Letters

Chuck Page gave voters a choice for Saratoga

The recent election gave not only our community but the nation the opportunity to cast their vote and be heard. The results from the Saratoga City Council race and the Measure G vote are clear. As of Nov. 11, the following results were posted on the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters site:

Measure G--13,056 people voted on it, and it passed easily.

Stan Bogosian--7,222=35 percent of all votes cast for city council candidates.

Ann Waltonsmith--7,068=34 percent of all votes cast for city council candidates. It is reasonable to assume that those who voted in favor of Measure G, also supported Bogosian and Waltonsmith.

Chuck Page--6303=31 percent of all votes cast for city council candidates.

Total votes cast for city council member--20,593.

Total votes possible to be cast for city council (13,056 x 2)=26,112;

26,112-20,593=5,519 people cast a vote for just a single city council candidate.

Chuck Page's total 6,303 or 13,056 (voters)=48.3 percent of Saratoga voters voted for Chuck.

Stan Bogosian has been reelected and Ann Waltonsmith has been elected to the Saratoga City Council.

I would like to thank Chuck Page for running and giving me and 6,302 other citizens the opportunity to vote for the candidate of our choice and be heard.

Kristin Davis
Zorka Avenue

Saratoga Fire District needs to be candid

First, let me state that, at this point in time, I am neither for nor against the Saratoga Fire District contracting with the Santa Clara County Fire Department. I am, however, concerned that those residing in the district are not receiving full and accurate information from the district concerning a decision, which three people are making.

I noted with interest the SFD's paid ad in the Saratoga News on Nov. 1. The district also sent out letters to a large number of people. I assume this was all paid for with public funds, which seems to me to be an imprudent use of those public funds since it presents a one-sided view of the situation. In addition, I believe the district has hired a political consultant to help them "beat the union." I assume that consultant is being paid from public funds.

Going through their open letter:

Is there something wrong with a group of people wanting to have more or better work opportunities?

The advertisement cites several actions taken by the district 18 to 30 years ago. They may well have done those things, but let's address the situation today, not in the past. Their so-called unique "EWAS" system serves about 600 buildings out of 6,000-7,000 buildings in their district. That doesn't seem to me to be such a big deal except for those 600 properties.

The ad also states that the district's tax rate per $1,000 is $1.11 vs. the county rate of $1.45. Anyone with any knowledge of Saratoga will know that Saratoga's average assessed valuation will no doubt be higher than that in the balance of the county. It doesn't take a computer genius to figure out that if the denominator of the equation is larger, the quotient will be smaller.

The ad invites readers to visit their website. It shows little but a drawing of the new building and also has a letter from Chief Kraule in which he says the independent consultant's report is attached, but it is not. There is no plot plan to show how the new fire station will sit on the property or what other buildings they plan to build. I thought the $6 million was to refurbish the existing building. At the time of the vote, I thought it was a lot of money to build a garage with some bedrooms. The SFD also will not answer their email.

The first independent consultant's report shows that the county could provide equal or better service, has a lower cost structure than the district, and would provide better training facilities for the firemen and women. The district refuses to give the public a copy of that report and instead gives them a report that goes into a lot of detail about what the district does.

Sure, Saratoga does a good job, but could it be better at lower cost? Common sense will tell anyone that a small district like Saratoga will probably have a larger overhead per station or fire person. Why doesn't the district make this first report public?

All the additional public money to produce more reports that support the commissioners' stand is your money. The excuse that it is a "draft" is an invalid excuse to hide the facts from the public. Public money paid for the study, make it public.

Chief Kraule's letter in the Nov. 8 issue of the Saratoga News does nothing to clarify the situation. He makes a weak comment on Saratoga News articles. He states that the citizens are committed to a separate Saratoga Fire District because they voted to modernize the facilities. I doubt that many citizens had any idea that Saratoga had two fire operations--one run by the county and the other by three commissioners who are supposed to look after the public good. Calls from homes on different sides of a street will be routed to different departments. In some cases Saratoga will receive a call even though the county has an engine closer. Most calls these days are medical. If a call has to be rerouted or the response from farther away, it takes more time. In many medical cases, a minute or two can be vital.

If the Saratoga Fire District is truly as good or better and as cost effective as they claim they are, then they should have no fear of making comparisons open to the public. They could then prove their point with a quote from the county and full disclosure of their consultant's report. I suspect that the old fire station does need to be retrofitted, however at this point, it looks as if the citizen's have bought into a $6 million monument. It may not be necessary to spend all that money, and it's possible that they might even get better service at lower cost.

T. M. Blaisdell
Junipero Way

Saratogans turn out to be good citizens

Many thanks to the neighbor who found my folder and my reading eyeglasses last week. I had put them on the trunk of my car while I brought in the garbage cans and recycling bins. Yes, I then drove off with them still on the trunk.

Later that day some very nice neighbor had found them and placed them at my doorstep. Isn't it reassuring to know that we have such good citizens here in Saratoga.

Neal Reinders
Saratoga

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