Search for city manager finally starting; costs for Swanson firing start to mount; vandalism at library rose garden; state too slow to restore volcano access
As soon as I read "Peter Frankenfeld" I winced. Even though I never became the rosarian my father was, I too loved that variety. Its one of the few names I've remembered decades after growing up surrounded by his lovingly tended garden. I also remember him commenting to me, in the early 1970's, about the sad state of the library rose garden and his decision to volunteer his knowledge and leadership to help it thrive. You could have reported the vandalism without mentioning his name, but it means a lot that you did. Thank you.
Janet: Thanks for your note! I remember writing about Grant's passion for roses when I was the school reporter back in 1979. He was always willing to take time to explain things to me as a young, inexperienced reporter. I'll always be grateful to him for that. I've always thought of your dad as one of the most cultivated and thoughtful men I've had the good fortune to have known.
Washington went to mail-in ballots to increase voter participation. It worked for a while. Then it didn’t. Paid return postage was added to the ballot package. More voters are mailing vs dropping off their ballot, but the return remains low. Our current Longview city council is the result of low voter participation. No clear-thinking majority would elect this council!
“The pen is mightier than the sword” wrote novelist-playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839. I’ve attended many recent meetings where a sign-in sheet was passed and nobody had a pen. How many voters don’t vote because they don’t have a pen? Candidates or parties, during door knocking, event booths or other public interactions should ask potential voters “Do you have a pen? Take one!” Ideally, our mail-in ballots could include one since that’s the last barrier to voting. They can be purchased in bulk for less than a dime.
The pen is mightier than the sword and it just might save democracy.
I wonder what the cost is to the city of all the other employees who left as a result of this chaos? Lots of institutional knowledge out the door.
Maybe we should garnish the 4 who voted to fire Swanson to pay for all of this chaos? Just a thought
As soon as I read "Peter Frankenfeld" I winced. Even though I never became the rosarian my father was, I too loved that variety. Its one of the few names I've remembered decades after growing up surrounded by his lovingly tended garden. I also remember him commenting to me, in the early 1970's, about the sad state of the library rose garden and his decision to volunteer his knowledge and leadership to help it thrive. You could have reported the vandalism without mentioning his name, but it means a lot that you did. Thank you.
- Janet Hendrickson Munin
Janet: Thanks for your note! I remember writing about Grant's passion for roses when I was the school reporter back in 1979. He was always willing to take time to explain things to me as a young, inexperienced reporter. I'll always be grateful to him for that. I've always thought of your dad as one of the most cultivated and thoughtful men I've had the good fortune to have known.
Washington went to mail-in ballots to increase voter participation. It worked for a while. Then it didn’t. Paid return postage was added to the ballot package. More voters are mailing vs dropping off their ballot, but the return remains low. Our current Longview city council is the result of low voter participation. No clear-thinking majority would elect this council!
“The pen is mightier than the sword” wrote novelist-playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839. I’ve attended many recent meetings where a sign-in sheet was passed and nobody had a pen. How many voters don’t vote because they don’t have a pen? Candidates or parties, during door knocking, event booths or other public interactions should ask potential voters “Do you have a pen? Take one!” Ideally, our mail-in ballots could include one since that’s the last barrier to voting. They can be purchased in bulk for less than a dime.
The pen is mightier than the sword and it just might save democracy.