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Restoring trust in Woodside’s town government
Editor,
Jason Ledbetter began his time as Woodside Town Manager by reaching out to a wide range of town residents. He attended many committee meetings and made a concerted effort to get to know the residents. He dedicated long hours to understanding the range of issues facing the Town. His arrival felt like an opening up of town government to meaningful citizen participation.
When Jason arrived, my wife, Thalia, requested a meeting for us to get acquainted and Jason readily set one up. The three of us discussed the wide range of issues facing the Town, from housing and town center planning to disaster preparedness.
During this meeting, I mentioned that I would love to take him on a tour of the Town and introduce him to its charms and problems. Jason readily accepted, and days later we were strolling through Kite Hill, introducing him to Craig Dremann, walking Flax Hill and the path from Barkley Fields into Woodside Hills. We discussed road maintenance issues and drainage along Jefferson Avenue.
Jason had such curiosity that hours passed and still my list was not complete. No problem. Jason suggested a second session and we were able to tour semi-dormant landslides west of Tripp Road, the Town’s historic bridges and walk “safe routes to school” and around the town center.
I was not alone in seeing Jason’s eagerness to learn about Woodside and meet its citizens. I’ve heard similar stories from several others.
I can’t count the number of committee meetings I attended where Jason was present.
Jason was dedicated to open discussion and genuine citizen involvement. This was refreshing given the decrease in consideration of citizen participation the Town has suffered in recent years.
It is devastating that Jason didn’t feel that he could carry out the duties of his job honestly.
It is infuriating that the Town press release portrays Jason’s negotiation for a fair separation agreement as an attempt to blackmail Woodside. Faced with a condition in which he felt unable to honestly fulfill the duties of his job, he is entitled to an agreement that allows him to provide for the well-being of his family until he finds other employment.
We are fortunate to have residents dedicated to participation in Town affairs.We should always work to encourage meaningful citizen participation. We should be sure that our voices are considered.
We are in the midst of Town Center Planning and will soon be engaging in the next round of the Housing Element.These thorny issues cannot be successfully addressed unless citizens trust town government.
It’s time to work together toward finding a path to an open and trusting town government.
Steve Lubin
Woodside
Let offshore wind move forward
Editor,
President Trump does not like windmills. In December, his Interior Department issued stop-work orders for five offshore wind farms along the Atlantic coast, putting thousands of workers out of a job just days before Christmas.
Thankfully, in a little over a month, federal judges have ordered all the projects to move forward, putting workers back on the job and keeping the projects on track to power more than 2.5 million homes and businesses.
Right now, families across the country are shouldering the strain of unaffordable energy bills. Offshore wind is a clean, reliable, and ready-to-go solution. These five projects are already creating thousands of local jobs and helping to transition states away from fossil fuels.
This has been an intensely cold winter. Large portions of the country have been blanketed in snow and thousands of homes have lost power. While fossil fuel power plants struggle to stay on during winter storms, offshore wind is a reliable energy source that helps communities save money and keep the lights on. In fact, offshore wind is strongest in the winter and at night – right when we need it most.
I am calling on President Trump to stop his senseless attacks on offshore wind. Let the workers finish the job. Yes!
Janet Schachter
Portola Valley
