WENDY IN THE FLOWER BEDS

On Saturday, 9/11, Wendy Roberts wrote to me:
“It’s a beautiful day here on the coast…hard to be turning inland,
but I’m looking forward to a walk in the garden at Campovida before the
college fundraiser there tonight.
I was at a WineSong party last night in one of the most beautiful gardens in the whole area.
Here at home, after our summer of fog, I’m enjoying my first three stunted sunflowers.”

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You may wonder why the ruling class’s candidate for fifth district supervisor may be sharing her personal horticultural thoughts with a rag-tag radical publisher who lives alone in his office.
Well, I believe it was to regain her equilibrium after I broadcast some remarks along with an “attack piece” by Joe Louis Wildman to my subscribers. She had responded with a lengthy defense of her views and diversity of her support base to which I only said “Thank you.”
To generate some traffic, I have put all this correspondence on my blog at http://www.mendocinocountry.com which has not been visited much lately.

I did not think much of all the above except to wonder what the hell is Campovida, (some pig Latin for “Field of Life?”). Then I ran across a notice that it is the site of a fundraiser tonight for Mendocino College programs and scholarships called “Gala on the Green,”
It will be held at the site formerly known as Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks Food and Wine Center. Admission is $85 and offers a catered dinner, wine tasting, live music and auctions.
The party she attended last night was the Winesong(!) Barrel Tasting at Little River Inn and cost only $40.

I have gone to similar events by virtue of my status as a publisher. They are legion on the coast and largely cater to the self-absorbed indulgences and delusions of the snobbery — both local and touring. Nonetheless I enjoyed them and may go again sometime.
I can’t blame Wendy for wanting to hobnob with the well to do and enjoy the wines and excellent food. But reflecting on her willingness to share this with me — as if I would find her meandering among the flower beds wine glass in hand to be soothing or uplifting now allows me to share with you how this does in fact reveal that she has a cultural identity that is not fitting for a fifth district supervisor.
I am not saying Ms. Roberts is a snob or an elitist. She has been very eager to communicate with even such as myself in person and by email. But that’s not who the people of the Fifth District are. Charles Peterson (former supervisor and campaign manager for Norman deVall) once remarked that Norman walking naked down the street was more like anyone in the Fifth District than anyone else. That’s why he was elected four times. And in November, Wendy Roberts is no Norman deVall.

WENDY’S RESPONSE

On September 11, Wendy Roberts responded to Johnson and Wildman:

Good Morning, Richard.

Several copies of your attached message and at least a dozen of Joe Wildman’s marvelous diatribe have been forwarded me by 5th District friends
who are appalled by the depths to which the Hamburg campaign has sunk.

Since you asked for any additional information about Wendy Roberts, I’ll take that as an invitation to reply.

I appreciate your kind comments about my credentials and abilities and am amused by those that characterize me as the “candidate of the ruling class.” Perhaps you did not access my list of endorsements, or perhaps you only recognized some of the more prominent names. In any case, in addition to the “Recall Hamburg” contingent (who would support my cat if she were running in my place), I am also supported by a full spectrum of very old timers, Mendocino neighbors, local painters, plumbers and general contractors, cattlemen, foresters and farmers, current and retired educators, our Mendocino County Sheriff and other members of law enforcement, writers and artists, environmentalists, non-profit directors, small business owners, fellow Master Gardeners and etc.

What these people have in common is a sincere desire to have a supervisor who respects BOTH the environment and the economy and who will do her homework, show up, stay awake and have the courage to vote on the facts and her conscience, even when it is not politically expedient to do so. They want a supervisor who will listen to them, be fiscally responsible and get things done. They are desperately concerned about our loss of jobs and generally fragile economy. They also want a supervisor who will work fairly and constructively to sort out the legal, financial and social issues surrounding Marijuana. They understand that it’s going to take character, creativity and perseverence to get our county out of a very deep hole.
What they don’t want and don’t deserve is a supervisor who requires them to gulp and “get over” their serious concerns and growing reservations in order to vote.

