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Letters
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- Written by: Pam Cochrane
As county clerk and auditor-controller, I generally do not endorse candidates for local elections.
I was surprised to see my name on Judy Luchsinger's list of supporters. Judy has been contacted and will remove my name from her list of supporters.
As a result of the ad in the Record-Bee, I feel compelled to share my support and endorsement of Wally Holbrook for Lake County Superintendent of Schools.
Pam Cochrane lives in Kelseyville.
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- Written by: Janel Chapman
The time is now to bring honesty and integrity to the Lake County Office of Education. You will do that by electing Wally Holbrook as your next lake county superintendent of schools.
Wally has seen a wide spectrum in public education. He has been a teacher, a principal and a district superintendent. As such, he has seen the need that schools have at all levels. He has been successful in all of these positions.
Wally’s experience is recent. He has not been out of education for the past 14 years as his opponent has. Instead, he has been in the trenches working to try to bring a better education to the children of Lake County. He knows what is going on in education today.
When you take a look at the endorsements for each of the candidates, you will see that many of Wally Holbrook’s supporters are educators, several of them having been in education here in Lake County for 25 or more years. These are the people who know both candidates and have seen both in action. This is the reason that they are supporting Wally Holbrook.
I grew up in the educational world. My father was an exceptional educator. He was a teacher, an assistant principal and the assistant county superintendent of schools. I grew up knowing Wally Holbrook’s opponent from the time I was a child. I worked in the Lake County Office of Education in the 1980s when Wally’s opponent was the superintendent of schools. It is because of these experiences that I support Wally Holbrook.
Today’s leaders must have the ability to lead others to be the best that they can be. They must do so ethically, with integrity, and with serving by example. I believe that Wally is the only candidate who has the ability to do just that.
Janel Chapman lives in Lakeport.
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- Written by: Mike Adams
This mailer quotes a grand jury report from 1994 regarding a complaint about business practices at the Kelseyville School District, when Wally Holbrook was superintendent.
I was on the Board of Trustees at that time and have specific and detailed knowledge about this complaint. Judy Luchsinger was the Lake County superintendent of schools at that time and therefore knows the results of that investigation, since the Lake County Superintendent’s Office participated in the determination of the District Attorney’s Office.
The facts are that a subsequent investigation and annual independent audit showed no mismanagement of district funds. The 1994 audit also was provided to the county superintendent of schools, which confirmed these findings.
For Judy Luchsinger, in concert with the leadership of the Republican Party, to participate in disseminating this misleading, incomplete and false information, while knowing the truth, calls into question the honesty and integrity of her campaign.
In responding to this mailer, there are three key questions:
1) What happened?
2) Why was the issue raised then?
3) Why is the issue being raised now?
What happened?
School districts manage funds for many different programs and each of these programs have budget codes which are used to be sure that funds allocated to specific budgets are spent for the purposes for which they are intended.
In the case mentioned in the grand jury report, funds from one program were miscoded to the wrong fund (less than $500 total). At the end of the year, this miscoding was noted and a transfer was made of the expenditures to the proper fund.
Why was the issue raised then?
When this transfer was made an employee of the district noted the transfer and incorrectly thought expenses were being charged improperly to that fund. This individual reported this to authorities outside the district.
The complaint was investigated, as it should have been, and it was found that the transfer was appropriate.
The grand jury report only notes the complaint and the referral to the District Attorney’s Office for investigation. The grand jury report does not mention the outcome of the subsequent investigation, since it determined that it was not within its jurisdiction.
The final resolution of any question like this is ultimately addressed when the annual independent audit is conducted by an outside auditor, who reviews all expenditures and certifies that those funds have been spent appropriately.
In the end, the Board of Trustees must accept the audit, which we did in the fall of 1994. The fund in question was specifically included in the audit and no exceptions were found.
Why is the issue being raised now?
Judy Luchsinger makes a false and calculated attack when she attempts to use incomplete information to discredit Wally Holbrook, and in doing so also falsely implicates the Board of Trustees and the loyal employees of the Kelseyville School District.
Politics can be tough, but it shouldn’t alter the truth.
Mike Adams served on the Kelseyville Board of Trustees from 1983 to 1995. He lives in Kelseyville.
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- Written by: Russell Cremer