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On Your Mind is the Herald/Review’s telephone opinion line and is intended as a public forum for our readers. Comments represent the opinions of callers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the newspaper or any specific knowledge that we have. Readers may share their opinions by calling 458-0332, or by e-mail to svhoym@transedge.com or regular mail at 102 Fab Ave., Sierra Vista AZ 85635. Please keep comments less than 90 seconds. Comments are edited.
Oct. 19
This is a message for Laura Ory who wrote the article on the pool company closing. There is a glaring mistake in the caption under the picture. This is no such word as “uncompleted.” The work should be “incomplete.” Check out the words before you print them in the newspaper.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes, we should have used incomplete. Thanks for pointing that out. Laura, however, didn’t write the caption to the photo. Instead, that was handled by the photographer and editors.
Enough with that Maria Elenas Salinas and her continually complaining about our broken immigration laws. Those laws and that system were broken by her illegal brothers and sisters. Would her outlook be the same if the 12 million or more illegals were from China and not Mexico? She is as much of a racist in her way as the Rev. Sharpton is in his. I think she deserves about as much respect as any blatant racist in this country.
I read Pat Wick’s welcome article in today’s newspaper and I commend her on her caring, and I think necessary way of expressing matters that many of us share but only an occasional critic will comment on. She is obviously a gracious and intelligent lady. I, too, on occasion have found it necessary to avail myself of Dr. Tunell’s care and expertise. He is a very capable individual himself. Thank you, Pat. I look forward to your next presentation.
I am writing for my mother who has macular degeneration and can’t drive any more. I have seen quite a few bad comments about the new bus station. I need to write about how much it is used. My mom uses the bus to go to her low vision meeting. She also has used it to go to the mall and doctors appointments. There are quite a few people that use the bus. And in the Oct. 19 OYM a person said it was built in a dumb place. He says he drives by a few times a day and doesn’t see anyone there. Well, they use it to transfer mostly. It is a transfer station. The bus picks up people in many other places and they have to transfer to other buses. Also, a lot of the people that use the bus live around that area in the senior housing and other apartments. It is a godsend to so many people. And I don’t mind my taxes going to help them. I bet that the people that wrote in have never had to use the bus. But the people that use it are very grateful. And I know that firsthand.
My children were educated with the Sierra Vista public school system because of the teachers and in spite of the administration. There are too many chiefs. There just does not need to be an assistant superintendent along with the curriculum person and so many principals at Buena. There are so many chiefs that nothing gets done or looked at, and the teachers just manage their classrooms without them. I am sure if they were not fearful of their jobs, more would speak out as you also have to be aware that retaliation will happen with children when parents speak out. Administration needs to be cut back and teachers and classrooms would have more of the taxpayer’s money.
It was good that Mr. (Jack) Blair sent his letter. When he gave his “talks” on why we should all vote for the override he did not like to be questioned on his budget figures given to him by the school administration at that time. He put all of his eggs in their basket, just like we have to trust them with our children’s education. It is not fair and just that the administration budget is so high while the teacher and classroom budget is much lower. We vote in people thinking they will make a difference on the school board and look, we have the same administration. The words of the new person, (Hal) Thomas, were arrogant. Sorry, I voted for him. The board needs to look what every admin person is doing, their salary and get rid of some of them, especially an assistant to the superintendent, and they should cut back in the finance department, too. They could save $200,000 plus annually by cutting back in admin. I believe there is a ratio for admin versus teacher/classroom monies and we must be above the normal giving admin much more. It was sure nice to learn from on your mind that teachers got a $500 bonus check. I will never vote for another override with the same administration in place.
It is a sad situation when the voters go out and vote people on to the City Council and the school board; however, when they are seated, they are led around and taught how to think by the staff that they are supposed to be in charge of.
We, the victims of the mistake in school taxes, need some sort of closure to get this behind us. Obviously the school district cannot or will not do anything to rectify the situation. Dr. (Assistant Superintendent Bill) Roach knew about the horrid mistake months ago, as well as Michelle Quiroz. Michelle reported the mistake to Dr. Roach one or two times. Why didn’t Dr. Roach report to the public? We don’t know. We do know his non-action equates to gross negligence worthy of dismissal. Also, the school district did not report this error to the public until the day the taxes came out. In order to obtain some sort of closure, I would suggest Dr. Roach do the decent thing and resign. If he refuses, the school board can relieve him of his duties. Then we need to know exactly what steps will be taken to make sure this type of mistake will not happen again. If these two suggestions are implemented, perhaps the public will eventually develop a guarded trust in the school district.
I recently submitted and OYM in which I referred to a Hessian army. I thought I clearly directed a reference to the Blackwater mercenaries. The city of Baghdad is but should not be our location of negotiation. Inner city work there is the most hazardous of all. The number and type of people there are not necessary to our national welfare. I can just envision what is going to happen to our now under construction consulate costing us $600 million. It would have been cheaper to use one of the six houses Saddam left there.
I would like to thank Gabrielle Giffords’ office and staff. There was a situation that my mother had and she waited four years for the problem to get resolved. I contacted Gabrielle Giffords’ office and she took care of it right away. I would like to express our gratitude; you did a terrific job. You have our vote.
Oct. 20
The Sierra Vista school district keeps raising taxes. Why do they refuse to spend money for the safety of the children on the buses?
Just heard and confirmed with the Office of Management and Budget earmark database that La Raza, the open borders Hispanic organization, receives a continuing $5 million earmark of taxpayers money. Will the Herald please investigate and do an article on taxpayers money going to this and other racist organizations.
