The following organizations and events deserved a thumbs up or a
thumbs down this week:
The following organizations and events deserved a thumbs up or a thumbs down this week:
Thumbs down: For the departure of City Manager Dale Shaddox after only a year in the job. Shaddox – misled about the extent of the city’s financial problems when hired and wracked with guilt about laying off 36 employees – announced Monday he will leave in May.
It’s a huge loss for a city suffering from mismanagement of funds, growing deficits and a strict building moratorium. Shaddox took tough steps to shape up the city’s finances, but there still is a lot of work to do and no leader to do it.
Thumbs up: For the students at Rancho San Justo Middle School who learned the power of a penny. The students collected thousands of pennies and loads of loose change until they raised $3,435.06 to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The lesson got students thinking about helping others and funded a good cause.
Thumbs up: For the safe return from Iraq of National Guard Specialist Dionicio Arevalo Jr. on Sunday. Waiting for the Hollister resident were his excited family, a stack of unopened Christmas presents, a plate of his favorite Mexican food and the son he had never seen. Dionicio III was born in September while his father was overseas. That’s quite a welcome home, and we extend our congratulations and thanks to Arevalo.
Thumbs up: For city officials and their second thoughts about buying an expensive and plush parking enforcement vehicle. At about $28,000, the vehicle is simply too costly for a city in financial trouble – not to mention the fact that layoffs of city workers are on the horizon. We’re glad the city wants to postpone the purchase. Buying it now is unnecessary and would be insensitive to those losing their jobs.
Thumbs down: For county expenditures on outside law firms totaling more than $2 million in the last four years. For that sum of money, our county government should be able to retain its own legal office and still defend itself vigorously in litigation cases. Hiring other law firms sends the message that we cannot rely on our county counsel for the defense of San Benito. Supervisors should remember Justice’s blind eye and realize the only civil cases the county really has to worry about are the ones where the plaintiffs have a strong case. If county supervisors are sued over an issue where they have used sound judgment, it will be clear in court they did nothing wrong. If the supes face litigation over bad government, not even the greatest lawyer in history will get them off the hook.
Thumbs down: For San Benito County’s lack of a specific plan or agency to deal with West Nile Virus. The county might be falling behind in West Nile preparedness just as mosquito season is ramping up. Although no cases have been reported in the county and only three cases were reported last year in California, the numbers look worse elsewhere. In Colorado, 61 people died from the virus last year, and nationwide 262 fatalities were reported in 2003. West Nile is a serious disease and should be taken very seriously. The good thing is that county officials met this week to discuss how they can at least utilize neighboring county’s resources.
