Letters, letters, letters

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday.

To the Editor:

Twenty-five years ago I was chairman of the school board when the voters passed a bond issue for the new grade school. As we started progressing on the project, an ugly faction in the community reared its head claiming that we were building the school on the wrong site, spending too much money, etc.

I guess this is just part of being in a small town where people feel they can speak up, even if it is after the fact.

What really puzzles me is why these folks don't make more of an effort to persuade the board and the voters of their opinions before the important decisions are made rather than speaking up after the fact, trying to create doubt in the community.

We do live in a democracy where we can give input and vote. But we are all not going to get our way. Once the vote is taken it is time to rally as a community and give the project our very best support. I feel the board and supporting committees have given this project a lot of attention and done an excellent job. It is not an easy task and requires volunteer time. They have looked ahead to projected growth in the community and the needs of the K-12 programs and planned accordingly.

I hope these "doubters" will join the rest of the community in trying to make this project a positive one. I am sure they have expertise that could greatly benefit the upcoming project.

Jean Wells Keenan

* * *

To the Editor:

Long after the imbroglio over Sisters schools and the school foundation, the three men who are currently in the limelight will still be volunteering to improve life in their community.

These three men represent the leadership which has turned this community into a place where young children and teens have so many options, where adults can attend extremely high-quality events like Sisters Starry Nights, where seniors have found themselves involved and honored as an important piece of our healthy environment.

These guys exemplify the reason I'm proud to say I'm a member of this community, a place where kids know they are loved.

Include the SOAR director in the mix and you have The Four Musketeers of Sisters. They're everyday hard-working heroes. I'm honored to call them friends.

Bonnie Malone

* * *

To the Editor:

In a brief article in your December 12 issue regarding there being 40 candidates for the position of City Administrator, the only one mentioned by name was Neil Thompson.

I do not know if this was because of space constraints, or if privacy concerns on the parts of other applicants was requested, or if you are endorsing him for this leading role in our city.

In the event it is the last, it is my opinion Sisters would be ill-served by having Mr. Thompson at the helm. You could not expect him to hire city employees smarter than himself, for he is one who bridles at every word of opposition or disagreement. Do we want all "yes men" in City Hall?

Surely we can do better than to choose a man who has dragged his heels in the past, has let a year or more go by without answering written requests for information, sits on the fence on issues until he sees where a consensus is heading, fails to communicate rules, policies, and regulations in a timely and forthright manner, and at times has distributed unsigned and undated reports. Perhaps because deniability is easier if your name is not on something, this is also the refuge of one who does not wish to stand up and be counted.

Public trust in the present administration has eroded over the years, and Sisters needs a reliable leader for the next decade.

Sincerely,

Shirley Petrie

Editor's note:

The Nugget has not endorsed any candidate for the city administrator position. However, publisher Eric Dolson was asked to participate in the citizen review of candidate applications.

The vaguely conspiratorial scenario of endorsement by inference frankly never occurred to us. The story mentioned Neil Thompson by name merely because he is a "Sisters" candidate whose name many readers recognize and because it seemed appropriate to let citizens know that a member of the city staff had applied for the position.

Jim Cornelius

* * *

To the Editor:

As the west end traffic plan for Sisters takes shape is the plan for the Barclay Drive extension really going to work well for us?

We could look to the future by moving the proposed traffic light and highway access to the new high school further to the west. The Forest Service, by swapping land to move the schools to the west, has made it necessary to have a Highway 20 school access at a more westerly and direct point.

The current proposal is to access the schools by going through the congested area of the shopping center and motels at the Texaco Station. The reason for moving highway access and the traffic light to the west is that by doing so a boulevard could go from Barclay Drive to a point on McKinney Butte Road near the schools.

The complete boulevard would intersect the highway with a traffic light and could have a bike path all the way to the schools from Barclay Drive.

