Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/392815
Although the so called "big election" will not be until two years from now, and all the talking heads are pontifi- cating about this potential Presidential candidate or the other, we need to re- member there is an important election in Tehama County this very November. Absentee ballots are already on the way; we have some time to study issues and prepare for our vote. In many ways we will have an oppor- tunity to decide if we are happy with things as "normal" or if we need to shake things up a little to make a posi- tive difference. For example, a review of the voting records of the Board of Supervisors re- veals that more than 99 per- cent of their votes were unanimous; having served on and with several different kinds of boards over the last 40 plus years I find this highly un- usual. A review of the ap- pointed incumbent's vot- ing records indicates she has voted with the other su- pervisors essentially all the time. The Board of Supervi- sors contains three for- mer county employees; this may not be a bad re- flection on those three in- dividuals, but it may in- dicate a perspective on issues not necessarily rep- resentative of the popula- tion as a whole. The entire Board stepped aside from a careful study of the issues regarding the State of Jefferson and just placed it on the ballot with- out putting their political necks out to make a stand after a thorough review of the matter — not a demon- stration of political courage or leadership. An important question for us in Supervisor District 2 to consider is whether or not we want "business as usual." While some of us complain about our subser- vient role in the state, many of us believe we can take better charge of our fate with careful planning, good analysis, and stewardship of public funds. I see this local election as an oppor- tunity to change "business as usual." I had an opportunity to meet with Candy Carlson, a candidate for the District 2 position on the Board. I was impressed that she was a good listener, a careful thinker, and possessed the skills needed to be a con- tributing member of the Board. After talking with her, I firmly believe that she will bring a new per- spective to the Board, ask serious questions, and study issues carefully before mak- ing decisions. Like many local govern- mental entities, our County suffers from limited re- sources, and without the prospect of new jobs and new people in our area, lim- ited resources will be the standard fare for at least the immediate future. Carlson brings the skills of a financial manager to the job that will be helpful in sorting through the myr- iad of numbers, as well as the rules and regulations that impact the budget; she will help bring public fo- cus to the county budget. She has had to meet a pay- roll; she has had to evalu- ate staff; she has had to do long range planning. She will be a careful steward of our tax money, and she will work to help the Supervi- sors begin long range plan- ning, rather that the piece- meal reaction to events we have witnessed for so long. Carlson has a diverse background, from being an Athletic Director in the Air Force to volunteering with the Job Training Center to help more than 300 lo- cal people manage their fi- nancial distress. I am con- vinced she feels a calling toward public service and is not ego driven. Carlson is not a pol- ished presenter, and you can sympathize with her as she presents her ideas to the public and describes her qualifications. You can sense her conscientious- ness, caring about being clear and straightforward rather than overly gener- alizing about things that are wrong. Like many capa- ble people, I am sure Carl- son feels awkward talk- ing about herself in pub- lic, unlike some blowhards we hear now and then who substitute assertiveness for reason. I believe she will bring new life to the Board, ask- ing important questions, analyzing issues, and work- ing toward a better future for our county. She will add to the potential of the Board of Supervisors being a more active participant in shaping our future. Joe Harrop is a retired ed- ucator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal. JoeHarrop Let'smake a difference on Nov. 4 Cartoonist's take Law enforcement has long been a popular subject in film comedy. It looks like some producer now has a lot of po- tential material. In the early 20th century, the incompetent Keystone Cops did big "B.O." (Variety's old term for "box office," al- though it also means "body odor") for Mack Sennett and his Keystone Film Company. With its cast including later- to-be-famous actors such as Edgar Kennedy and Fatty "Roscoe" Arbuckle, plus long- forgotten actors who only made a short or two, The Key- stone Cops set the entertain- ment template for bumbling, awkward, don't-have-a-clue, show biz-portrayed, law en- forcement stereotypes. In 1960, "The Andy Griffith Show" gave audiences Don Knotts' immortal, smug and naive, blowhard deputy Bar- ney Fife. TV Guide later de- clared Barney Fife one of the 50 greatest TV characters of all time. Calling a cop "Bar- ney Fife" is today a put-down. In 1963, Blake Edwards' "The Pink Panther" starred David Niven, but it's surprise break- out character was the ever -bumbling, inept French Chief Inspector Jacques Cleausou, so perfectly crafted by Peter