Letters
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- Written by: Carol Huchingson
Marcy stepped into her role with great commitment and energy, and provided exemplary service to Lake County residents and Lakeport Fire Protection District. It has been a joy to support Marcy, and see her grow and excel.
The recent efforts of the entire Registrar of Voters staff have been truly commendable. Leading up to Election Day, we were grateful for the invaluable contributions of multiple long-term extra help staff, for example, who helped our office provide a sense of continuity for voters. Their efforts prepared the way for successful vote tabulation and timely delivery of preliminary election results.
Since February, retired long-time Registrar Diane Fridley and former Interim Registrar Maria Valadez have also graciously lent expertise on a volunteer basis, and it is fantastic that they remain so supportive of Lake County elections.
Our May Special Election has been impartially conducted and professionally managed. Nearly 6,000 county residents were eligible to vote, and the turnout was strong relative to similar vote by mail elections in Lake County. Votes postmarked by Election Day and received by Friday will be counted. Signature verifications and other efforts are likewise ongoing, which are expected to yield further countable votes.
Election Day was a truly exciting step forward for our developing elections team. In total, more than a dozen people contributed on Tuesday, and all were able to complete their work before 9 p.m.
Lake County is at the forefront of California local governments implementing new voting systems, having initiated purchasing efforts well ahead of Secretary of State, Alex Padilla’s, February 27 advisory that many voting systems had been decertified: https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov//ccrov/pdf/2019/february/19015sl.pdf .
Our Board of Supervisors authorized purchase of the Verity Voting System by longtime Lake county elections partner Hart InterCivic. The system includes vote counting and ballot programming software, as well as ADA-compliant ballot marking equipment. The Verity system was implemented for this election, and both hardware and software performed as anticipated on Election Day. Hart staff have been on-site this week, providing valuable support. Particularly as we look ahead to the March 2020 Presidential Primary, we are thrilled to have tools that will facilitate broad voter participation and the highest standard of election security.
We are likewise grateful Lake County is ahead of the curve, and gaining experience with our new system. We were very pleased that two counties came to observe our election, to inform their own voting system purchases. This recent article offers some further insights into the Verity system: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/forward-looking-lake-county-chooses-225200938.html .
In the days and weeks to come, we will continue to take constructive steps, and look forward to certifying our election results within the customary 30-day timeframe.
Carol Huchingson is the county administrative officer and interim registrar of voters for Lake County, Calif.
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- Written by: Jason Kishineff
When did we lose the ability to discuss issues with each other in a civil manner, even when we disagree?
I can feel the fingers pointing. Stop blaming each other for our differences and let's find things we can agree on and ways we can work together.
The vast majority of us really don't want to see people suffer, we just have different ideas about how to prevent suffering.
But our government? It has seemed, for a long time, that they are working to prevent things from getting done.
More of us probably agree with that statement than any of you realize.
Jason Kishineff is a Democratic Congressional candidate from American Canyon, Calif.
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- Written by: Annelle Durham
I see the “Stop the Bleed” kits being placed in the Konocti Unified schools as a stop gap measure not a solution to the problem of school shootings.
If we celebrate these kits that may save a shot child’s life we are telling the children that we do not expect to be able to protect them from being shot.
Surely we owe our children a safe place for their schooling. As a culture, we should be celebrating the solutions we create to end gun violence, especially in our schools, so that we won’t need the Stop the Bleed kits.
Annelle Durham lives in Upper Lake, Calif.
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- Written by: Michael Tabacchi
Add in celebrity Beto O’Rourke plus a former vice-president, and the Democrats have a formidable field of candidates to oppose President Trump in 2020.
However, the candidate whom I will focus on in this piece is South Bend’s Democratic Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
For those who are geographically challenged, South Bend is located in the state of Indiana which lies east of Illinois, west of Ohio and south of Michigan. Donald Trump won these so-called Rust Belt states in 2016.
This area of your country is sometimes pejoratively described as “flyover country” by those who presume, for example, that the smug Bill Maher or unamusing Stephen Colbert serve as social arbiters for American culture. (So much for my contribution to our nation’s cultural and political divide.)
Mayor Buttigieg (Boot-edge-edge) is a Rhodes scholar, Afghanistan veteran and a native Midwesterner who is openly gay. At age 37, he is a voice from the millennial generation.
Unlike Sanders or the new “rock star” of the Democratic Party, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Mayor Pete is not a raving socialist nor is he calling for revolution.
As mayor, he worked within the same capitalistic structure now being maligned by Democratic Socialists and revitalized South Bend. He was able to draw in new residents and businesses, diversify the local economy and clean up blighted, abandoned homes.
Mayor Buttigieg was able to facilitate a formula of fixes which continues to elude our (myself included) collective efforts here in Lake County. He led his economically floundering city through a technological transformation by pivoting and preparing for the future economy.
His performance in a nationally televised town hall propelled him from obscurity to the position of most appealing underdog.
When he discusses public policy issues, he doesn’t buy into a media narrative nor does he sound like a politician eyeing the highest office in the land. Mayor Pete's authenticity is refreshing.
Buttigieg possesses a number of qualities which Democrats see as counters to President Trump: he is thoughtful, well-read and decent. Being from Indiana, he also understands Republicans. Mayor Pete might be the unifying leader Barrack Obama promised but failed to be.
Michael Tabacchi lives in Middletown, Calif.
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