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Opinion
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- Written by: Mary Wilson
I am an adult education navigator and outreach specialist at the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College.
I help people finish their high school diploma or equivalency. Then I help them make educational and career plans towards family sustaining employment.
In this position, I do outreach at many community events and coordinate events on campus. For some of these events, I work in collaboration with community agencies.
Two recent examples are Resilient Reentry with Lake County Probation and Suicide Prevention with Behavioral Health.
Additionally, I also help connect English language learners to ESOL coursework and to college coursework as they improve their language skills.
In addition to my employment, I am active with several community agencies. I am currently the president of the Middletown Art Center Board. I also acted as a cross-cultural liaison and helped write the grant that resulted in the murals on the water towers on Rabbit Hill.
I have been a member of the Lake County Continuum of Care, the agency that coordinates housing and services funding for homeless families, since 2020. I have been a member of its Point in Time, or PIT, count committee since 2021, I also serve on their performance and grant selection committees. Over the past two years, we have significantly improved our review of funded programs and the grant selection process, which has the potential to increase funding to the community and the effectiveness of programs we oversee.
I have been a member of the Lake County Subcommittee of the Workforce Alliance of North Bay, the agency responsible for workforce development programs, since 2018. I was instrumental in making sure CareerPoint Lake has a continued presence in Clearlake and they will be in Clearlake full-time soon.
I also assist community agencies with grant writing and the grant selection process, including Kno’Qoti Native Wellness and Lake County Probation.
My job and my volunteer position make me well connected to the community and I am well aware of the issues impacting Clearlake.
My vision for Clearlake is that it is a safe place for people to raise their families and to live happy, fulfilling lives. That vision includes more housing choices for every economic status and a growing economy with family sustaining employment.
In my vision every citizen has access to the education they need to participate in that economy, and we continue to expand the places that people celebrate our rural, small town outdoor lifestyle, like what the city created at Austin Park.
I care about safety in our city. If elected, I want to develop a wildfire risk assessment plan using Firewise protocol, increase the number of egresses in neighborhoods that are landlocked, and research ways to utilize responsive architectural methods to address wildfire risk and climate change as we improve our infrastructure.
I want to install traffic calming devices to slow down traffic on our newly paved streets. And I want to improve safety at the Burns Valley Mall, where some of our citizens have expressed to me their apprehension about shopping.
Together we can develop a long-term vision for Clearlake that is connected to community values and aspirations.
To develop that vision, we need to have participatory conversations about the future of Clearlake that will contribute to the county, our country, the planet and the well-being of our citizens.
Let’s build a vibrant city together. Vote for Mary Wilson for Clearlake City Council on Nov. 5.
Mary Wilson lives in Clearlake, California.
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- Written by: Brenna Sullivan Kennedy
Even though this vote is nonbinding, it represents a strong signal of where we stand.
We can all agree that the tension has been disheartening, but we’ve been through this debate before. I was part of one of the last graduating classes to be known as the “Kelseyville High School Indians.”
The school board’s decision to change the mascot, though controversial, was ultimately the right one. The new mascot avoided disrespecting the Pomo, allowed us to move forward together and was ultimately embraced.
At the heart of the issue was this simple question: “Is the mutual respect of all community members worth the discomfort of change?” In 2006, that answer was a resounding “Yes.”
In 2024, we see similar arguments. I note the hypocrisy of decrying the costs of changing the name considering the sophisticated effort made to oppose it.
The cascade of lawn signs, t-shirts, banners, media advertisements and other materials distributed throughout the community has surely been a costly venture, not to mention the taxpayer money expended to put Measure U on the ballot. I don’t think cost is the heart of the issue.
Equally misguided is the argument that changing the name will undermine efforts to improve our name recognition. In my experience, folks from out of the area are more likely to recognize the name Konocti (as in “Konocti Harbor”) than they are Kelseyville. It’s usually how I qualify where I am from.
Considering that this debate has now received local, regional, statewide and national press coverage, it is apparent that the larger risk is one of perception. How will we be viewed if we do nothing? Will we be able to say with a straight face that we are “a friendly country town?”
Ultimately, I think the true argument is an emotional one. Kelseyville prides itself on its agricultural heritage, rural lifestyle, and spirit and tenacity of the pioneers. Many of Kelseyville’s residents are descendants of the pioneers and connect deeply to this history and legacy.
I love Kelseyville for these same reasons. But we must acknowledge that there are people in our community who connect deeply to the very same history in a significantly different way.
We must sit with the fact that at least one person is alive today who has heard firsthand stories of the Bloody Island Massacre from a family member. This is not ancient history. It is alive, and real, and felt. The pioneers' triumph was the Pomos’ tragedy, and how we choose to reconcile that reality is what truly defines us.
Days ago, I learned something that compelled me to write this letter. In 1950, Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone were exhumed and reburied beneath the site of a new monument: “The First Adobe House.” This historic landmark, which has long greeted visitors and residents as they cross the bridge into our town, is effectively a tomb.
Despite recent attempts to rewrite history, Andrew Kelsey remains inexorably connected to Kelseyville whether we like it or not. The only way forward is to confront and dismantle this connection or Kelsey’s legacy will continue to haunt us.
I have witnessed my hometown come together to achieve remarkable things. We have been resilient through floods, fire, drought, recession and controversy. No matter where we stand on this issue, we all have common ground. We love this beautiful place and are invested in its well-being.
This is why I have an optimistic vision of a near future when that monument on the edge of town will instead read:
“Here lie Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone, who were killed in 1849 for their heinous crimes against the Pomo and Wappo people of this area. In 2024, the community formerly known as Kelseyville denounced these atrocities, and in collaboration with Lake County’s seven tribes, unified under the name Konocti.”