Sellers that Cleausou sparked a long series of "Pink Pan- ther" movie sequels. Somewhere a new producer is salivating, because the Se- cret Service seems poised to inspire a new joke: What do the Keystone Cops, Barney Fife and Inspector Clouseau have in common? The Keystone Cops and Bar- ney Fife were hired by the Se- cret Service — and Inspector Clouseau as its consultant. It'd be funny, if it wasn't so outrageous and terrifyingly dangerous. More details keep emerging about a Secret Service that seems so sloppy it borders on negligence, with the poten- tial of enabling a future trag- edy that will be near-crimi- nal negligence. If the trend- ing continues without some ASAP fix, get ready to mourn another President or mem- bers of a President's family — or both. A new tidbit comes from the website Inside Sources which, in an "exclusive," re- ports that in the lead up to the 2012 election a Secret Service agent provided de- tails of President Barack Obama's schedule to Repub- lican nominee Mitt Romney's camp several days before they were made public. Accord- ing to the website, a mar- ried Secret Service agent did it to impress a female Rom- ney staffer. While that isn't as bad as would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley, Jr.'s "I did it to impress Jodie Fos- ter," it isn't an impressive re- flection of the agency's pur- portedly stringent hiring and screening processes. Add to that the stunning revelation via The Washing- ton Post that the Secret Ser- vice let a contractor who was armed and had a criminal re- cord get into an elevator with Obama. And then there were revelations that contradicted earlier Secret Service-pro- vided info: White House gate jumper Omar Gonzalez was indeed armed, got farther into the White House residence than reported and was tack- led by an off-duty Secret Ser- vice agent. Plus the earlier gate jumper — and the case in March of three Secret Service agents sent home early from an Obama trip to Amsterdam due to alleged drinking. Secret Service Director Ju- lia Pierson resigned after a dismal performance at Con- gressional hearings, but the "last straw" for the White House was reportedly news of the elevator incident. Now some pundits wonder whether Pierson was the victim of a "glass cliff" — a woman hired to clean up an impossible mess made by a man. Nope: The real issue is that af- ter John F. Kennedy's assas- sination, the agency vowed to tighten up its security and leave absolutely nothing to chance. A small number of agents and agency managers seem to have forgotten the na- tion's — and its own — trau- mas. The danger is no longer just from domestic nutcases or domestic conspirators with guns, but from terrorist groups with guns and various bombs, who love beheading high-profile victims and post- ing snuff videos on You Tube. You read it here first: soon you'll see a TV or movie com- edy featuring an inept Se- cret Service agent, because producers know it'll get "big B.O." — due to the other kind of "B.O.," an overpowering in- stitutional B.O coming from a once-respected agency. Joe Gandelman is a veteran journalist who wrote for news- papers overseas and in the United States. He has appeared on cable news show political panels and is Editor-in-Chief of The Moderate Voice, an Internet hub for independents, centrists and moderates. He also writes for The Week's online edition. CNN's John Avlon named him as one of the top 25 Centrists Columnists and Commenta- tors. He can be reached at jgan- delman@themoderatevoice.com and can be booked to speak at www.mavenproductions.com. Follow him on Twitter: www. twitter.com/joegandelman. Joe Gandelman The Barney Fife Secret Service While some of us complain about our subservient role in the state, many of us believe we can take better charge of our fate with careful planning, good analysis, and stewardship of public funds. I see this local election as an opportunity to change "business as usual." Sounding off Alookatwhatreadersaresayingincommentsonourwebsiteandonsocialmedia. Goodletter...I'mtiredtodeathofthese educated idiots going all dictator on us. We are being taxed to living under a bridge and my medical insurance is gone thanks to that useless fop in the White House. Kelly Walen: On a letter to the editor in support of the State of Jefferson movement That's really sad. Was always such a nice guy growing up. Amanda Mitchell: On report of two men being killed in a Corning car crash Greg Stevens, Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Joe Harrop Assemblyman Dan Logue 150Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, Chico 95928, 530895-4217 Senator Jim Nielsen 2634Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530879-7424, senator. nielsen@senate.ca.gov Governor Jerry Brown State Capital Building, Sacra- mento 95814, 916445-2841, fax 916558-3160, governor@ governor.ca.gov U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa 507Cannon House Office Build- ing, Washington D.C. 20515, 202 225-3076 U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Francisco 94104, 415393-0707, fax 415393-0710 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer 1700Montgomery St., San Fran- cisco 94111, 510286-8537, fax 202224-0454 Contact your officials OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, October 4, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4