinventing the wheel, while also being a sounding board and safe place to voice concerns. 

To that end, if the Board moves forward with the consolidated position now, I plan to meet with staff to learn about current roles, responsibilities, and workloads, to educate myself on the requirements of the office and to conduct hiring where possible. I will make additional inquiries of other Counties to learn about their processes/procedures and their suggestions on how best to proceed with as little disruption as possible, while continuing to conduct the business of both offices and providing services to the various agencies that hold their funds in the County Treasury and to the public that may be conducting business with the offices involved. 

I request the Board’s patience, understanding and support during this transition and appreciate the past and continued support of other County departments as we move these offices forward together.