Running for Fire District
Dear Editor:I want to introduce myself to the voters of the San Ramon Valley. My name is Matt Stamey and I am a candidate for Director, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Danville has been my home for the past 19 years. I am an experienced executive, retired from a Fortune 1000 corporation. My bachelor’s degree in business management was earned from Arizona State University. Currently I serve on the board of directors of a private corporation.
My goals for the Fire District are to meet and exceed the service levels expected by our community, a balanced budget, managed growth and a policy of fiscal responsibility.
By attending the Fire Board meetings for the last one-and-a-half years, I have gained a working knowledge of the District. Due to the fact that one of the incumbents has chosen to end his service, my knowledge will best fill the gap the departing director will leave.
My purpose is to serve responsibly and with integrity the residents of Danville, Alamo, San Ramon, Diablo, Blackhawk, Morgan Territory and Tassajara Valley.
Matt Stamey, Danville
Fire District election
Dear Editor:The election of the four candidates for two positions for Director, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Board, has barely surfaced in any print medium, weekly or daily. The logic of whom to vote for is very obvious, when one thinks about it.
Any Board of Directors strives to have a varied pertinent skill set for most effectiveness.
To elect two firefighters to the Board, who would only have a minority vote, is simply redundant. With an MS in chemical engineering, post-graduate work in the management sciences, a career behind me in petroleum refining and petrochemicals encompassing all of the firefighting experience that goes with it, training in Conflict Dispute Resolution, Leadership Contra Costa, and volunteer experience in patient contact areas at John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek, and a volunteer of STAND! Against Domestic Violence, I bring those highly applicable, yet currently missing skill sets to the Board.
Jennifer Price, current Board of Directors president, an experienced firefighter and paramedic with the city of Millbrae, is also a clear choice to be elected. Her incumbency plus her gender, maintaining that balance on the Board, likewise make her an obvious choice.
Neither other two candidates come remotely close to the qualifications of the two of us. Check the League of Women Voters Smart Voter sites, which all of us have completed, for further confirmation.
Ralph Hoffmann, Danville
College Board contest
Dear Editor:Mark Twain might have been extreme when he said, “In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.” One has to wonder.
Years ago, when I attended Diablo Valley College, I was fortunate to attend a vibrant, well-run college. The colleges had one mission: meeting the needs of students. Highly qualified faculty ran schools that reflected this commitment. Enrollment was high. The schools were well funded.
Contrast this with current conditions. Enrollment is sharply down. Approximately 50 percent of classes are taught by full time instructors (the state mandates 75 percent of classes be taught by full time faculty). The district has been in a fiscal crisis for years, was threatened with oversight by the State Chancellor, and morale is low.
Over the last dozen years the College Board shifted control of education from faculty on local campuses to administrators in Martinez. Departments such as English, mathematics and history, which had been run by faculty deans at little cost to the college, are now run by six-figure salaried bureaucrats who have no contact with students and little or no background in their curriculum.
Over-worked faculty no longer has resources to run programs that recruit and retain students. Each student enrolled returns $4,700 in revenue from the state. As enrollment and thus income plummeted, administration costs soared. Yet the Board continued its disastrous policy of cutting classes and full-time faculty positions. Regardless of the outcome Nov. 7, I urge the community to become engaged and insist this stop. The colleges are too important for us, the taxpayers that fund them, and for the students our district serves.
Frank Quattro, Danville
Candidate for College District
Disappointed in endorsement
Dear Editor:The recent endorsement of Robert Storer over Mike Shimansky by the Danville Weekly was very disappointing to me, and poorly evaluated by my favorite local paper. Shimansky’s experience, integrity, dedication, loyalty to ones community, and personal and professional accomplishments cannot be replaced by Mr. Storer’s youth and inexperience (sound familiar?).
I believe Mr. Storer would be a very formidable candidate some time in the future, but up against Vice Mayor Mike Shimansky or Mayor Karen Stepper at this time, he would be a very poor choice. Have we forgotten that it was Mike Shimansky who flew to New Orleans to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina as he represented Danville and America in a time of national crisis? Let us also not forget just how key Mike was to the creation and development of the All Wars Memorial that will stand for generations to come. Review the record, weigh the choices, then vote Shimansky and Stepper! I believe both Karen and Mike have earned the right to sit on the Town Council and not be defeated by some poorly weighed endorsement.
