To the Editor:
Response to Steve Conaway's Editorial:
A revolving loan would have saved the city from paying on the sewer loan for an extra 20 years. Everybody knows that if you take out a loan for a longer time you will pay more in interest. This loan is twice as long as the revolving loan would have been, so it costs the city much more overall. Once the loan is paid off the city can lower the sewer rates a great deal. We get to pay your high loan costs twice as long, thanks Steve. A company called Perc wanted to do the sewer plant for $33 million. You threw them out. They were good enough for Santa Paula. You wanted the latest, greatest sewer plant that our money could buy. Oh, boy, the city got an award for having such a state of the art plant. Sorry Steve, I'd prefer having a sewer plant at less than half the cost.
Besides the sewer plant, you helped come up with a plan to take other city's sales tax revenue in a way that you thought was legal. The lawsuits that are costing the City big lawyer fees and frozen sales tax revenue since last year are yet to be decided about the legality of your plan. I know it was morally wrong. If that is your moral compass, to take things that belongs to others, then it makes sense that something fishy was going on with the sewer plant.
Dave Roegner
Fillmore

Councilmember Conaway's response
Dear Mr. Roegner,
The goal of the entire council, not just one member, was to reduce the monthly bill for users. Did you consider amortizing the cost of the plant over all users? Don't you want future users to pay their share of the cost of the plant that was built for them? After all the plant and pipes were sized for future growth. If your plan was enacted you would be paying for future users and in 20 years those users wouldn't be paying a penny for the portion of the plant that was built for them. They wouldn't need to because you graciously paid it for them. Let me repeat myself for your benefit and hopeful understanding, the use of the SRF Loan would have increased the monthly rates over what they are now.
Mr. Roegner once again PERC elected to not bid on the project. Some people bought Yugos thinking the car was "good enough". How many Yugos did you buy?
The trial courts threw out the lawsuit because it was baseless. State law was passed which grandfathered the agreements. The legality of the contracts has been established. Was it wrong when a company moved its Sales Office from Fillmore to Ventura? Did Fillmore sue Ventura? Was Fillmore entitled to the sales tax after the company moved to Ventura? Hint, the answer is "NO" to all three questions. Yet you argue otherwise. Why?
Your insinuations are a sad commentary of how nasty you've become.
Steve Conaway

To the Editor:
Commander Williams,
Just a quick note expressing my gratitude and appreciation for Officers in your organization.
Much too often our Police Officers are portrayed as individuals who could care less about the people they come in contact with other than meeting "the quota" and issuing one more ticket. Articles that I have read concerning Officer Brandon Mumme and the incident which occurred on Tuesday, July 27, 2010, once again reinforce my strong belief in our Police Officers and our policing policies.
Officer Mumme should be commended and recognized as an example of what the first responder should be. His commendable restraint and willingness to help an obvious sick individual yet, still protecting the lives and property of the innocent, places him at a level that all Police Officers should aspire to be.
Although this textbook "suicide by cop" would have, in my opinion, left this Officer totally exonerated had deadly force been used, he was able to retrieve the weapon and render aid. I have read that this was done even though Officer Mumme had been injured himself in the collision.
I am sure that you have seen that this Officer has been given his recognition he so justly deserves. His response and action taken was certainly a credit to his Department and the community which he patrols. With all the negative press Law Enforcement receives these days, this is definitely, one for the good guys!
Sincerely,
Dan Pfau
Retired Police Sergeant
Alhambra P.D. 32 yrs.

To the Editor:
It is that time of year when all the movies and theme parks come up with all the scary things to make you afraid to go to sleep at night. But nothing is scarier then ELECTION TIME in Fillmore.
I'm writing this because I want the people of Fillmore to remember the good things that have happened here and not let people with ugly mouths to lead you astray.
My husband works for the City of Fillmore and I'm very proud of him and his co-workers. I don't know how many times someone has knocked on the door, called on the phone day or night if they had a problem. David has always greeted them with a smile and kind words and has taken the time to help them out. I know all City employees do the same. If someone out there needs help they will rally to get done what needs to be done. Try it sometime and see what kind of results you get. It's pretty amazing.
Through these difficult times we need to stick together and support each other. People are suffering all the time by losing jobs, homes all things of security. How can we make it worse by attitudes that are mean and vindictive?
I challenge every citizen to hear all sides, investigate what's really going on and get involved with the City of Fillmore. I ask that everyone on every side of the fence look at the issues at hand and form an opinion not based on who you do and don't like on the city council or who has the loudest voice that spews hatred towards other people. Please take the time to ask someone who works for this beautiful small town and get to know them and see what they do for each and everyone of us.
To all City employees I applaud you and Thank You for all you do for us to keep us safe and running everyday!
Donneta Smallwood
Fillmore

To the Editor:
RE: Vote for Mark Austin for Fillmore Unified School Board
I am supporting Mark Austin for Fillmore Unified School Board.
Mark brings a deep abiding understanding of process, systems, and education. He, in his professional life, works with budgets, people and projects.
Mark understands excellence, he practices excellence. Mark will work with everyone, allow every voice and make the decisions that will benefit the entire system.
In this time of tight money, high feeling, and strong opinion about how our schools need to be, Mark will be a part of the leadership to work with our strengths, to build from our core and to include the entire community in this process.
On election day, please join me in casting your vote for Mark Austin.
Sincerely,
Bill Bartels
Fillmore

To the Editor:
Please allow me to commend to your readers the candidacy of Steven Hintz for the office of Ventura County Treasurer for the upcoming election.
Steven Hintz has recently retired from the Ventura County Superior Court bench, where he served for many years. Before being a judge he was a prosecutor in our county District Attorney's Office, and before that he was a Naval Officer in the Judge Advocate General Corps. Concomitantly with being a judge, he taught Constitutional Law and Constitutional Criminal Procedure at Ventura College of Law for many years.
I first encountered Judge Hintz as my law professor in Criminal Procedure. One noticed at once that Professor Hintz was not a person to whom it would be sensible to give any nonsense. His classroom presence will always define "formidable" to me. But, not "stuffy"! There's a concept called "wingspan", defining the distance from an arrestee at which an item discovered by the police could be associated with the arrestee. Professor Hintz demonstrated the concept by unexpectedly and abruptly launching himself into the air across the front of the classroom, a standing broad-jump, slapping the top of the student's desk where he landed. "About this far." His students never forget that concept. I know very many lawyers who have matriculated Ventura College of law with Judge Hintz' Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure courses under their belt. Each will say, I believe, that he taught a great course, and that he did his very appreciable best to see that his students "got it." And all of those who I know continue to regard him both with respect and with affection.
On the Superior Court bench, Judge Hintz very definitely "got it right". He was affable whilst always being very businesslike. Litigants got their day in court, and the law got followed without fear or favor. I remember, with considerable self-annoyance, losing a petition for a writ in a civil case in front of Judge Hintz because I quite ineptly failed to ask a witness a crucial question. My job was to ask, and I didn't, former student or not. In the Criminal Master Calendar courtroom, where he presided affably and efficiently for several years, Judge Hintz was a wizard at juggling trial courtrooms, looming deadlines, and many-too-many cases. The task calls for diplomacy, legal expertise, and organizational skill in roughly equal measure, and Judge Hintz got it done with style.
I urge a vote for Steven Hintz for County Treasurer. In him, we will be getting a bright, energetic, well-organized man of unimpeachable honesty.
Sincerely,
Mike Ford
Ford & Ford LLP
Fillmore