Issues with TRE appointment
Editor:
I saw your article in the March 15 edition of The Record-Courier concerning Topaz Ranch Estates General Improvement Districts proclamation that Alton Randall was appointed to the Board of Trustees, and how it remedied an error made by the County and the Chairman of the Board Sharon Becker. While most of the article was factual, as usual when this chairwoman is involved there were mistakes and misleading statements to say the least. I guess she portrays herself as the authority on all things TRE.
Imagine that you decided to help your community. Do your part to serve the community. In 2023 I turned in my documents with the clerk treasure, filled out my financials, and was elected. None of the incumbents won. That speaks for itself. What I did not realize was the level of harassment, attacks on my family and character, lies that would be told about me and other board members, and the pressure that would be put on me by former friends, past and present board members, members of the local service group, a county commissioner, and even folks in my church. Sadly, the life I knew was gone, including leaving my church. This happened because I stood my ground and made my own honest decisions as a trustee. One of the main people leading this charge is the leader of the community service group and the current chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, Sharon Becker. As board members began to succumb to the pressure from people like the current chairman, Ms. Becker was able to attain an appointment to the board. I stayed as long as I could, but when the chairman interfered in the election process, that was the end for me. Nothing can change if our elections are not fair. Shelly Gonzales won the seat Alton Randall was appointed to after the Attorney General asked him to resign.
The TRE GID has an unusual amount of resignations because of the pressure placed by the vocal minority of service group members in the district and fellow board members led by the current chairman. She did not want Ms. Gonzales on the board, because like me she has her own mind. I realize this is politics, however when our very elections are wrapped up in these shady practices, that goes too far. I had really hoped the county and the Attorney General would step in for the people. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and Mr. Randall was given back his appointed seat.
Like me Ms. Gonzales wanted to serve her community. She filled out the documentation with the Clerk Treasure and ran for TRE GID Trustee. She beat Mr. Randall the appointed incumbent. Unlike me, she was never allowed to take her seat. Things are going backwards under this current regime.
Lisa Sandbo
Wellington
We can’t afford programs
Editor:
Did anyone really think that digging ourselves out of a $37 trillion hole was going to be painless? As in any organization, payroll is the biggest expense, so it’s the first place to cut. Sorry. The private sector faces this every day, as people are laid off. Yes, there are programs that would be nice to have, but at this point, our country can’t afford them. With our interest payments on the debt over one trillion dollars, we are truly headed for disaster. It will take a herculean effort just to balance the budget, let alone chip away at the debt itself. Our choice is pain for a few or pain for all. One bright spot is if we went back to pre-COVID levels, which is only logical, that would be a good start, as this is now post-COVID.
David Hussman
Gardnerville
In defense of federal employees
Editor:
First, full disclosure, I’m a retired federal employee. I worked for the Air Force as a Financial Manager for 25-plus years. The current attacks on federal employees by Elon Musk, DOGE, the President and Congressional Republicans is unfair and undeserved. The attitude about federal employees can be traced almost directly to Congress, using them as a scapegoat for their failure to properly monitor, fund, change regulations or responsibilities of those agencies. What Congress doesn’t want you to know is that these agencies are only doing what Congress authorizes them to do. They can limit activity by appointees of one administration, but usually don’t do that because they don’t want those activities limited by the other party when administrations change. They just create political theater by calling agency leadership to congressional hearings that don’t produce anything substantive because agency leaders generally aren’t doing anything illegal.
There isn’t one agency or organization that is part of the federal government that wasn’t created, funded, and approved annually by Congress. That extends to the civilian and military employees of those agencies. Most federal employees aren’t political, as a matter of fact, there are laws that prevent political activity by those employees. Some senior leadership at most agencies are specially created and approved as political appointees; they regularly change with the change in administration, by design. These are the positions that set the agenda for the agency and can change agency political direction based on the party in the White House. Again – by design by Congress. When Congress creates a new agency, it defines what that agency can do, what its responsibilities are, etc. Most times, Congress intentionally makes those rules pretty flexible, to allow for changes in policy depending on elections. Congress also has the responsibility to monitor activities and performance in those agencies by calling them to testify before different committees in the House or Senate.
This administration’s, and especially Musk/DOGE’s random and indiscriminate firing of federal employees, most of the time without even knowing what functions they support in the agencies affected, is cruel and really ignorant. It is not getting rid of fraud, waste, inefficiencies – there’s no what they could have done the intense analysis required to find those things. And I guarantee you the 19 year old tech bros don’t understand the mission of the agencies they’re attacking, much less the service these employees provide to the American public. It’s insulting and cruel – these are people that have families, mortgages, just like us. Many are truly dedicated, patriotic, and want to build life long careers in these agencies because of their personal beliefs and interests. Many have worked long and hard to get their jobs, just to have them eliminated for some cruel political stunt. Too bad we don’t have a Congress that take back their Constitutionally assigned power and reverse this senseless activity.
Deborah Huelsman
Gardnerville
What did you vote for?
Editor:
Hey, independents!
Is this what you voted for?
Cut U.S. parks. (Check!)
Cut FEMA. (Certainly!)
Cut the VA. (Absolutely!)
Cut the Post Office. (Sure!)
Cut Medicare. (No prob!)
Cut flight controllers. (Yes!)
Cut cancer research. (Do it!)
Cut Social Security. (Why not!)
Cut consumer protection. (Definitely!)
Cut passport services. (You bet!)
Meanwhile, eggs are $7.84/dozen, gas averages $3.74/gallon, and a recession may be coming.
B.K. Williams
Genoa