To the Editor:
A Big Thank You! I would like to express a special thank you to the Fillmore High School Hall of Fame Committee and the Alumni Association for choosing me for their first inductee class and inclusion in the new FHS Hall of Fame; what an outstanding experience. This ranks as a “Top Ten” event in my life besides playing in college sports, marriage, having two great kids and 3 grandchildren and of course the privilege of coaching in Fillmore. Many thanks to the parents and the great “Flashes” fans. I want to thank my assistant coaches, Tom Ecklund, Robert Ortega, Bob Taylor, Ked Creed, John Romero, Jerry Dann, Owen Muchisky and all those who coached at the JV and Freshman levels. The FHS teaching staff, administration and classified staff certainly deserve a great thanks: Ellen, Joyce, Joleen, Debbie, Nada and all the guys who prepared our athletic fields; they were the wheels that kept our engine going. Fillmore is my home! To my Ventura R&A golfing buddies, I call Fillmore “God’s Country”! Having traveled to all 50 states and 34 foreign countries, no place is better. Also I believe the coaches and players who were inducted into the FHS Hall of Fame will feel privileged to “come off the bench” and represent those inductees who are only with us in spirit. A very humble thanks to all.. Bruce Dempsey, 2010 Inductee, FHS Hall of Fame
J. Dempsey

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To the Editor:
Tip of the hat to Joe Woods and the organizers and supporters of the Fillmore High School Hall of Fame first induction ceremony held at Fillmore High School on Saturday, November 13. The event was very well organized and the dinner provided by El Pescador was great. The induction ceremony, which was necessarily long because of the number of inductees, provided interesting details of the athletic history of the school and her first group of outstanding athletes. It was wonderful to see so many young families present (one infant of three weeks!) to honor friends and relatives. I hope that Fillmore High School will have this event annually. Thanks to all of you who made this happen.
Kelly Scoles

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To the Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the citizens of our great community, and my family and friends for the overwhelming support and words of encouragement you have given me during this past election. I am honored and proud to have been elected as one of your voices on our School Board. I am ready to serve you in this capacity, which I know will be faced with challenges and obstacles along the way. However, I am confident that together we can make positive changes that will improve our school system.
I plan to work with our local youth organizations, community groups, businesses, and especially with our Board members, administrators, teachers, other staff members, parents, and students. Positive changes can only happen if we work as a team! Let us stop all of the negativity that has gone on in the past. We must move forward as professionals with only positive efforts, and with mutual respect for one another, so that our students and schools can thrive.
I would like to encourage those parents who have pulled their children from our school system to contact me. I value your issues and concerns. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents and volunteers who have supported our schools with your time and effort at any of our school activities and functions. Thanks also go to the administrators, teachers, and other staff members who work tirelessly above and beyond their regular hours, without pay. Your dedication and commitment are to be commended. If everyone would put forth that same positive effort into whatever job they have, we would be one of the top school districts in the county. I believe we can be that. Again, thank you for your vote of confidence. My email is rangelfan@roadrunner.com.
Sincerely,
Lucy Rangel

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To the Editor:
I would like to make a correction to your article on November 11th regarding the Nov. 9th City Council meeting. My comments at the council meeting regarding lose of jobs had to do with eight pool staff who are employees of the City of Fillmore (not Heritage Valley Aquatics). My issue was with the fact that leading up to the pool closure and at the time of the closure, nobody from City Hall staff (not the job of City Council) communicated with these employees regarding their job status.
On another subject: I was very sad and upset when I began hearing in June that there was going need to be cuts in pool programs, jobs and, as it turns out, closure of the pool. I started asking questions and looking into the revenue and expenses of the pool. There was two years of parcel tax revenue collected before the pool opened. Does anyone out there wonder where it went? The only answer I ever got was that it was spent, that it cost a lot more than projected to run the pool. Yes, it does cost a lot to run the pool facility but it is my contention that had there been better oversight of the expenses and revenue from the beginning that the current situation and the future of the pool facility would not be so bleak. The City staffer who oversees the pool facility has no aquatic or recreation background, has taken the advice from vendors over the advice of experienced aquatic employees, has placed blame every where but their own doorstep. The latest “sound bite” is that our pool is too much of a competitive pool. This City staffer oversees two other city departments in deficit – the theatre and the recreation department.
I have been asking a lot of questions. It is like pulling teeth to get answers. I pointed out several times that the current pool budget does not make sense. Here is a specific: the budget states that only one part-time pool manager would be budgeted for the 2010-11 budget year when in fact the numbers showed two part-time pool managers budgeted. When I questioned this before the City Council, the council was told that only one pool manager was in the budget. I contacted the Finance Director asking to please show me where in the budget it showed one pool manager. It took about three weeks of sending emails. Even though I did not feel it was necessary the Finance Director insisted on a meeting at City Hall. After meeting with her on Wednesday, Nov. 10th, she did agree with me that the budget did, in fact, reflect two pool managers were budgeted. I believe that two pool managers are needed, especially during the summer months, but my point has been that the budget does not make sense and does not solve problems.
I have more questions. Where is the oversight? 1) Can anyone understand why $8,000+ was spent on pool office furniture and chairs for the locker rooms? (The filing cabinet cost $1,300!) Was that really in the budget? 2) There are two pool rentals from the summer of 2009 that have still not been paid. I have repeatedly asked about this uncollected revenue, beginning this past June when it came to my attention. The pool rentals go through the Community Services Supervisor’s office at City Hall – not through the pool office. One of the pool rentals was for a birthday party for a city council member’s son. The other was for the Boys & Girls Club. Why hasn’t something been done about the missing revenue?
I have many more questions. Citizens of Fillmore need to ask hard questions and demand answers. There needs to be more oversight of spending. We are all experiencing hard economic times but this that the only answer to all of our City’s financial problems?
Cindy Blatt
Fillmore

