As we get older, somehow we’re more able to see life happening to other people. Knowing our own individual troubles, we can only imagine the difficulties others go through. Three such situations hit us in the Valley this week.
Carl Gerlach is resigning from his job as the CEO of Sonoma Valley Hospital. He came into that position from his role as consultant to a citizen group trying to find new direction for local health services, following the disastrous Measure C proposal to build a new hospital on the Leveroni field at Fifth Street West. Swirling then were new proposals and counter-proposals, plus expert findings and contradictory findings by other experts. Gerlach brought stability and strength to the public process of guiding the hospital board to a consensus plan for immediate needs and for addressing future prospects. We wrote as often then about hospital as we do now about the schools; the fact that we haven’t had occasion to write about it lately is perhaps an indication of how smoothly matters have been going. That’s a credit to his guidance, and we hope the hospital board is lucky again in its search for a new CEO, always a difficult task.
Pam Martens served as the superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District for only a year and a half before resigning earlier this week, but during that time she has been very active in the community. Moving from Southern California, Dr. Martens jumped right into social life in the Valley, attending all manner of fundraising and celebratory functions, mostly related to our schools, and she joined the local Rotary Club, volunteering for many of its service projects. A kind, sensitive person, she has been a positive, visible presence for the school district, but evidently there was tension between her and the school board that could not be resolved. We’ve commented before that strong leadership is needed for management of our fractious Sonoma schools, and we feel both for Martens and for the school board trustees that the relationship could not be sustained. The school board is meeting in closed session as this issue goes to print, and we hope the trustees consider carefully what qualities of leadership will mesh well with their expectations.
A much deeper loss was felt in the Valley last week, with the unexpected passing of Gabriela Villasenor. She was a respected mortgage broker and was active in the community, and the overflowing crowd at St. Francis Solano Church last Saturday showed what a wonderful impact she had on so many people in her life. A loyal wife and loving mother, her passing leaves a void in the lives of family and friends, and our sympathies go out to her children, especially, and to her extended family. Rest in peace.
We move on with our own lives this week with a newly awakened appreciation for how precious our families, friends and careers are – we’re reminded to take nothing for granted.