I appreciate your directing interested individuals to my website at http://www.wendyforsupervisor.com
I’d encourage anyone to review all possible information before drawing conclusions and voting in this election.
I would not dignify abusive List Serv messages as “information.”
I would like to clarify and correct a few points.

1. We purchased our home in Mendocino more than 20 years ago and I’ve been active on various non-profit boards and as a volunteer ever since. I also consulted with the public schools in Laytonville, Point Arena, Mendocino and Anderson Valley for nearly a decade. While I can’t claim to be a north coast old timer, I do come from pioneer stock not so far away in the hills east of Ashland, Oregon. Hence, I share a common birth right with local residents of The State of Jefferson.

2. Having been a popular target of Mendocino NIMBYism and Cronyism since 1988, I have, indeed, spoken out on behalf of a few individuals who have suffered a similar fate. No one cares any more passionately than I do about protecting our coast and the historic district in the Town of Mendocino. I simply believe that we should do so by following the established laws fairly and equitably, treating all people with respect and setting aside personal agendas. That has been my own track record as a member of the Mendocino Historical Review Board and it will be my approach as a county supervisor.

In the case of the Albion Headlands, these principles were sadly abused. The owner of the property spent years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop a plan that had the support of the Planning Department and Planning Commission. During that time, she experienced personal attacks and trespass and vandalism on the property. She sought to build 4, very carefully sited houses on 80 acres, reserving more than half of the land for wetlands and viewshed protection. She had accepted responsibility for cleaning up an old toxic spill and was amenable to providing trail access along the perimeter of the property. On at least two occasions, the property had been looked at for public acquisition and was rejected in favor of nearby land that was more suitable for public use. One of these sites was the Big River Watershed. My message to the supervisors supporting this project was not intended for or shared with anybody but those addressed. It was not about anything but this project. To characterize it as evidence that I would support runaway development or that I would act in any particular way on any other project is politically motivated nonsense.

3. Regarding my political affiliation: With the exception of a brief period in the 1970s, I have been a registered Democrat. I hold liberal values and a strong sense of fiscal responsibility.
I reject extremist politics of all sorts as divisive and counter productive and welcome the support I’ve received from those with widely divergent views. We can only move forward by working together.

4. My choice of political consultant was on the recommendation of Sheriff Tom Allman, who has recently endorsed my campaign. I also spoke with other consultants who had previous commitments to other candidates. Herb Williams is a highly respected member of his community and I’ve found Delphi Consulting to be professional, helpful and free of partisan bias, as is appropriate in this non-partisan race. The staff member with whom I have worked most closely was born and raised in Ukiah!

I persist in my belief that our county can have both a healthy environment and an economy that will allow working families to live here. This is not going to happen if we continue to elect leaders who thrive on dissent and substitue ideology for constructive problem solving.

Wendy Roberts

JOHNSON AND WILDMAN ON ROBERTS

Richard Johnson says,
Wendy Roberts is not a bad person. She is intellingent and articulate and has passionate interests.
But she is the local ruling class’s choice for fifth district supervisor.
She is an academic with business management experience, a professional consultant to non-profit groups and connections to private funding sources in the Bay Area. She has been a full time resident here for only 6 years.
The facts that Joe Louis and I cite here are availble to anyone who accesses her website and the county clerk’s online record of her campaign finance disclosure records.

In addition, I would offer the following.
Wendy Roberts’ campaign consultant is Delphi of Santa Rosa. Delphi President Herb Williams is a former member of Republican National Committee. Former clients include Sheriff Tom Allman, former California Assembly Republican candidate Margie Handley of Willits, and the City of Ukiah.
The Roberts email Joe Louis refers to below dated July 15, 2009 to the MC board of supervisors opposed an appeal against a zoning change on the Albion headlands that had been approved by the planning commission. The land is owned by Carol Smith.
In the email, Roberts asserted “the only apparent reason for this appeal is the familiar strategy of harassing land owners into not developing their property at all. The abuse of the appeals process discredits thoughtful environmentalists. It robs owners of their property rights and our county of needed tax revenue. It is all too common in Mendocino County and I do not believe it should be supported by your board.”
Obviously, the message was intended to signal her conservative base that she would vote to oppose appeals against and support such projects if elected, thereby establishing her property rights credentials.
Roberts’ donors include John Mayfield, North Coast Citizens for a Better Economy, MacCallum House, Larry Maillard, Bailey’s Inc. of Laytonville, logging equipment, California Real Estate PAC, Bonnie Carter, Paul and Barbara Clark, Barbara Rice, logger Mike Anderson, retired judge William Masterson, John H. Bower of Gualala, contractor Don Daniels and Pam Hudson Real Estate, and Gene Geisler of San Francisco.
Although she is now a registered Democrat, at one time she was Republican. She has advantages in the race of being a woman, being the Democrat, and being the Republican, whereas Dan Hamburg is the Green.
Joe Louis and I did not coordinate these messages, and neither of us is connected to the Hamburg campaign.
Please respond if you have additional information on Wendy Roberts. Thank you.