Thanks to the Herald/Review for the editorial cheering Elizabeth Kucinich for visiting the southeast Arizona borderland. Over 100 citizens heard her speak in historic City Park in Old Bisbee. Her message, “Strength through peace.” Thank you, Elizabeth, for coming. Good luck to the next president, Dennis Kucinich.
I see where Humburg is getting out while the getting is good. I wonder if she will take a 30 percent cut in her retirement?
Oct. 21
In reading Michelle Quiroz’s Q & A article, I find it easy to understand and accept the error and the work she did to keep it from becoming a bigger mess. I do not understand or accept Dr. (Assistant Superintendent Bill) Roach keeping this information to himself and not follow the district chain-of-command. Does he not know Dr. (Superintendent Renae) Humburg is his immediate supervisor (boss)? In a different article, Dr. Roach was quoted as saying Dr. Humburg was out of town at the time he was notified of the error and he forgot to inform her when she returned. This is a big question mark for me. Ms. Quiroz is quoted as saying, over several months she kept Dr. Roach informed of the steps she was taking. How could he forget? Why did he not notify Dr. Humburg and the board? Are there other things he has kept to himself?
I have listened to the teen population complain about how there is nothing to do in Sierra Vista and have attributed it to their immaturity. Recently, however, a parent of one of the children who died recently made the comment to the press that “there is nothing to do in Sierra Vista but party.” This leads me to believe that perhaps those youth who believe there is nothing to do in Sierra Vista feel so because of their parents’ attitudes. I grew up in a town of 10,000 people. I had my chores, school, homework. My father taught me how to change a tire, change oil, build a birdhouse, make and walk on stilts. My mother taught me to cook, to sew, to knit. I loved to read and the library was one of my favorite places. We had no youth center, although the school held dances once a month in the gymnasium at the high school, which were chaperoned by parents and faculty. Yes, some of the kids drank, and some used drugs, but for the most part, we entertained ourselves without having to “party.” Parents need to be involved in their childrens’ lives. They cannot simply leave them to their own devices. We need to emphasize family activities, rather than accusing the municipality for not having enough facilities to divert our children from using drugs or alcohol, or staying out all night. When a parent makes the statement, “there is nothing to do but party,” then our young people believe this is permission to drink, to stay out late, to act rashly and irresponsibly. We need to keep our youth safe.
Congratulations to the family on the eastern end of Golf Links for the cutest, cleverest Halloween decorations I’ve ever seen. A dancing laughing ring of ghosts! Hope you don’t mind that I stopped to take a picture of them to send to my granddaughter.
I have been reading Dr. (Ken) Hooton’s column on the usage of words. I wish he would address the usage of words used in speech and writing every day, such as “myself” instead of “I,” or “gotta”, or “I have not awoken,” or “he has laid/lain there all night.” I wish he would address the usage of words we use every day.
Re: The article about the horse camp at Whitaker’s. Does anyone know what happened to Gabby? Please reply back to On Your Mind. I have asked lots of people and no one knows. Thank you.
Oct. 22
I want to congratulate the city of Sierra Vista on the construction of the newly erected “Homeless City” across Highway 90, west of Wal-Mart on the land formerly occupied by the Sierra Vista Riding Club. I used to ride my horse over there and would run into a couple of homeless people at the most western end of that property. Now, they have constructed makeshift homes just off the highway. This is an eyesore and these people are a hazard for the cars traveling on Highway 90 as the people dart across to Wal-Mart. Why hasn’t the city done anything to eliminate this problem? It hasn’t gone away, but seems to have grown in numbers. Soon, they will qualify under the “Homestead Act” for permanent residency there and Super Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club won’t get built because the homeless will tie them up in court over evictions.
To the Sierra Vista school board: I must comment on the questions you selected to answer in Sunday’s local Q&A section. It doesn’t matter how many times you miscalculated, or how you miscalculated. What matters is that you did, and in doing so, your incompetence has affected the lives of every resident and business in Sierra Vista. You made property taxes go up 40 percent. Your mistake will result in everyone having to pay more for products and services from local businesses as they try to recoup their additional expenses. Incompetence at this level would never be tolerated in the private sector, only in government. In the private sector, you, Renae Humburg and Bill Roach would all be seeking new employment, instead of being rewarded by continued employment. I am very confident that this hike will never be reduced as the hungry mouths feeding at the tax trough will feed even more vigorously on the eventual outfall from this additional taxation.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In the past two weeks, both Humburg and Roach have announced they will be retiring at the end of the 2007-2008 fiscal year for the school district.
It is very important to learn from the current SV school district superintendent’s mistakes, as well as retain any strengths she might have had when selecting a replacement. One key factor is the ability to instill and retain the confidence of the school district’s taxpayer base, as without adequate funding no future vision can be implemented. The current incumbent’s grade in this area is D/F, as she allowed an environment in the school district leadership where fiscal vision, oversight and truthfulness was not valued and nourished — how else can you explain a deputy of hers forgetting to tell her about a tax rate error and not even giving her a “heads up” prior to the board meeting where the tax rate error was revealed? In addition, why did she and/or her deputy not ask questions about the 2006-7 rate as it was such a drop from the prior year’s rate? I would urge the school board to insist that the district administration, led by the current superintendent, immediately initiate procedures that will ensure errors like the ones described earlier do not happen again. I would also like to suggest that the superintendent must show some leadership by publicly presenting her deputy with some negative consequences for his actions.
Worse Than That wrote on Nov 3, 2007 7:33 PM: