Eugene weekly., July 21, 2011, Page 5, Image 5

letters
TO THE EDITOR
discussing CAHOOTS to focus mostly
on the extreme and bizarre aspects of the
work, and this article was no exception.
CAHOOTS specialty is working with the
addicted and mentally ill, but CAHOOTS
does help people from all walks of life in
many situations.
Again, this is the personal perspective
of one CAHOOTS worker, and does not
refl ect the entire team.
Brenton Gicker
Eugene
EPUD A DUD
The July 12 Emerald People’s Utility
District Board meeting agenda contains
some disturbing actions directed against
the board Vice President Schacht and
appears to be just another divergent tactic
by General Manager Frank Lambe to take
the heat off himself. After observing him
for several months, this appears to be his
management style.
As a former board member of Emerald
for over a decade, and having been in a
leadership role on the board, I now have
some serious concerns. When I left in 1994
Emerald was seen as an outstanding utility,
for its customer service and rated as one of
the best companies to work for in Oregon.
The problems that Emerald is facing
with our current GM is his apparent
inability to document $2.4 million owed by
a former partner. This was paid to develop
the Dorena Dam Project. This money was
paid to the partner, no power produced and
the amount was to be paid back to Emerald
on July 1, as per reliable sources.
The GM has spent thousands of
ratepayers’ dollars attempting to annex
Patti Chappel’s property into the Emerald
district. This appears to assure a yes vote
on the GM’s chosen policy issues. This
issue is profoundly important and should
be called in to question.
He has also spent thousands of dollars
to improve board relationships. As I
understand, this was a no-bid contact. The
fi nal results are that the GM is still the
problem.
I believe that the people of Emerald must
act now to replace this mismanagement
with something like we had before. If we
don’t act soon I fear that the damage may
not be repairable.
Ron Davis
Cottage Grove
COLLECTIVE YAWN
Wait, wait, a moment. What’s
happening here? Where is the outrage,
the moral indignation? Our Sheriff Tom
Turner rather suddenly and unexpectedly
declares,
unilaterally,
his
budget
inadequate to support 84 jail beds, and
that he will close down that facility —
along with cutting some 52 personnel
involved with that facility with 24-hour
coverage and more. His announcement
blindsided even his bosses, the county
commissioners!
Already, 911 calls have been affected
in the city of Springfi eld!
So, perhaps someone can help me
out here. One has only to check records
of KVAL, R-G and the Weekly to fi nd,
circa June 2009, page one outrage and
indignation from the media and the
public for weeks over the reticence of
the commissioners to allocate money for
(the very same?) 84 jail beds, due to the
uncertainty over future funding (made
clear later).
Apparently, the then-commission’s
newly liberal makeup after Rob Handy’s
election replacing Bobby Green so
angered some in the community that a
virtual vendetta went forth to discredit
Handy AND Sorenson (with a later
specious lawsuit against them that fi rmed
up that notion).
Now, with the majority of the
commission politically conservative, the
demise of those once “gravely needed”
beds is met with a collective community
yawn. How strange.
R. L. Thompson
Eugene
PALIN? NO WAY
Jim Weaver’s hypothetical path
(Viewpoint, 7/14) by which Sarah Palin
might become president makes no sense.
A third-party run by Palin will galvanize
Democrats, well-acquainted with supporting
the lesser of two evils, and fracture the
Republican base.
If Palin runs as an independent, Obama
wins in a landslide. Sarah Palin is not
Ron Paul, whose coherent and timely
philosophy might attract supporters from
either left or right. She’s a vapid and
unprincipled facade whose popularity
only diminishes with exposure. I think,
though, that she might be smart enough to
understand that in achieving celebrity she
has found her place in American society.
Money, infl uence and a complete lack of
responsibility suit her far better than the
trials of politics.
Timothy Shaw
Eugene
PLEDGE IT OR LEAVE IT
Just wondering why Mr. George
Brown chose to stand by and watch while
the other Eugene council members recited
the Pledge of Allegiance. This is highly
concerning, as Mr. Brown is a public
offi cial of the United States of America.
Does he like his position as city councilor?
Obviously not, as he is not respecting the
views of the people who elected him. If
you are not in tune with the values and
ideals of the United States of America, I
suggest Mr. Brown fi nd residence outside
of this great country.
The radical views of the city of Eugene
are not in line with some residents, and the
next election we will band together and
show just how conservative and patriotic
the citizens of Eugene actually are.
Stephanie Golubski-Stark
Eugene
DIY PLEDGE
The pledge debate is not over yet. I
have a most American of ideas to suggest.
Everyone should write their own pledge
with roughly the same number of syllables
and the same cadence as the current
pledge, version two. Then we could all
chant in harmony and with conviction!
Here’s mine:
I pledge allegiance to the Tribes of
the Native Peoples of America, and to
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