Opinion
The following eulogy was given by Lynette Toney on Sunday, June 6, 2010, at a memorial service in honor of her brother, Frank Toney Jr., who died unexpectedly on Sunday, May30, 2010. Frank Toney was a well-loved community member, a Clearlake Oaks native who had been a volunteer firefighter, Caltrans worker and local water board member. Hundreds of people attended his memorial service in the new Lower Lake High School gymnasium.
Like many people, I measure success by how much you have achieved in your life. Many claim success is the size of your house, the balance in your bank account, the degrees you have earned, or your titles. Well ... they're close ...
Success is the size of love in your house. Did you love deeply? Love honestly? And more so, did you show it? Frank did – he loved like there was no tomorrow. He loved his family, his friends, his co-workers and really all people in our community. He showed it by his service to them, by his generosity toward them, by his compassion and tolerance, and by his love, which was displayed through his radiant smile.
Now for your balance ... what that really means is: do you live a balanced life? Do you work hard and play hard? Do you give an honest day at work and continue to after you have earned a living for you and your family? Do you take time to talk to friends and family? Better yet, do you see them regularly? Frank did – he touched people daily (often several times a day) with emails, text messages, phone calls and, yes, even in person. That's more than most people can say ...
Now for education and degrees. As someone who has accumulated some, I can say with all honesty that intelligence is not measured by the letters before or after your name. To be smart means to be wise, which Frank was. It means to have common sense in life, which Frank did. So the degree to which you are smart is measured by the degree to which you used your head, with wisdom and common sense.
Now let's consider titles: Frank is Parker's dad, he is Janet and Dylan's Franklin, he is my mom Sue's first born and her Frankie, he is his proud dad Jim's son, he is his father Frank's Frank Jr., he is his brother Duane's "McGepher," he is my big brother, who I simply called "Bro."
He is called brother of the Moose, firefighter brother, brother of our community, and quite simply, brother to many. He is friend to literally hundreds of people – as witnessed here today – many who claim him as their best friend.
Finally, he is a child of God, just like you and me. With that thought, I will remind you what Frank knows to be true: that we are all equal, coming from the same source. So, love one another.
Without question, Frank far exceeds the measure of success scale. If it were measured from one to 10, he would be off the charts!
In closing, all of you have asked, "What can I do to help?" I hope the answer is obvious: live your life like Frankie did. Be kind, be compassionate, live with equality and justice, serve each other and your community, be an example to our children, be patient and tender to our aged, love one another, and love like there is no tomorrow.
Lynette Toney was raised in Lake County. She lives in Benicia.
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- Written by: Lynette Toney
I am currently serving as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency.
I must emphasize at the outset that I am not addressing the issue of the redevelopment plan amendment in my capacity as a member of the advisory committee. The advisory committee has taken no formal action with respect to the plan amendment. I am simply addressing it in my capacity as a concerned member of the public who is, hopefully, somewhat better informed than the average citizen with respect to the issues involved with the plan amendment.
The only argument in opposition to the plan amendment, to my knowledge, is that the existing plan has failed to accomplish major initiatives during its prior 20 years of existence.
Based on my review of the redevelopment agency’s history and current affairs I share in this criticism, to a degree.
I have previously presented the board with my view that the current proposal to expend a sum potentially in excess of $7 million in borrowed redevelopment project funds to subsidize the Lowe’s project at the airport site is extremely ill-advised, especially because such expenditure is likely to preclude any other redevelopment projects of any.
I continue to urge the council to exercise any and every possible opportunity to reconsider and reduce or eliminate this proposed expenditure.
In my view, a substantial portion of the redevelopment project funds should be redirected to a public benefit project that will directly benefit and enhance the Clear Lake waterfront area that ought to serve as the town center. A plan to develop the waterfront was the central recommendation of the Clearlake Vision Task Force (a volunteer body on which I also served).
However, I disagree with claims to the effect that “nothing has been accomplished” by redevelopment in Clearlake.
Such sweeping statements overlook significant and lasting accomplishments, particularly, the present city hall complex, and the acquisition of some prime real estate parcels, such as Highlands Park and the Austin property, and even the airport property (I am still hopeful that the development of this property will ultimately be modified to result in a transaction that is not a money-losing proposition for the Agency) that are sound longterm investments by the agency in my view, given proper stewardship.
I do not concur with the view that past failures or mistakes in judgment inevitably condemn the city of Clearlake and its redevelopment agency to a similarly blighted future.
There is reason to hope that with an improving economy, real progress will come to the city of Clearlake and that an extended community redevelopment plan can be a part of the success story.
We need the plan amendment in place in order to have the opportunity for this to occur. The plan amendment costs relatively little, and provides a substantial potential upside for the community in terms of the ability to finance needed projects.
For these reasons, I urge the Clearlake City Council to adopt the plan amendment.
Robert R. Riggs lives in Clearlake.
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- Written by: Robert Riggs
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