Brenna Sullivan Kennedy is a resident of Kelseyville, California.
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- Written by: Monica Rosenthal
A human, not a seasoned politician.
A person who will represent the voice of the people of south Lake County.
An experienced small business owner who understands today’s challenges and struggles to maintain a business operation right here in our local rural community.
A hard-working rancher who knows agriculture and the lay of the land in Lake County; someone who has worked and walked the land.
Someone who truly understands our rural lifestyle: food farms, equestrian ranches, vineyards, cannabis, pears, walnuts, etc., and who will work sun-up to sun-down to re-build and maintain that traditional economic engine of Lake County.
A sincere, honest leader who will serve with integrity, compassion, and listen and encourage open dialogue — “of the people, by the people, for the people. “
South Lake County had a true “public servant” for many years when Ed Robey was supervisor.
Since then, for the past 16 years, our representation at the county seat has fallen short and failed to adequately listen to and serve the people and communities of District 1.
If you disagree, if you like what has been accomplished and you are pleased with our fire recovery, public safety, schools, housing, property values, taxes, our roads, and you’d like more government bureaucracy, then vote for the one endorsed by team Comstock/Simon for your next supervisor.
But, if you want someone who will question the process, re-evaluate our future, and buck the system, vote for Helen Owen.
Vote for the candidate who is endorsed by the people, your neighbors: Middletown High School Football Coach Bill Foltmer, former Lower Lake Fire Chief Charlie Diener and his wife Patti, past Middletown School Board member Bill Wright and his wife Gail, Lisa Comstock, Angela Carter, Kim and Kevin Smith, Mike and Yvette Sloan, and the list goes on and on — VanPelt, Smiths, Donley, Evans, Pullman, Weber, Menzio, Darms, Johnson, Jones, etc.
If you want your voice heard at the county seat, vote Helen Owen for Lake County supervisor District 1.
Monica Rosenthal is a resident of Middletown, California, a farmer, small business owner and engaged citizen striving for “bipartisan” balance in a world of extremes, who believes the Board of Supervisors should represent all the people.
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- Written by: Marilyn Holdenried
Over the past several months, I have been disheartened to hear and read that there are people who have shamed the people of Kelseyville, telling us we are not a caring town because of our name. If these people, most of whom are not Kelseyville residents, were truly involved in the everyday activities of this town, they would know first-hand the incredible caring community support that is central to Kelseyville. I am sure that other communities have this support, but this is who we are today.
I cannot help but wonder how people in the other Lake County communities, who are loyal to their hometowns, would feel if they were told by an outlier group that they need to change the name of their town. We have been told that we not only need to change the name of our town, but that a new name has been chosen for us without any input from the citizens of our town. This is just plain wrong.
In Kelseyville, I see volunteers in organizations, churches, schools and the business community who continually pull together to make this a caring town. I have seen the local 4Hers plant daffodils on Main Street and at Ely Stage Stop; I have seen Scouts post the American flags on the bridges and all along Main Street on patriotic holidays. Those flags were donated by Kelseyville organizations.
I see volunteers at the churches packing bags of groceries and handing them up twice a month. I see parents giving incredible extra hours to support the school activities. I see parents and teachers who coach our children and serve as leaders of youth organizations. I see the Kelseyville Lions’ Club serve breakfasts to benefit local organizations. I see the Kelseyville Sunrise Rotary Club donate to local charities and mentor high school youth.
The five successful major events that are presented annually on Main Street are a tribute to the energy and dedication of the many Kelseyville community volunteers. These events celebrate the people of our town and open their arms to visitors. These annual events, plus the summer street dances, bring thousands of people to our town. Tourism is alive and well here. There are no dark clouds here.
The name Kelseyville is a name that was assigned to us in 1882 by the US Post Office. Two years ago, I spent several hours reading and researching the minutes of the Lake County Board of Supervisors from 1880 to 1882. I could not find one mention of a motion or a statement of who made the decision to change the name of this town from Uncle Sam to Kelseyville.
In 1882, this area of Kelseyville was not a legal district. We did not have a designated district and supervisor until 1884. Our first supervisor was Lewis Henderson, a farmer who arrived with his family as a 5 year old boy in 1859. He served this community until 1908, when he was succeeded by John Sidney Kelsey.
Upon further research and in his obituary, I learned that John S. Kelsey arrived in this valley as a small child with his parents, William Henry and Annie Laurie Kelsey in 1872. After his father died in 1873, he was raised by his grandparents, Jack and Emma Jones Kelsey, who had arrived in 1873.
In all of the years of this community, there has never been a time, event or a mention of honoring Andrew Kelsey. It is a name that was assigned to us. We have never allowed the actions of this man to define who we are.
I believe the name came as an evolution of naming names. This was an historic practice in communities across this nation. In this town there are many streets that carry the name of early settlers. In the Kelseyville Riviera there are many streets that carry Indigenous names.
This community acknowledges the early history and importance of the Native Americans to this land. We hear their stories. Their stories are important. The pioneer families who came into this valley in the late 1800s to live and work this land also have their stories that are important. Let’s get together and share our stories.
The name Kelsey is NOT a derogatory or offensive name. The history with Andrew Kelsey is offensive and should be placed in its historical context. He was only here for two years, from his arrival in 1847 to his death in 1849. He was not here for years and years.
The name Konocti is not a name that our community has chosen. Konocti is the name of the mountain that stands tall in the center of Lake County.
Please vote NO on Measure U.
Marilyn Holdenried lives in Kelseyville, California.