2008 at a glance

We know the prediction thing is not unique, and we accept the fact that we’re not particularly good at it (our 2007 success rate was 60 percent). But it is fun!
Presidential election
Tough to predict, and a little outside our normal subject matter, so let’s predict simply that this election won’t hang on chads in Florida or creative counting in Chicago.
Lady Dragons
This year’s basketball team looks great, and we understand that SVTV 27 will bring some of the team’s home games right into Sonoma’s living rooms. We predict that under Sil Coccia’s skilled coaching, the girls’ varsity team will win the Sonoma County League championship.
49ers
Gosh, we want to root for the “old home team,” but their 2007 performance was painful. Yes, there were a few bright spots on offense (Vernon Davis and Frank Gore) and the defense did a credible job, yet we have to predict that, without a coaching change, the 2008 team won’t be a whole lot better than 5-11.
NASCAR at Infineon
The best bet in the sport is Jeff Gordon on a road course, and we predict, once again, that the four-time series champion will win the Infineon race this year, in what would be his sixth victory at the local track. Last year, as readers may recall, Gordon and teammate Jimmie Johnson were penalized and started at the back of the field, and Infineon is the one track where in 110 laps, a driver simply can’t pass enough cars to get all the way to the front.
Human nature
We predict, as we do every year, that despite our best efforts we will once again succumb to pride, envy, anger, greed, sloth, gluttony and lust – and it’s only January 3!
Hospital landing
“Where, oh, where, has the ER gone?” That’s not a tune that anyone wants to sing, and we hesitate to make a prediction on this important issue, especially while the new polling and construction cost data are not yet public. But here goes: we predict that the hospital board will authorize a spring ballot measure at under $100 million that will cover a new building on the Carinalli site for core OR, ER and in-patient services, and we predict it’ll win by the barest of margins.
Local elections
Decisions about running for local office don’t need to be made until August, but we predict a new face on each of the major local agencies. All three women on the school board are completing their four-year terms in 2008, and we predict that two of the three, Nicole Abaté Ducarroz and Helen Marsh, will be re-elected, while Sandra Lowe, completing eight years in office, will step down and not run for re-election. Mayor Joanne Sanders and last year’s mayor Stanley Cohen are completing their four-year terms as city council members, and we predict that Sanders will be re-elected, while Cohen will step down. Three members of the hospital board are completing their four-year terms: Mike Smith, Mike Nugent, and Bill Boerum. We predict that while all three will run for re-election, only Nugent and Boerum will succeed.
For ourselves?
We predict that 2008 will be another exciting year for the Sun, bringing to Sonoma Valley local news and information that exemplifies our motto: Warmth, Light, and Truth.
Happy New Year!