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Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_05.16.08 - Index

MAY 16, 2008 THEPRESS.NET | 9A
Citizen from page 1A
for his efforts on behalf of countless organizations, including
Meals on Wheels. “Most of my best work is done behind
the scenes,” said Mogg. “I’m a pretty private person,
but I thank you for this honor.”
Business Person of the Year was Craig Fischer, manager
of the Oakley Raley’s. Fischer was recognized for his
efforts on behalf of Raley’s and the store’s participation
in the Oakley Concert Series, local fi shing tournaments
and the Freedom High School Safe and Sober graduation
program. Fischer, who was recently reassigned to the Lodi
Fire from page 1A
of fi res, accidents and other emergencies.
Council members blamed the county
for underfunding the district, resulting in
understaffed fi re stations. They said the
solution is for the county to provide more
funding rather than restructuring the district’s
governance.
“They say they want us to help them
out. And I say, ‘The county made this
mess and, by God, the county can fi x it,’”
said Councilman Brad Nix. “The county
has made the decision that half of our fi re
tax money goes elsewhere. The county is
itself one of the biggest benefi ciaries of
that money that they take that should be
going to fi re.
“So it is long past time for the county
to spend some of the money it takes from
this area on the fi re services (in order) to
make our services equal (with the rest of
the county). The county needs to accept
the fact that it has created a substandard
situation. And it should merge our district
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store, thanked the community for its support.
Youth Volunteer of the Year was Lauren Lagano, a senior
at Freedom High School who works with the Oakley
Parks and Recreation Department, in addition to her other
community services. Recreation Supervisor Denis Nishihara
accepted the award on behalf of Lauren, who was out
of town for Mother’s Day.
“I’m not Lauren, although I am a handsome man,”
said Nishihara. “I accept this award for Lauren, who was
a no-show because she for some reason thought Mother’s
Day was more important.”
into Consolidated Fire (District).”
Councilwoman Pat Anderson said
she initially thought that the new fi re district
board was the right way to go. “However,
looking over the last month or so, I’ve
seen the politics crawl into this issue in a
way that I’m not proud of,” she said. “And
I think if we continue the structure the way
it is, it will always be that way.
“It seems amazing to me that the
county is willing to take 20 percent of our
sales tax dollars that are generated in the
River Oaks project area – and yet is not
willing to say we can commit that to, perhaps,
fi re. What a great place to put their
– our – money where their mouth is.”
Councilwoman Carol Rios said she
doesn’t want Oakley getting bogged down
in a county-made problem.
“We all agree there’s a problem. It’s
just how do you fi x it,” she said. “The high
hopes over time turned tarnished. Give it
back to the county. It happened on their
watch and I think they should continue
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Mary Jane Garnett, Au.D.
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Better Hearing for Better Living
with the problem. I’m just not willing to
step in and try to fi x it. I don’t even know
where we begin. It’s such a huge problem
and I’m just not willing to take it on.”
Mayor Bruce Connelley was the only
council member to vote for the new fi re
district governing board. He argued that
it’s an opportunity to take local control of
a local problem.
“Probably over time the county would
fi gure out a solution. I don’t think it would
be any time soon, and that’s not right for
our community or our fi refi ghters,” said
Connelley. “Let’s say we step aside and
the county doesn’t resolve the problem for
years to come.
“The reason why we incorporated
was to have local control. And having an
independent governing body allows us to
have that. I think we can probably move
quicker with local representation to get the
problem fi xed than rely on three out of fi ve
people (on the Board of Supervisors) that
don’t have any real interest in this section
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HEARING
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Nosanchuck, who presented the President’s Award, an
honor chosen by the Chamber President to a recipient who
goes above and beyond in service to the chamber, said the
choice was simple.
“It was easy for me to choose (Chamber Secretary)
Noelle Young,” he said. “She is the one, for good or bad,
that I rely on and who organized this whole event this evening.”
For more photos of the Oakley Citizen of the Year
dinner, go to www.thepress.net.
To comment on this story, visit www.thepress.net.
of the county and don’t represent us.”
Although the council members have
killed the new fi re district board proposal,
they said they would continue to try to improve
local fi re protection services.
Nix, addressing several fi refi ghters
in attendance at the meeting, said, “Our
fi ght is with the county for not providing
you equal dollars. Part of our concerns
are the danger to you as you do our fi re
services because you are underfunded and
don’t have enough staff. And that presents
a real danger to yourselves as you protect
our public – and that’s why this needs to
be addressed – as well as the danger to our
public.”
City and county offi cials agreed to
separate a dispute over four parcels of land
from the fi re district governance issue. City
offi cials had previously withheld support
for the fi re board proposal until the land
dispute was resolved.
To comment on this story, visit www.
thepress.net.
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