This would not only take school traffic out of the congested shopping and motel area but it would also provide a traffic light on the highway at a point which could be accessed by not only the high school but possibly in the near future by the Tollgate neighborhood (and nearby ranches and properties which may eventually develop.)

The way things stand as proposed, 400 houses in Tollgate have no traffic light to access the highway and no way to the schools other than back down the highway to the shopping center. We already have a loop connection from Hwy. 20 to Hwy. 242 just east of the shopping center.

We should be thinking not only of a direct grid-like approach to traffic, but we should also be thinking of safety. To provide an access light further west would serve not only the schools as a direct route to the highway but also the developing west Sisters neighborhoods with a safe highway access.

Doug Wood

* * *

To the Editor:

This is a heartfelt note of thanks to our wonderful paramedic team here in Sisters.

I had enough sense to dial 911 on Thanksgiving night when I was experiencing chest and back pains and didn't really have any idea what was happening, and upon responding to my call, they asked about my symptoms and told me what to do until they got here, which was quick.

They did the tests and EKG, etc.., and I said I have to call my daughter and they said they would wait for her so she could follow the ambulance. It was a very stormy night.

They had alerted the emergency room from the ambulance and the cardiologist was ready and treatment began as soon as we arrived.

I just want everyone to know how very fortunate we are here in Sisters to have this very efficient, caring team of paramedics.

I also need to thank my beautiful family, my friends and neighbors for their generous help and support. I love you.

My sincere appreciation

Elayne Clarke

* * *

To the Editor:

On Saturday, December 15, I was doing some Christmas shopping in downtown Sisters. I had my family pet, a black and white, female bull terrier dog with me. I tethered her to a fence outside the Your 12 Dollar Store on W. Cascade Avenue.

I had checked on her several times while in the store, about every five minutes or so. The last time I went to look after her, she was gone. I looked around the town for about two hours but could not locate her. She was tethered by a blue leash attached to her black collar.

This dog was given to my daughters shortly after my wife was killed in a car accident in 1993. She has been more than just a pet to the family and to lose her would be devastating.

I would appreciate it if you knew her whereabouts to please get in touch with me. I can be reached at 541-504-2582 (home), or 541-410-4484 (cell).

Her return would be the best Christmas present our family, especially the kids, could receive.

Thank you,

Peter Hatman, Jr. & Family

* * *

To the Editor:

I want to share excerpts from a letter written by Kathleen Kern (a friend's niece), who has served with Christian Peace Teams in Hebron for more than six years. While I do NOT agree that any amount of personal "sorrow" justifies terrorism, Kathleen has lived with Palestinians long enough to present their view, a view that rarely gets media notice.

Kathleen writes: "Today I cried ... when I read a letter of the Mennonite Fellowship..., calling the perpetrators of the attacks in NY and DC 'sorrowists.'

"Sorrow is what remains; sorrow is our lingering burden."

Kathleen goes on: "A 74-year-old woman (team member) and I were assaulted by a group of Israeli settler children (in Hebron). Six years after being attacked by grown men (Israeli settlers), I still ... ended up bawling in the street afterwards...the police were once again very kind, although one of them wanted me to admit Muslims hate Christians.

"Given I had just been attacked by boys in (Israeli) yarmulkes, I wasn't sure why this was important to him ...

"Life is getting ...harder for our Palestinian friends... the police don't even come when they're attacked.

The farmers cannot get their produce to market because of ongoing closures.

The Old City of Hebron is still under curfew most of the time. When the army lifts the curfew, settlers enter and attack the vendors, which they refer to ... as 'staging a protest.'

The army then reinstates the curfew.

"It's the overriding principle behind this occupation: when Palestinians attack Israelis, all Palestinians are collectively punished.

"When Israelis attack Palestinians, all Palestinians are collectively punished."

I worry that when Kathleen returns to Hebron in January she will become another victim of the current Israeli shelling.

Such retaliation has not produced results. It must stop.

June Forsyth