The Campbell Reporter

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Francois confident council will be strong

I would like to congratulate the winners in the 2006 Campbell City Council race. I also want to express my sincere gratitude for the support, friendship and love I received from so many people in this community during my campaign. I am humbled by their support.

Campbell is in a place where there are some dynamic, exciting and positive plans in place that will benefit our entire community. We also have leadership in place that will continue that process with dedication, perseverance and commitment. I am assured and confident of this.

Let us all support this wonderful community we call Campbell and our city council.

Tom Francois
Campbell

Why not honor those
who enrich the world?

I am opposed to building a war memorial as suggested in Dave Larson's letter ("How would candidates vote on name change," Nov. 1).

We haven't fought a war since World War II, and there are many memorials to that war, as well as to World War I, the War Between the States, and the Revolutionary War.

Since World War II we have sent armed forces to many places on the globe without declaring war on anyone, whether those countries wanted our aid or not. I certainly don't want to see a memorial to those attacks. Besides that, we also have Memorial Day to remember and honor those who died in service, and Veterans Day to honor all armed forces veterans.

I'd like to see us honor people who contributed their work to making the whole world richer. For example, let us honor those who are creators of art, such as musicians, painters and sculptors, dancers, writers and actors. Some countries honor artists by printing their faces on the paper money. That's pretty cool.

Jan Boomsliter

Campbell

Change is good and
so is an open mind

I have to shake my head in wonder when I see folks offer negative opinion and speculation, call it fact and then claim they're not "mudslinging," as I've seen in some recent letters here with regard to candidate Evan Low (letters, Nov. 1).

Some writers have implied that residents who have lived here less than three years don't know what they're talking about, essentially dismissing those opinions out of hand as if they have no validity whatsoever. Well, I for one, have lived in the area for more than 25 years, and Ms. Shirley, I do pay property taxes, and I believe the Campbell City Council will do nothing but benefit from a bit of youth and diversity, something it has been lacking for far too long.

The incumbents have done a fine job overall, and I expressed that positive opinion with my vote.

However, for some time the Campbell leadership has not sufficiently reflected the diversity of the city's changing population in my opinion, and I believe a fresh, albeit inexperienced, perspective can only be of value.

It is my sincere hope that the incumbent council members in the city make every effort not to be resistant, but to be open-minded and receptive to this fresh perspective.

To councilmen-elect Low, allow me to paraphrase a line from Star War, "That's great, kid. Now don't get cocky."

L. Thompson

Sunnyoaks Avenue

Business owner wants
experience in city

I'm very disappointed in Evan Low's campaign.

Low has no practical life experience that would qualify him to run anything, let alone a city. I'm concerned that he is likely to do more harm than good by making decisions in areas where he is unqualified.

I remember in 2004 before he was even a candidate he spoke in front of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce concerning his experience overseas. I remember thinking that it will interesting to hear about his observations and opinions. I was disappointed then, too. He had nothing of substance to say. It was really more of an unprepared, 22-minute version of a "What I did This Summer" high school essay.

My real concern in writing now is that Low has no basis upon which to govern and no history or experience upon which to base important opinions.

History is the guide that successful leaders use to decide important issues. Simply put, they have seen things go right and they have seen thing go wrong. Low hasn't seen anything go anywhere. How would he respond to the criticism that he will guide by idealistic values? That his lack of wisdom or maturity won't matter in his future decisions?

To be honest, while I appreciate his hard work to have won this election, I think it's arrogance to gamble with the lives of the people just to satisfy one's ambition in the pursuit of power.

I think the leaders we elect in Campbell should govern because they deserve to lead.

I'm sure Low is a really nice guy, but he certainly doesn't deserve to lead anyone right now.

Joel Slatis, president, WebPex.com, Inc.

Campbell Chamber of Commerce member

Music to vote by was
a treat at Rosemary

The Nova Vista Symphony rehearses Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at Rosemary School in the Campbell Union School District. Imagine our dismay when we arrived at rehearsal on Nov. 7 to discover the school was a polling place.

I had cleared all our rehearsal dates for the 2006-07 season with the school secretary months earlier, but apparently the election wasn't on the school calendar.

With dozens of musicians waiting outside in the dark with their instruments and at least 50 citizens lined up inside waiting to vote, something had to be done. The polling officials were friendly and helpful and tried to find a solution. They offered us the stage, but we couldn't all fit on stage and would have spilled over into the main section of the auditorium, next to all those voters.

We moved chairs into the foyer of the school, adjacent to the auditorium, and began to set up. A new problem surfaced when no one could find a working light switch, and we hadn't come prepared with battery-powered stand lights. We were about to call off our rehearsal and send everyone home when someone in the orchestra discovered a way to turn on the lights.

Before we tuned up for to rehearse for our Dec. 9 concert, music director Ann Krinitsky said, "You thought the title for this concert was 'Fire, Fugue and Fortress,' but you were wrong. It's 'Music to Vote By.'"

We only lamented that we didn't have concert fliers ready to hand out to those waiting in line to vote. They could have used some reading material to pass the time, but hopefully they enjoyed the background music filtering in through the closed doors.

For those at Rosemary School on election night between 7:20 and 8 p.m. wondering what all the commotion was about, now you know. What an adventure. While it was frustrating at the time, I suppose we will smile at the memory and add it to our stories to tell about the Nova Vista Symphony.

Julia Goldstein

President, Nova Vista Symphony Association

Veterans Day story
has reader smiling

I very much enjoyed the article on Edgar Wright ("The Wright Way," Nov. 8). I love happy, smiling endings.

Thank you for your wonderful coverage of our area.

Diana Dambacher

Campbell