Disenfranchisement
Why is it that Republicans still think that fraudulent voting is still rampant? Even after dozens of studies over the past 30 years have shown voting fraud is almost nonexistent. M Kennedy says, “… there is no discrimination” against blacks, Hispanics and the poor (RB 10-23). Is this why a federal judge has stopped Georgia from rejecting absentee ballots due to mismatched signatures? Why several states (red of course) have rejected voters whose name doesn’t match the registered name even when the registered name was recorded incorrectly?
There are several other documented incidences of this nature that mostly affect blacks, Hispanics and the poor. But you would have to read the main stream media in order to know about these studies. M Kennedy “… will never vote for anyone that uses smear tactics …” so M Kennedy did not vote for Hillary or Donald? Do we remember ‘lyin Ted’ and ‘crooked Hillary’ and ‘little Marco’? The list is very long.
—Kevin Bracken, Kelseyville
Hard work, the cornerstone of success
You can’t miss Shanda Harry, she’s everywhere – doing the work, gaining our confidence, earning our votes.
When Shanda Harry stepped into the race for Lake County Superior Court Judge last winter, she was a newcomer on the election scene.
Unlike her opponents, familiar names on the election ballot, Shanda had never run for elected office. I knew from personal experience that reaching voters on a countywide scale would take an enormous amount of work. At the time I wondered if she was up for the challenge.
Clearly she was. In a field of 3, Shanda was the top vote getter in the primary election and is now in a run-off for Superior Court Judge against a well-known candidate.
Fast forward to one week before the November 6 general election and she’s still working as hard as ever – putting herself out there to give voters an opportunity to get to know her and what she will bring to the job. She’s at events big and small, knocking on doors, attending every candidate forum and responding to every call or request for information.
Shanda’s hard work has paid off –she’s captured the endorsements of local, state and federal leaders. More importantly she’s landed scores of supporters from all corners of the county, walks of life, and political persuasion who believe she is the best candidate.
A quick look at her credentials and there’s no doubt Shanda’s got the experience and education needed for the job. She’s worked in the legal profession – in and outside of Lake County – for 17 years. She’s worked in private and public settings, handling the full range of cases a judge might encounter – and she graduated from a top-notch school.
“Google” Shanda Harry and you’ll find she gets high marks for character – one of the most important attributes of a good judge. Free of negative baggage or conflicts of interest, she’ll hit the ground running, an important consideration in our crowded courtrooms.
Shanda took on a big challenge when she decided to run for elected office, doing what mailers and signs alone could not accomplish. She gave voters direct access to her – and that took a lot of time, energy and hard work.
Hard work is the cornerstone of success. I am convinced Shanda will work hard every day on the bench to make sure justice is fairly served. She has my vote.
—Olga Martin steele, Lakeport
Personnel matters in the LUSD
In reading the Record Bee Editorial Board article from October 5, 2018, it seems to me that the divisive nature of this election season has taken over some of our common sense. The Editorial Board acknowledges that the school board has legal obligations to maintain
privacy over their personnel actions, but in the same breath, asserts they did something “wrong” because they abided by that duty.
Personnel matters are among the most common sources of legal challenges confronting school districts. The board is subject to state and federal laws as well as collective bargaining agreements governing what can be said, what can be done, and how it must be accomplished.
This cannot be a simple task in light of the public interest in the board’s decisions.
I call for our community to have trust in the board; to give it the benefit of the doubt that it is doing its best. Also, I suggest that if the public is to know the details of personnel decisions, it is for the former principal to decide what should be disclosed, not the board and not the public.
—John Robertson, Lakeport
