Goodbye 2005 and welcome 2006. It was a pleasure to attend our
supervisors’ first meeting of the year. Changing chairmen was
interesting, not all agreed.
Editor,
Goodbye 2005 and welcome 2006. It was a pleasure to attend our supervisors’ first meeting of the year. Changing chairmen was interesting, not all agreed. In my opinion, Supervisor Monaco ended his term of chairman with success. I feel he handled it very professionally, keeping a good relationship with all the other supervisors, county administration and the public. As a citizen and taxpayer living in his district, I would like to say thank you for a job well done. I hope the public sees it as I see it. If there are no changes, Reb, I feel you deserve to be reelected. I find it very important for a good leader to maintain good relationships with as many as possible. The ones who do that can be recognized. Thanks for the respect.
In my 46 years making our living here, I have never tried to live out of the county or the public. My desires have been to see this county progress in the way where the ones who grew up here have the opportunity to make a life here. Families together is what I appreciate the most. I hope the new chairwoman will be able to keep everybody together as has been this past year.
Since 1990, when I retired from public work, I got involved with interests and participated in decisions. I have known Supervisor Pat Loe for many years, from positions she had in the city and the county. She and I have had many conversations along the years about our opinions of county business. I have to confess that I don’t have her to be my enemy, but I have to say we have no problem with disagreeing because my vision for the future of the county is completely the opposite of hers. I learned that in America we can disagree without being enemies. It’s a matter of opinion. I believe for success you have to get the ship out of the harbor. I feel Pat loves to keep the ship parked, afraid it might get a dent.
That is a chance you have to take if you like to be successful. Many of us could be dead today if we had preferred to pass our time parked on the sofa. The decision to keep the eye on the budget monthly was one of my recommendations a while back. That is great, but that is only a small step to succeed. One eye on the budget and the other eye on business creates jobs. One percent growth is not enough to make the ship move. Bring in all the business you can and revise the General Plan in a way that people can afford it. Keep your eye out of the savings the county has for a rainy day. Cutting down jobs and wages, raising taxes and overpaying people for what they are not worth is what puts dents in the budget.
Comparing us with the other counties I feel is wrong. We only have a small percentage of the population they have. Never mind the others. This is a small county in comparison. You are going to have big decisions to make. You must stick to the majority of the voters. After you study it, never be afraid to vote for what you feel is better for the county. You don’t have to vote to please the ones who make no sense. I trust in most of you and have the confidence that you will know which directions to take.
Without changes, the county is never going to succeed. Just like always, this is only my opinion.
Amadeu Lima, Hollister
