Letters to the Editor

Our rights and our neighborhood

Editor: Recently, SVH board member Bill Boerum stated that the proposed “In the Neighborhood” hospital campus on the Carinalli property would improve our neighborhood. Assuming Mr. Boerum speaks on behalf of the board, I have requested clarification of his comment from board president Dick Kirk.
By “improvement,” is the board insinuating that our neighborhood is blighted? Or, is it the board’s opinion that construction of any kind on the Carinalli property will improve the neighborhood? Thus, if not a medical campus overwhelming the neighborhood, then by analogy a sewage treatment plant, correctional facility, or the like would be an improvement as well?
Either explanation is an insult. The Carinalli property, characterized by Mr. Boerum as “… just flat, vacant land,” is a gorgeous parcel, zoned for residential use, and is ringed by a long-established neighborhood of single-family homes.
Mr. Boerum’s hostility and overt derision towards the affected neighbors continues unabated. As chairman of the No on Measure C campaign, he stated that eminent domain was a reprehensible method of acquiring property. Once appointed to the hospital board, however, he now fully supports inverse condemnation through devaluation of our properties, and the destruction of the quality of our lives. During the campaign, Mr. Boerum also said the No on C supporters believed people have a right to keep what they have worked for. Don’t we have a right to keep what we have worked for?
Janice Downey
Sonoma

Cheers & Jeers

Editor: I read the article (Jan. 30)about bartenders and service people, and I have to say that I’m ashamed that you put all bartenders and service people in the category you suggest.
I bartended for more than 21 years in the town of Sonoma and yes tips were more than welcome: but I worked first for my employer. My job was to keep and bring in new business first, and win people over for better tips second. You give us all a bad name! You make us all seem like egotists and mercenaries. I am insulted.
To your advantage (or disadvantage) you’re becoming “the talk of the town”. I have made copies of your article and am bringing them to the bar managers and restaurant owners to ask them to evaluate the article. It’s very interesting.
Craig Browne
Sonoma
Editor: Next time I’m in the Sonoma area, I shall tip you some dead presidents… even though all I’ll order is a diet coke.
Well done, you.
Khrisla Mulvany
Seattle

Editor: I just read “Behind Bars” by Brian Scanlan and I have to say that I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I have been a bartender, server, host, and busser at local establishments for nearly a decade and I think Mr. Scanlan’s article was spot on. It takes guts to tell it like it is, and I applaud Mr. Scanlan for his sincerity and his humor. Working in the service industry can be difficult, and it’s nice to know that there are people out there who are not afraid to state the truth: We work for tips. Mr. Scanlan’s article has generated quite a buzz, and it has people talking. Yesterday a man I’ve never met came into the bar with photocopies of the article. He was very angry and offended by Mr. Scanlan’s article and wanted to know what I thought. In all honesty, I thought the piece was funny and well-timed. If nothing else, the article has inspired a discussion, and I think that’s great. Maybe it’s time we in the service industry stop tip-toeing around the issue and admit that regardless of how nice you are, if you stiff me I won’t think you’re so great anymore. Wouldn’t it be lovely if every server/bartender you ran into was doing the job because they loved the work, not because they were trying to make a living? Better yet, wouldn’t it be great if restaurant/bar owners could afford to pay their staff more than minimum wage and the whole tipping thing could be ditched? Anyone who feels like they have been offended or slandered by Mr. Scanlan’s article needs to take a step back and attempt to cultivate a sense of humor. Working in the service industry requires thick skin; often customers are mean, they take their anger out on you, or they just plain don’t respect those who wait tables instead of “getting a real job.” All I have to say is “Thank you Mr. Scanlan.” It’s nice to know that someone out there has my back. I’m sure that if I ever see Brian at my bar I can count on a nice fat tip from him, and that will make me like him even more.
Toni Castrone
Sonoma

Editor: I read the article and you couldn’t have said it better, well written. Sorry to hear about your incident at Steiner’s, not sure what happened but apparently you aren’t working there anymore?? Let’s hang out soon.

Jerry Padilla
Sonoma