Editor:
The election is over and it has been an interesting season of campaigning and candidate nights. I have had the opportunity to meet many of Douglas County's best people and getting to know them has been a great blessing. I could not have gotten through this experience without the support provided. I thank you for allowing me to place signs in your yards, I thank you for the welcoming smiles offered, I thank you for the voices of encouragement, I thank you for the generous contributions and I thank you for sitting next to me at many of the season's functions. I am truly grateful for the opportunity given to me to serve the people of Douglas County. I will not let you down. Thank you for your confidence and thank you for your vote.
I am proud to take the office of Douglas County commissioner and look forward to working with Douglas County residents, county staff, community volunteers and the board of county commissioners. Please help me keep Douglas County one of the best places to live in the Western United States.
These are difficult times and there are many issues coming before us. It is time to work together to strengthen our economy and stabilize the county's budget. It is time to diversify our revenue streams to keep our citizens working and our tax base strong. It is time to put the divisive issue of growth behind us allowing us to address the current issues at hand, together. Let us hope for better times and work to be ready for them.
Thank you once again and I hope for your continued support and encouragement.
Mike Olson
Douglas County Commissioner-elect
Jacks Valley
Editor:
I'd like to express my sincere thanks to all of the great people of Douglas County who went to the polls and contributed to decisions affecting our future. I'd especially like to thank everyone who took the time to talk with me, both to ask questions and to provide me with their perspectives, during my run for the school board.
Though I was not victorious in this closest election in the county, I'm hopeful that Cindy Trigg will be willing to incorporate what I've learned from you into her work, and that she'll actively solicit further community input going forward.
Whether our favorite candidates won or lost, the election is now over and it's time to support those who were elected to make our county, state, and country the best they can be. Along these lines, I'll hope to see many of you at future school board meetings, generally the second Tuesday of each month. You can find the schedule, agendas, and locations by going to district's Web site, http://dcsd.k12.nv.us/ then clicking on "Trustees."
I'm moving on, and focusing on our future. I hope you will too.
Greg Felton
Stateline
Editor:
Thanks to all the people who voted for me. Special thanks to Settelmeyer ranches, Rick Gardner Law, Dayton Materials, Don Ahern of Ahern Rental, Jerry Bing, Chet Wass, Jeff Wass, Clarence Burr, TDL Property Management, Mack Land and Cattle Co., Barbara Byington for all the hard work they did. Thanks also to Dave Nishikida, my wife Annalyn Settelmeyer, James Settelmeyer, Rosealee Rieman and Mac Signs
Eric Rieman
Gardnerville
Editor:
The Mahogany Drive proposal as presented by Caleb Roope, president and CEO of Pacific West Communities, was very impressive to me.
I think many of the other attendees at the Nov. 5 Minden Town Board meeting were also impressed with the presentation. The proposal was for a "work force" rental housing complex with no connections to a HUD type complex.
The vast majority of the opponents expressed the opinion of it being "a great project but the wrong location."
The concern with the location is the proximity to the high school and the existing parking and vehicle traffic problems, which would be intensified with the proposed complex. I think a complex such as presented by Mr. Roope, but in a location better suited for the parking and vehicle traffic problems it might create, would be a great asset to the community.
Sanford E. Deyo
Minden
Editor:
Regarding the Park Ranch Project and the commissioners vote, hooray and thank you for listening to the people. As for Mr. Kelly Kite, I feel it is time for him to step down and move to greener pastures.
S. Higgins
Gardnerville
Editor:
As a stay-at-home mom, I have a lot of time to really watch the world around me.
And what I've observed are people becoming increasingly self-centered and less willing to help others.
Yet, every now and then when I start to lose hope in the goodness of mankind, someone surprises me.
On Oct. 26, as I was hurriedly putting my 2-year-old into his car seat, I idiotically set my purse on the trunk of the car.
Now, I normally don't ever do that, but we were running late to a birthday party and I wasn't thinking clearly.
After about an hour at the party I went to my car to get my cell phone and discovered I didn't have my purse with me.
I immediately froze in horror as I realized what I had done.
As I retraced my drive home searching the rode for a glimpse of my purse, all I could do was pray that it had fallen off the car onto the driveway and it would be there waiting for me to find it.
When I pulled up to my house my heart sank into the pit of my stomach when there was no trace of my purse.
Wanting to curl up into a ball and cry, I began the task of calling the bank, the credit card company and the cell phone company to report my lost items.
When the calls were all made I went for a walk of my driving route just to be sure I hadn't missed my purse earlier.
After a 30-minute walk, I was truly discouraged.
I just kept praying that someone had found my purse and I would receive a phone call any moment telling me it was safe and sound.
My prayers were answered.
When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine from a Markleeville man named Dave telling me he had my purse.
He had found it on Highway 88 next to the swim center.
I couldn't believe my ears.
When I met up with him 20 minutes later he told me it was actually his granddaughter who had showed him how to scroll through my contacts in my cell phone to find my home number.
I was so relieved to have my precious purse back that I hugged Dave over and over, and said an extra prayer for him and his family that night.
Since this traumatic event I have tried to pay Dave's kindness forward and be nicer to the people I come into contact with each day.
Dave's honesty and goodness have certainly restored my faith in humanity, and reminded me that not everybody is out for themselves.
Caryn Haller
Gardnerville
Editor:
As there have been several stories lately about unprovoked attacks by pit bulls, I feel I should share some research that I recently did. Basically, it said that pit bulls were bred to be aggressive to other animals and friendly to humans and were often used to pull carts as they were so strong. Dogs that were not friendly to humans were eliminated from the gene pool. To adult humans they are usually affectionate, kind and loyal which is probably why owners are resistant to the idea of banning their breeding.
That said, it is important to remember that a child or another animal is not an adult human. Therefore, pit bulls should never be left alone with another animal, even a sibling, or with children. Nor should they be taken to dog parks where another dog could inadvertently set them off, nor should they be taken for walks as they are so strong they can easily pull away from their owner's control before they realize what is happening. Their aggression to other animals usually does not show up until they are one or two years of age. It goes without saying that pit bulls belong in an adult family where they are the only pet. There are many pit bull mixes in animal shelters that would make a perfect loving pet for adult families with a yard where they can be turned loose. Just don't mix them with other children or pets.
Barbara Flanagan
Gardnerville
Editor:
On behalf of the tennis playing public, the Douglas High School tennis teams and coaches, I'd like to express our gratitude to Steve Stratton, Craig Stratton, Jeff Brannon and Wayne Meyers for providing the free labor to construct the courtside tennis shed.
The shed is located at the south end of the high school tennis courts. The money for the building materials was raised at a recent boys and girls tennis team car wash conducted in the Stratton Center parking area.
The tennis courts and some of the adjacent property to the south belong to the Douglas County Parks Department. The shed was built permanently to provide a storage place for the newly acquired wind screens.
It will also allow the tennis teams to store their paraphernalia. Thus it serves the best interests of both the parks department and the high school
You've done a first-class job. Thank you so much.
Bill Welch
Minden