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LETTER TO EDITORS RE 5TH DISTRICT RACE

by Joe Louis Wildman

At Least Pray for a Hamburg Victory even if you wonít endorse

.

I hear too much from voters in the 5th district who are unhappy about the choice for County Supervisor ñ Dan Hamburg or Wendy Roberts.† But it would be foolish for anyone to sit this one out ñ or, worse ñ to vote†for Ms. Roberts just because there’s something about Dan thatís hard to get over.

Whatever else Wendy Roberts may be, she is first and foremost a guided missile aimed straight at the most basic environmental protections that make Mendocino County a great place to live.† She proudly represents herself as an enemy of planning rules that restrain developersí ambitions.† The most right-wing forces in Mendocino County have rallied enthusiastically to her cause and are showering her with campaign cash.† That is not because there’s just something about Dan thatís hard for them to get over.

Real estate development interests dominate among Ms. Roberts’ donors, including Paul & Barbara Clark ($500), Kelley Property Associates ($500), and the California Real Estate PAC out of Sacramento ($500), which says it gives money to candidates to “help promote the cause of housing and private property rights.”

Other donors for Wendy Roberts include the chairman emeritus of Mendocino County’s right-wing, John Mayfield ($500).† The current and former presidents of the Farm Bureau have given a total of $1,500.† Timber-industry supplier Bailey’s of Laytonville gave $1,000.† A front for big construction companies, “North Coast Citizens for a Better Economy,” gave $500.† Jared Carter, the former lawyer for Pacific Lumber and many developers, hosted a fund-raiser for Ms. Roberts.†
†
Of course these Republican interests support Ms. Roberts.† They are not confused about who she is or what she will do on the Board of Supervisors.† You shouldnít be confused either.†

Wendy Roberts earned this developer enthusiasm by her consistent and gratuitously nasty attacks on people who try to defend the Mendocino Coast.† When developers from Atherton tried to get County approval in 2009 to throw out the current zoning of the Albion Headlands and carve it up into four lots for mansions, closing a well-established public trail, the Albion Residents Association and the Sierra Club rose in opposition, supported by dozens of coastal residents.†
†
But Wendy Roberts sided with the developers, sending an email to the Supervisors denouncing the opponents for “abuse” and for “harassing land owners into simply not developing their property at all.”†† If you want a copy of Ms. Robertsí e-mail, I can send it to you ñ it speaks for itself.

Fortunately, three members of the current Board of Supervisors disagreed with Ms. Roberts and voted to protect the Albion Headlands.†
†
What’s at stake in this election is that slim 3 to 2 majority on the Board of Supervisors who will defend the General Plan against developer attacks.†Developers know that with Ms. Roberts on the Board, it would be open season on Mendocino County’s environment.

So if you arenít a big fan of Dan Hamburg because of anything he did or didnít do in his four decades of public life in Mendocino County, get over it now. †I no longer live in the 5th District so I canít vote for Dan, and this letter isnít a formal endorsement of him.† But I pray this letter serves as a wake-up call to those who care about Mendocino Countyís environment but are mistakenly considering Ms. Roberts as an alternative to Dan.
†
Joe Louis Wildman
7400 Potter Valley Road
P.O. Box 1396
Ukiah, California, 95482
(707) 367-0910
joelouis@pacific.net