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To the Editor:
Dear Editor and community of Fillmore,
Sespe Players, Fillmore's community theater group, has applied for a Pepsi Refresh Project Grant. we will find out on November 30th if we have been excepted into the “voting process”. Then, on December 1st we can start our Voting Campaign.
The grant will “Refresh Sespe Auditorium with new curtains, lights and sound”. Sespe Players has applied for $50,000, and to win this grant, the community must vote on a daily basis, for the “project they want”.
No one knows how old the stage curtains are in the auditorium! There is no stage lighting or sound system! So the Fillmore School District could really use our help in getting this wonderful asset “Refreshed”!
Sespe Auditorium is located in the Fillmore School District Building, at 627 Sespe Avenue. Sespe Players has used this stage for many years to produce wonderful plays and musicals for the community. Recently we have had Musical Theater Workshops and acting classes as well. The District uses the stage for graduation ceremonies, community forums and rents the facility to other performing entities.
Before the voting begins for Sespe Auditorium, you can go online to refresheverything.com register to vote, and check out this month's projects up for voting.
Get to know the process, because come December 1, we hope to have everyone online voting for Sespe Auditorium! We will be up against some very tough competition from other very large communities, but , if we get the word out to all our email, Facebook and Twitter friends from everywhere, we could really pull this off!
Thanks you all for your support! We will find out Dec. 1 and let you know for sure if we made it past the review process, and into the voting phase.
Janet Foy
Sespe Players

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To the Editor:
I just watched the Oprah show and Marie Osmond was talking about her son that committed suicide, believe me it was heartbreaking. She was talking about how hurtful bloggers were after her son's death. It reminded me of the bloggers we have in Fillmore that say such hateful things and don't have the guts to sign their real name, so they must be ashamed of what they say. I don't read that garbage because I have better things to do in life. A member of my family read the things said about me and was hurt that you (and you know who you are) would say such crap. Believe me I am not stuck in the nineties I am proud of what was accomplished then. I really had to laugh when the evil person said I did not know how to read. That does not even deserve an explanation since I have never sat around and used my brain for vicious things. I wish all of the no names would make better use of their time and do something constructive to improve Fillmore and the world.
God's word says "forgive them for they know not what they say", I believe that so much that I forgive you. I truly hope you will find better things to do, there are charities crying for help. Just remember some day you will stand before God ( at least I hope so) and you will have to explain the hurt you have dealt to people.
Always signing my name
Shirley Spitler

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To the Editor:
This is a proposed method to provide the U.S. Treasury with a better way to reduce the deficit by simplifying the tax codes.
In the past, numerous attempts were made to streamline the Federal Tax laws, to no avail. Now more and more citizens/politicians want to reduce government involvement and to reduce the deficit.
Almost $30 billion (Ref. 1) are spent paying accountants to fill out complicated forms and estimates. Also, we spend almost $110 billion (Ref. 1) on our labor for keeping track of the records/paperwork.
Two options are being proposed to meet said goals. One (I) is based on an article in the September 6, 2010 issue of Newsweek (See Ref. 1). The second (II) is based on my thoughts, also to meet said goals.
OPTION I: “Clean Slate Time” is a plan to eliminate the tax man and save the country from suffocating debt in four simple steps:
A. Cut income and payroll tax rates in half except for people earning more than $2 million a year who will enjoy smaller cuts.
B. Eliminate all individual deductions and exceptions.
C. Impose a 12-15% value added tax on consumption.
D. Individuals will no longer have to file tax returns with the IRS. All earned and investment incomes will be collected by withholdings.
OPTION II: To provide an equitable tax rate to all, across a wide spectrum of incomes:
A. Eliminate all individual deductions and exemptions.
B. A 10% tax on Gross individual incomes of $50K and up. No taxes for those making less than $50K. Thereby providing a financial benefit to the lower incomes.
C. A 10% tax on $50K and up from all Gross incomes from the following:
1. Withholdings (includes companies operating outside the U.S.)
- Salary/bonus/deferred payments/etc.
2. Investment incomes (includes sources outside the U.S.).
- Dividends
- Interest
- Capital Gains
- Etc.
D. Social Security/Medicare benefits are Status Quo, no changes.
E. With the simplification of the proposed Option II, of collecting taxes will virtually eliminate the large cost/labor of filling out complicated forms, keeping track of records/paperwork by the individual/tax preparer/IRS, and will result in savings of billions of dollars.
With the large reduction of the labor/dollar costs, the IRS workforce will be reduced by 30% during the first five years and an additional 20% within the next three years. Also, during the work force reduction, the remaining workers will be consolidated in specific offices throughout the U.S. The unused facilities/equipment would be sold and/or leased; thereby providing additional funds to be available.
This added revenue to be dedicated to our most needy programs, i.e.; jobs, small businesses, housing financing, Social Security, Medicare, Veterans and families.
(Ref. 1:”Clean State Time”, by Keith Libby & Evan Thomas, Newsweek, issue of Sept. 6, 2010 www.cleanslateus.com)
Raymond Dressler
Fillmore Ca.