Cards
Several times each year I wish electronic communication had not been invented. On occasions as Mother’s Day, the existence of cell/smart phones has degraded one of the physical, in hand, emotional ways to show “you care.” There is no “email” message that can compare with an actual card one can open, read, and treasure! It is hard to put an electronic card on your desk at work to show your coworkers, and in my life that has been important.
I can remember, in school, making valentine cards (for example). Making Christmas (or other cards), and/or being taken to the store to select the “one card” that you felt was right for a grandfather. You had the joy of adding a note and your name, addressing the envelope, and seeing that it got mailed. At the other end it was enjoyed with the understanding that you cared. Maybe not completely, but this one tradition that I wish had not been overwhelmed by “progress.”
Guff Worth, Lakeport
Background checks
I wanted some truth. I had been hearing rumors about several of the candidates, lots of conjecture, lots of wonderment, but not much in the way of truth! Is it true that one of them has a felony record, another has been arrested and is awaiting trial and another owes a considerable amount to the county? And candidly, I don’t like rumors and I don’t like it much when tax dollars are wasted either.
And so like a lot of others I heard the story about Martin Scheel dropping his crane in the lake and that the county had to pay to clean up the mess. I couldn’t understand why there was so much talk about him never having to pay all that money back. Why not? Are county officials feeling sorry for him? Are there others that have had the same breaks? Has he ever been billed? Is there a lien in place? No one could answer my questions. The numbers.$55,000, $59,000, $65,000, how much was it? That would pay a partial salary for another law enforcement employee, would help with a small cost of living increase in wages.
So of an evening, I paid $19.95 to do a background check. They are easily done by any number of companies. I took a random leap and selected one, paid my money and ran Martin Scheel’s name. What it came back with were tax liens dating back to 2002, DIUs, a conviction for grand theft, but no liens from the County of Lake … hmmm. I still didn’t have my answer as to what the county was doing about Martin Scheel. Why would Rob Brown, Jim Comstock, Dodd and Thompson and such endorse him if he owed the county that much money? My next thought was that the whole thing about him owing any money must be just that, a rumor. I know Ted Mandrones, so I asked him about it and he told me what he knew, and also mentioned that Martin Scheel owed a substantial sum to the now sold off Piedmont Lumber Company as well. In any event, he referred me on to 4th District Supervisor Anthony Farrington for more clarification.
As a result of the conversation I had with both of them, I sent my report to Anthony Farrington with a simple question, is this just rumor? Or is the county hiding something? And does the country plan on doing something about this.
Anthony Farrington assured me that it was not just a rumor, but that it was appearing that somewhere, someone had failed to ask for reparations. He asked if I minded him using the report and to look into a few things on it. I said no, I did not. After all it was all public record, I was just the first one to get curious but that the info was out there on the internet and easily obtained.
It was at this time, that I also signed on to work on Ted Mandrones’ campaign. And my reasoning was a direct result of what I was learning about some of the other candidates. The fact that no one was bothering to check on the backgrounds was mind boggling.
I have read Martin Scheel’s statement about turning over the crane as a “down payment” on the amount owed to Lake County. That down payment was the crane itself and was sold as scrap, garnering the county a small sum, just $4,000. So I am still asking — is the county going to make a demand for the balance? Is there a payment plan? If he is elected, will the county ask for a lien against his supervisor salary? If so, doesn’t that mean that we taxpayers are footing the bill again for the great crane caper?
As taxpayers, we paid to have the crane removed and now we may be paying him a salary so he can pay for us back? What kind of logic is that? That doubles the taxpayers injury doesn’t it? If county supervisors are paid roughly $60,000 or so per year, do the math: 4×60 = $240,000 plus what our taxes have already paid for the crane disaster comes to appx $290,000 in tax payer dollars!
Bottom line for me is that one should do a little research on candidates, folks. We are supposed to be hiring people to represent us in honorable ways and to make wise decisions, not rip us off.
Gail Strong, Lake County
Past problems
Yah know folks, before you cast your vote for supervisor, do a quick check for outstanding liens. You will be amazed.
Question is “do we want another in office who has present or past problems with the IRS and/or FTB not to mention court orders.”
Marty Hinman, Lakeport
