Sept. 5 Letters to the Editor

<p class="bold allcaps">For Barrett</p> <p>EDITOR: It was with a pleasure, and a relief, to discover that Teresa Barrett has decided to run again for the Petaluma City Council.</p><p>She is a particularly bright, thoughtful and well-informed council member and dependably brings a sense of decorum to council meetings. She obviously does her homework, consistently asks pertinent and incisive questions and unfailingly votes with the community's best interests in mind.</p><p>For those unfamiliar with Barrett, her thoughtful presence and strength of character can easily be discovered by watching council meetings on Petaluma's cable channel 28.</p><p>Among her many commitments to the city of Petaluma, she recently served as the council representative and chairwoman of the Development Code Advisory Committee's historic preservation subcommittee. As a member of the subcommittee, I have had the good fortune to support her efforts to draft a comprehensive ordinance to preserve the historical, cultural and aesthetic heritage of our special city. She worked tirelessly and effectively to produce a comprehensive and first-rate ordinance. It was a privilege to be a part of that effort, and I highly encourage Petalumans to vote this November for her continuing presence on the City Council.</p><p>STEVE KIRK</p><p>Petaluma</p><h3>Writing checks</h3> <p>EDITOR: After reading about Hilda Yao's generous donation (“Donor fulfills wish lists for hundreds of teachers,” Thursday), I wondered why Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina have not spent some of their millions on similar worthwhile projects. It appears to me that they are spending their money only on getting elected.</p><p>JOHN WILKINSON</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Politics Cotati-style</h3> <p>EDITOR: You gotta love Cotati politics. In the past year or so, we had a survey to see if we wanted higher taxes, a recall election and a special election for a higher sales tax, all on the taxpayers' dime.</p><p>Now we hire a retiring police chief/headhunter to see if we needed more police staff. Did we think she would say that we need less or are OK with current staff?</p><p>Instead of being bold and trying to fix an outdated, broken machine that we call government, and maybe setting an example of new ways to conduct business, we jump back into the fray and spend more than $250,000 on new police officers so our existing ones can patrol more often in our town of 7,500 people. (Read: more petty traffic citations, further distancing themselves from the community they work in).</p><p>I often wonder if we had allowed, say, a Taco Bell to locate next to Lowe's (drawing business from Rohnert Park and Petaluma) if we would even need a sales tax increase. But, hey, “We're going to better spend your money now. We learned our lesson.”</p><p>For the smallest city in Sonoma County, we sure make a lot of political headlines. Mostly for the wrong reasons.</p><p>CHRIS MARTINI</p><p>Cotati</p><h3>Cases for police</h3> <p>EDITOR: The sad news of ongoing accusations of sexual abuse of children by priests in the Santa Rosa Diocese reveals that the Catholic leadership simply does not get it.</p><p>When Dublin, Ireland, Archbishop Dermot Ryan asked Santa Rosa Bishop Mark Hurley to “rid me of this troublesome priest” it sounds like he is referring to a priest who drinks too much or sleeps late rather than one who is a serial sexual abuser of children. Troublesome? This is hardly the term to describe such vile and criminal behavior as pedophilia. Rid me? How? By moving him to another country where he can continue his hurtful ways?</p><p>Similarly, when the director of the Catholic program for abusers in New Mexico refers to priests like Patrick McCabe as “strange priests who have had such a difficulty,” the sanitization of the language continues. Any “difficulty” experienced by the priest pales in comparison to the pain and long-term psychological and social pain to the children who were abused.</p><p>These priests are far more than “troublesome” people who have “had a difficulty.” They are antisocial criminals who have gravely harmed vulnerable children and deserve the full legal punishment available. Victims should act accordingly. Call the police, not the bishop.</p><p>TOM COOKE</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Davies voter</h3> <p>EDITOR: I am voting for Jason Davies for Petaluma City Council for several reasons. I have had the pleasure of knowing him on a professional and personal basis for more than 15 years. On a professional level, he is intelligent, courteous, passionate and honest. On a personal level, he is fun and a joy to be with. He's also a caring parent who understands the concerns of working families in these challenging times. Davies would be a great addition to our City Council because I know he would do what is right for Petaluma, and he would get the job done.</p><p>NATALIE KAVANAUGH</p><p>Petaluma</p><h3>Pave it, please</h3> <p>EDITOR: Regarding the “experimental” road surfacing on Sonoma Mountain Road: The section of the road in question is less than a half-mile from where the road was closed for three long years after the New Year's storm in 2006 (“In money-saving test, county turns roads into dirt,” Wednesday).</p><p>While we are appreciative of the road eventually being fixed, many of us felt three years was a long time to wait. Now we are faced with the prospect of a dusty, dirty solution to a road badly in need of resurfacing.</p><p>Even with the new process, the gravel road makes life dusty and miserable for those walking on the road and for those who live nearby. The proposed eventual chip-seal often degrades quickly on a road that receives virtually no regular inspection or maintenance.</p><p>The prospect of a muddy mess as winter approaches, with potholes and a rough transition between gravel and paved road, offers little relief from the current dust cloud.</p><p>Give those of us who walk on or live near the road a break — pave it, please.</p><p>RUSTY SIMS</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>A watchdog</h3> <p>EDITOR: There have been numerous articles about how the criminals on Wall Street are up to the same greedy tricks that were a big part of our economy's collapse. The first time around was at the tail end of the Bush presidency, so it's easy to understand why they got away with it so effortlessly.</p><p>Now the Obama administration is trying to keep much closer tabs on these white-collar criminals. He has found the perfect person for the job, too: Elizabeth Warren. This woman has no deeply lined pockets, nor does she have any fear of political fallout from calling Wall Street on its activities. But as usual, its machine is in bed with Congress trying to stop this lady from having the authority she needs and we deserve.</p><p>Write your representatives and tell them you want Elizabeth Warren as the Wall Street watchdog. It may be our only hope for getting this country's economy back on its feet.</p><p>MARC GROAH</p><p>Healdsburg</p>