David Miller, Danville
Vote for Storer
Dear Editor:As neighbors and friends of the Storer family, we will be voting for Robert Storer on Nov. 7. We believe that Robert will bring to the Town Council the energy, integrity, willingness and fresh perspective that is needed on the council to keep Danville moving forward. Robert’s commitment to the needs of the teens, seniors and veterans of this town should be a first priority for everyone concerned. Robert’s involvement in the community includes two terms on the Planning Commission, three terms as the advisor to the Transportation Authority, Heritage Resource Commissioner, member of the Tri Valley Housing Opportunity, 12-year member of the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, just to list a few, all while being a business owner for the last 23 years. This shows his commitment to Danville and the community he has called home for 21 years.
Yes, we will gladly vote for Robert Storer on Nov. 7, and we urge all of you to do the same for a better Danville.
Mike and Christine Mahoney, Danville
Shimansky is committed
Dear Editor:“Mike Shimansky has served on the Town Council since 1989; if re-elected he would end up serving more than 20 years.” Mike Shimansky has indeed served the town of Danville for close to 20 years, however we find it puzzling that the Danville Weekly portrays it as a detriment.
Mr. Shimansky embodies all that our family loves about Danville. We have felt comfortable in approaching him to discuss our concerns with various town issues and he has been informative and impartial. As parents of young children, we appreciate that he has raised three children in district schools and continues to be actively involved in community activities. We are also impressed that his work includes regional committees such as the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Solid Waste Authority and Transit Authority. Community involvement is his full time job and we are all the better for it.
During Mr. Shimansky’s tenure, Danville has become financially solvent, built a new library and community center, added parks and artificial turf fields. With a track record like this, we don’t see how we cannot have a man like Mike Shimansky continue as our council member.
We also find it impressive that this man continues to get re-elected on a low budget campaign. His belief in fiscal responsibility carries into his personal actions and shows us that obviously many of Danville’s citizens believe that the success of his actions are much more significant and visible versus a flashy and expensive campaign.
Mike Shimansky is truly committed to the continued betterment of Danville; we hope that the citizens of Danville join us in voting to re-elect him.
Michael & Bridgit Pelley, Danville
Storer well qualified
Dear Editor:On Nov. 7 we will be exercising our right to vote by endorsing Robert Storer for the Danville Town Council. It is rare, indeed, to have the opportunity to support someone running for public office who is so well qualified and rightly motivated to serve his constituents and make a difference in the community where we live. Robert’s qualifications are too numerous to mention, but let us point out just a few that make him the only great choice for Town Council.
Robert is the only candidate with children in the Danville school system and playing youth sports in our community. He is also the only candidate who is unanimously endorsed by the other three incumbent Town Council members while the other two candidates running for re-election have not been endorsed by their peers. Robert’s experience as a two-term planning commissioner will prove invaluable in this important time of Danville’s expansion and growing challenges. Finally, Robert is the only candidate who brings fresh passion and enthusiasm to the position of Town Council and is willing to work hard to make Danville an even better place to live. Please do yourself and your neighbor a favor and vote for Robert Storer for the Danville Town Council.
Laura and Jim Rossiter, Danville
Save Mountain Diablo says No on 90
Dear Editor:Save Mount Diablo and I are supporting Prop. 84, the State Resources bond that will allow more land preservation; and Contra Costa County’s Measure L, which will extend the County Urban Limit Line to local cities. But the most important item on the November ballot is Prop. 90, which we oppose.
Proponents would have you believe that Prop. 90 is just about eminent domain reform but that’s a deceptive phrase designed to pique the curiosity and interest of voters. Hidden in Prop. 90 are far-reaching provisions that would allow virtually anyone to sue over virtually any new law, simply by claiming a new law has caused “significant economic loss” to their property. For example: Under Prop. 90, a landowner could sue seeking compensation if a county restricts development to 500 homes for traffic or environmental concerns when the landowner is seeking approval for 750 homes. The city and its taxpayers could be forced to pay for the value of the land as though the remaining 250 homes were built.
A coalition of more than 200 diverse groups has come together to oppose this harmful measure, including Save Mount Diablo, the League of Woman Voters of California, California Small Business Association, The Nature Conservancy, California Teachers Association, California Professional Firefighters, the California NAACP, League of California Homeowners, the California Chamber of Commerce, and the California Labor Federation. Please take a few minutes to learn more about this measure at www.NoProp90.com.
Seth Adams, Director of Land Programs, Save Mount Diablo
