The stains of modern politics; Glen Ellen Market sold; Thanksgiving central; and more
The state of big-league politics is one of fear, loathing and thuggery. Small towns like Sonoma were for a time removed from the stains of modern political warfare, but no more. Three examples have surfaced in the current campaign for City Council. Relatively minor was an election “survey” emailed to an unknown number of voters, from an unidentified source. It was made to look official, as if it came from the City, and purported to be “scientific” and private. To their credit, most recipients dismissed the fakery. More serious was the anonymous mailing of a glossy campaign postcard — total number unknown — to City voters urging “new blood on the council” and votes for three candidates. All three deny being involved. So who sent it? No clue — the card was hand-stamped, and mailed from Arizona. The origin of the attack piece is under review by the state election commission… The ugliness began early in the campaign with a mean, slanderous — and, tellingly, anonymous — attack on one of the candidates via an online post. The candidate ably fired back, getting national attention for shaming the shamer… Early on, The Sun chose not to report on that unsubstantiated hit piece, as to not promote the content, which is of course what the author wanted. Frankly that decision seems a bit naive now. In a world of dirty laundry, sooner or later you’re bound to get soiled.
The Glen Ellen Market has been sold off by the Nugget Market group, which also owns and will keep Sonoma Market, to Mar-Val Foods, a nine-store chain with stores in smaller California communities like Colfax and Winters. Nugget decided the Glen Ellen location was too small to execute its “scratch food program” — all the in-store cooking and prep. Nugget has reportedly offered current employees a transfer to another location; Val-Mar says it will keep staff members who want to stay (but, says one, with the loss of any accrued vacation/sick pay)… Nugget will throw a customer appreciation BBQ on October 25; the new owners, who will keep the name, take the keys the next day.
Thanksgiving is the perfect come-together time, so this is good news. For several years the Sonoma Community Center and Vintage House have each organized a free Thanksgiving dinner, a traditional holiday meal for hundreds of community members looking for warmth and companionship. This year, the two organizations will collaborate on one big event: Thursday, November 22, 3-5 p.m. at the Sonoma Veterans Building. Pass the gravy!
Back to politics, but only for a dip into the snark infested waters of Bob Edwards. His note to council candidates: “Please accept my sincere appreciation for running for City Council. After all you’ve sacrificed, know that if you’re elected no one actually expects you to fix anything. But democracy demands someone be blamed for not fixing it, so like many voters, I’ll choose the very finest guilty people I know.”
— Val Robichaud
