Last Saturday the Lake County Record-Bee printed a paid advertisement about Frank Rivero that was unwarranted and appalling. Politics do not give us the right to say things about people so that voters might get the wrong impression. I am not taking either side on this issue; statements made about Rivero should be examined in detail.
There were three derogatory items listed by the sheriff”s department about Rivero. When these items were investigated and disclosed by the department they were shown as new information. This is hard to believe because when a police officer is considered for hire a complete background check must be made. The Lake County Sheriff”s Office would have discovered these irregularities at the time of the investigation; the San Francisco Police Department also had to run a background check on Rivero many years ago when he was hired in San Francisco. I find it hard to believe that two law enforcement agencies failed to discover these items that Rivero was accused of. It appears someone at the sheriff”s department did not do his or her job if these items were missed. Again, let”s not have the same thing happen that happened against Joe Totorica in the 1994 election. Dirty politics have no place in Lake County.
Checking a person”s background for a name like Frank Rivero in the state of Florida is like looking up the name of Smith. You could probably find several people with the same name as Frank Rivero all about the same age with all kinds of criminal charges filed against them. That does not mean Frank Rivero of Lake County is the person in question. I am really getting tired of people in politics making accusations against people without proper proof. If you vote you should make every effort to be sure you understand all the facts and don”t let other people make your decisions for you. Look at the facts then make your intelligent decisions as best as you can. Voting is our right, make your vote count.
I was watching the congressional inquiries regarding steroid use the other day and a congressman accused one of our greatest baseball pitchers of all time of lying to the committee. The congressman said the baseball pitcher could get 30 years in prison for lying to the committee regarding steroid use. What a joke this is, congress and the senate have been lying to the American people forever; when are they going to jail? Be careful of what you read and what you believe. Get the facts then pick the right person. God Bless America.
Fred A. Belka Jr. PhD
Lakeport
