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Brentwood Press - AntiochPress_10.03.08 - Index

20A | BRENTWOODPRESS.COM OCTOBER 3, 2008
Opinion from page 18A
what the county requirements are for the
developers to build a Community Center
in Discovery Bay), the county has left the
developers get away with out building a
Community Center. In my opinion, the CSD
and the Rec 800 can and should put a stop to
this growth until the town gets a Community
Center.
John E. Fritz
Discovery Bay
Time to shake things up
Editor:
On Sept. 23, the Discovery Bay
Chamber of Commerce held a local Business
Expo in the Lakeview Shopping Center. The
real treat, though, were the presentations by
the four candidates running for the two open
Discovery Bay CSD Board seats.
Giving candidates fi ve minutes to say
whatever they want can be revealing, and it
sure was. Bob Doran kicked off the event
with a long rambling and semi-coherent
presentation that was entirely about the
past – not about issues we face today, not
about the recent sewage spills or community
unhappiness with the board or the very
expensive lawsuit sucking money from the
community’s coffers.
He rambled on about things more than
10 years in the past. At one point, a longterm,
well-informed resident leaned over to
me and said, “You know, Bob is a very nice
man who has spent more hours volunteering
for this community than almost anyone else,
but sometimes it’s time to step aside.”
The next candidate, Jennifer Finetti,
was very professional but focused on how
she would work toward a better relationship
with the school board versus how she would
deal with today’s pressing issues.
Ray Tetreault, an active community
volunteer and past CSD treasurer, spoke
to his experience and how he would make
himself available, listen and be accountable
to the residents.
Mark Simon pulled no punches,
addressing the lawsuit, the sewage spill and
the real issues we read and hear about every
day. I was impressed.
So, Bob Doran, thank you for your
many years of voluntary service, but the best
thing you can now do is step aside, withdraw
your candidacy and make room for a new
volunteer. Bob, join a committee or fi nd
other ways to be helpful.
Jennifer, thank you for running; in
normal times I might vote for you. But
given the lack of accountably and poor
performance of the CSD, it’s time to shake
up some things, time to eliminate the group
think, time to have better listeners and board
members who will provide fair and honest
representation of the residents’ views. For
me, the choice on this November ballot is
easy: Ray Tetreault and Mark Simon are the
only real choices.
Bill Klipp
Discovery Bay
Frazier for Oakley council
Editor:
I am writing this letter in support of
a candidate that I feel exemplifi es the spirit
of what a public servant really is. Having
worked with Jim Frazier on community
projects recently, it became very clear to me
that Jim is a “doer,” not a “talker.”
Jim Frazier seems to have his fi nger
on the pulse of the city in which he lives,
calling people by name, never hesitating
to introduce old friends to new ones. His
obvious passion is to serve the community
he lives in is evident in watching his actions
within his hometown.
Jim regularly rolls up his sleeves and
works alongside anyone who needs a hand.
He does not hesitate to tote hay bales at the
Almond Festival, or drive stakes, or bolt
bookcases to a wall in a local daycare center.
Jim sees a problem, and strives to be the
solution, or fi nd a solution if he can’t.
Jim communicates, he listens, and he
is a friend who can be trusted. If Oakley is
seeking City Council members to make a
positive impact on the development of this
city into the outstanding community it can
very realistically become, then Jim Frazier
would be an excellent addition to that
progressive team.
Personally, I am proud to be working
alongside both him and his wife, Janet, in
our community, and to call him a friend.
Lisa McBride
Touting team effort in education
Editor:
Did you know that Antioch Unifi ed
School District is going through education
reform? Dr. Deborah Sims, superintendent,
and the Antioch school board have
embarked upon an aggressive plan to reform
the district according to national trends
and best practices as stated in the fi rst and
only published copy of the Antioch Unifi ed
School District’s quarterly reform update.
Does this reform sound interesting, scary or
exciting? It depends on who you are and how
you might be impacted by these “aggressive”
changes.
However, the majority of Antioch
residents are unaware of the changes that
are taking place, and many of our teachers
are feeling unsupported, overwhelmed
and disenfranchised. There is also a
huge communication gap between our
administrators and teachers and parents.
As an example, one of the teachers from
Carmen Dragon School said that she has
been hearing about this great vision for a
year and a half and still does not know the
vision.
This great communication gap is
threatening our schools, our teachers and the
future of our children. Recently, I was asked
by a teacher at Park Middle School how I
planned to keep some of our fi ne teachers
from leaving the district. One of the many
problems is that the teachers have not been
involved enough in the process of creating
the new vision for our district. They have
been told that change is coming, but how
can the teachers be expected to “buy in” to
change and reform when they don’t actually
know what the changes and reform are going
to be?
I believe that you keep great teachers
through great communication between
all concerned. Through this give-and-
see Opinion page 22A