Tom Schwedhelm for Supervisor
Editor: I am a lifelong Sonoma County resident and have been a friend and peer of Tom Schwedhelm’s for over 40 of them. I know Tom to be a humble man of integrity, intelligence and character. I know that Tom deeply cares about our Sonoma County community and has empathy, honesty and courage, rare qualities for a politician. Tom is not a follower, but a leader who will fight for what is right, not what is popular. He has a long history in public safety, and as an elected official to support that. We are lucky to have someone of Tom’s caliber wanting to take on the responsibility of being our Sonoma County Supervisor for District 4.
— Matthew T. McCaffrey, Windsor
America at a crossroads
Editor: The United States of America is at a critical crossroads. The Trump administration and the MAGA movement are suppressing the First Amendment rights of citizens and the press and seeking to manipulate election outcomes, with the objective of overturning our democracy in favor of an authoritarian government.
Tragically, many Americans have not valued our democratic form of government, rule of law and United States Constitution. Democracy requires an active and informed citizenry. With this last election of Trump and his consolidation of power, namely, Congress, the Supreme Court, the military and the wealthy elite, it may be game over!
Even if the Democrats win overwhelmingly in the upcoming midterm elections, Trump and his acolytes likely will not accept the outcome and are almost certain to intervene to overturn the results because democratic majorities in the House and Senate will undoubtedly mean Trump’s impeachment and removal. I suspect the coming months will be very challenging in the United States of America.
I hope our citizenry votes in support of our democracy and stands up to protect the election results, so when the dust settles, we as a country and a people are able to retain and value our democracy, rule of law and United States Constitution!
— David Woltering, Santa Rosa
Ageism in politics
Editor: In an intra-party challenge to Congressman Mike Thompson, Eric Jones has chosen to focus most of his ads on the most flagrant expression of ageism I have ever seen. The challenge is certainly legitimate. The demeaning of age is not. He should apology to all of us who are over 60.
— Bob Freelen, Cloverdale
No on Prop. 45
Editor: I’m old enough to remember a time when California’s skies were smoggy and our waterways were polluted. The California Environmental Quality Act, passed in 1970, was instrumental in cleaning things up. Now our environment is under attack from the Trump Administration, and Prop 45 threatens to take out our state protections at the same time. So what is at risk? California’s beauty, biodiversity, clean air and clean water! And let’s remember that allowing pollution to again increase also menaces our health. Please protect our state: Vote no on Prop 45.
— Paula Fogarty, Santa Rosa
We can’t be bought
Editor: I fear that Congressional candidate Eric Jones and his venture capitalist tech backers are trying to buy our Congressional seat.
Jones, who made millions at his venture capital firm, spent over $5.1 million of his personal riches in the primary. He will likely spend a larger amount before Nov. 3.
Jones raised thousands from his venture capitalist colleagues in Silicon Valley, with only a small number of contributions from the district. Additionally, his former long-term venture capitalist partner’s spouse has funded a Super PAC with $3.93 million to support his campaign. This Super PAC has already spent $1.1 million since Labor Day.
Use of this Super PAC money is glaringly ironic as Jones has stated that he will not accept PAC monies. Yet, said money is being spent daily to distort Mike Thompson’s record. On Sept. 8 alone over $919,000.00 was expended on anti-Thompson media ads. Jones could stop these Super PAC expenditures by simply telephoning his former partner.
Jones apparently is doing bidding for the interests of the tech industry. With these funding trends, I worry the 4th Congressional District seat will become a Silicon Valley seat. Who will represent our interests?
— Dirk Fulton, Calistoga
Sandra Maurer for Sebastopol
Editor: Many people running for Sebastopol City Council have knocked on my door to ask for my support and vote. But in 40 years of living in Sebastopol, not one has ever asked me a single question about my thoughts, concerns and goals for my life here.
Sandra Maurer is the one and only person who knocked on my door and asked me how I felt and what I thought about issues facing the City Council. It was the first time I have ever felt represented in my own town. More should follow her lead.
— Kathy Patterson, Sebastopol
Response to PD’s Prop. 4 endorsement
Editor: The Press Democrat came out opposing Proposition 4, which would lift the ban on public financing of campaigns, saying, “Our tax dollars should not be spent on election campaigns.” Absent was any mention as to whether the wealthy donors should continue to have more and more influence in the political process.
Candidates should not need to increasingly cater to the wealthy to be elected; the relatively small amount invested by the public in public financing of campaigns will help reduce the power of money in politics and will lead to improvements in governance.
— Kevin Miller, Healdsburg
Board of Supervisors election
Editor: I was Sonoma County’s Director of IOLERO, the civilian oversight system for the Sheriff’s Office, from 2022 to 2026. I’m the longest serving IOLERO Director to date. In 2020, over 165,000 of you voted to expand IOLERO to ensure transparency and accountability when you approved Measure P – that’s more voters than elected the entire Board of Supervisors together. It’s more than twice the number that voted for any Sheriff in Sonoma County.
But today, your Board of Supervisors won’t implement Measure P. They’ve let the Sheriff block IOELRO from interviewing Deputy Sheriffs when they kill people in the line of duty. And let him waste nearly $500,000 of taxpayer money fighting subpoenas from IOLERO. (He lost.)
You can change that right now. There are two open seats on the Board of Supervisors for the first time in decades. Melanie Bagby in District Four (North County) and Joanna Paun in District Two (South County) have always supported Measure P for transparency and accountability in law enforcement. Their opponents have not; they even supported a proposed ballot measure to weaken Measure P just a few months ago.
Vote for Melanie Bagby in District Four and Joanna Paun in District Two.
— John Alden, San Francisco
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