The July 16th issue of the Sun features an article about our mayor, Julia Miller, and the city council.

Sometime ago I approached Miller about concerns I had and still have about the lack of police patrols in mobile home parks. This is also of great concern to residents of Lakewood Village.

I invited Miller to address the residents of our park at our monthly meeting.

She accepted my invitation and gave an excellent presentation at the meeting on a variety of issues, as well as answering residents' questions. Many people were amazed at the extent of her knowledge.

I personally think from my observation at scheduled council meetings that she acts in a most professional manner at all times.

I am grateful for the fact that Miller is providing the leadership that is needed at this most difficult time. Her suggestion to hire a consultant to enhance cooperation between all concerned is certainly in the best interest of the residents of the city of Sunnyvale.

—Howard F. Flood Jr., Sunnyvale


Bit of a stretch to think move shakes foundation

The 129th Wing is, as the name clearly states, an Air National Guard unit. What that means is that most of those 800 or 850 "employees" are civilians who have full-time jobs in the local community. They serve only part time in the Guard.

A story in the San Francisco Chronicle on July 9 indicated that 336 military and civilian personnel are actually employed full time by the Guard. If the 129th moves away, most of them would move with it. The other 500 or so members of the Wing would presumably stay here, where their regular jobs are.

Although the loss of 336 jobs would certainly be regrettable, it's a bit of a stretch to extrapolate that into an event that would "shake the city's economic foundation," as claimed by Julia Miller. And even that assumes every one of those employees is a resident of Sunnyvale.

—Dudley McFadden, Sunnyvale


Cities have driven the military away for years

Why the crocodile tears from Sunnyvale mayor Julia Miller? It has been the policy of the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale to drive tenants out of Moffett Field since the base closure took effect. They succeeded in pushing the Navy to Pt. Mugu and NASA to Edwards AFB. Why should they be surprised if the Air Guard now follows suit?

Moffett's host cities have been playing a dangerous game for years of trying to get the airfield shut down while crossing their fingers and praying the jobs that depend on the airfield don't depart with the airplanes.

They've once again rolled the dice and lost.

The reason NASA, the National Guard, the Navy Reserve, the Coast Guard, and Lockheed are (or were) arrayed around Moffett is that it is an airport.

Converted to a research park, Moffett has no special appeal to tenants, who naturally will begin to evaluate it based on other factors, like cost. Presumably Lockheed is making the same calculations as did NASA and the Navy before it.

The greed that would convert runways into strip malls, which has driven

Moffett politics for years, is finally earning its just reward.

—Brian Eliot, Sunnyvale


Council will lose brains when strong ones goes

I have heard disturbing comments about the lunacy and pettiness of some members of the city council. I finally saw proof myself when I watched the July 16th meeting with my son for his first scout badge. I am very thankful he fell asleep before the real "action" took place.

As the evening droned on, Mayor Miller and several others complained about the lateness of the meeting. Council meetings wouldn't last so long if council members stopped removing so much from the consent agenda, used a time limit for every speaker, stopped asking so many inane questions of each speaker, and if Fred Fowler ceased to continually restate speakers' comments to "see if he understood correctly."

Worst of all was the mayor's conduct. Someone conducting a meeting doesn't have the right to comment on every speaker's remarks, make snide remarks about and to other council members, interrupt colleagues or insult the staff. She wanted to "agenda-ize" the ballot initiatives the Friends of Sunnyvale failed to get on the ballot and said the mayor had the right to do so, despite the contrary opinion of the city attorney. Jack Walker moved to prevent that action and prevailed on yet another 4­3 vote.

The city will lose brainpower and common sense when Walker, Valerio and Vorreiter leave the council. They have a few more months to make clear what is wrong with this council so that it doesn't disintegrate totally when they leave. And the remaining members should not grandstand or continue to allow senseless discussion and endless re-hashing.

—David Lee, Sunnyvale