Dear Editor:

Democrats for Tricia Hunter, not Lori Soldan for State Assembly

We all realize that it is utterly unrealistic to gather enough legislative votes to overcome the promised gubernatotial veto on the G & L marriage issue.

Soldana calls thus the reason we shhould support her, but she can’t deliver anyway.

Lets turn to the big issue where our votes can count. Gay and environmental issues are only her smoke screen to disguise her radical immigration stance.

Lori Saldana will follow L A racist legislators Nunez and Cedillo to support California drivers’ licenses so indistinguishable from yours that these can no longer be accepted as proof of legal residence on re-entering the United States at the border.

Want to be forced to spend over forty bucks of your money for a passport and passport photos so you can return from Canada or Mexico, all to enable someone who isn’t here legally to cheat the system better?

Just like those two L A radicals, dishonest Soldano calls these a public health issue!

Nor do I want to subsidize college educations for people who aren’t even in the country legally, much less legal California residents.

Nor do I favor dismantling Oiperation Gatekeeper just to reduce the dath toll among some of those committing criminal acts, while easing border access and encouraging even far more illegal immigration.

I can’t trust Soldana on these issues and hope that you can’t either.

Please join this Democrat in voting for moderate Republican Tricia Hunter for State Assembly in North Park, Hillcrest and adjacent areas.

Jay Murley

Dear Editor:

In her recent letter to the Gay and Lesbian Times, Republican Assembly candidate Tricia Hunter:

1) launched a shrill attack against her well-respected Democratic opponent, Lori Saldana;

2) tried, but failed, to make a case for her own floundering candidacy; and

3) made herself look small, petty, and divisive to a degree that strongly suggests that she is unfit for public office.

These three failings can only call voters’ attention to the fact that TRICIA HUNTER, with the letters rearranged, is

I, THRICE A RUNT.

It is not often that nomenclature becomes destiny, but that seems to have happened here.

Lee Bolin

Dear Editor:

Donna Frye is a wrong choice for San Diego, remember she is in the pockets of the Labor Unions. She is NOT supported by Police, Fire Deptment etc. I live in her district, where she has done absolutely nothing. Nothing, she has done nothing. Did I repeat myself? I sure did. I have written her on numerous occasions to tell her of the plight of Clairemont, but she refused and still refuses to do anything about the problems in my neighborhood, her district.

She is a wrong choice. She is an animal loving, surfer girl, in the pockets of Big Labor, and we don’t need her as a council member let alone a mayor.

Can you imagine her opening a council session, “Ok Like Ok dudes, it’s like time to do something for the little cutey pie dolphins and seals dude, but like people that like put me here, I totally like don’t think I need to worry about them dude. So its like totally kewl to be like Mayor, so I can like shoot the curl dude and get paid for it like all the time dude.”

“Cowabunga Dudes.”

And Donna, do something about that hair and get some botox, those wrinkles girl, they gotta go......You are a public figure now, clean up!!!!!!!!!

Donna Frye is wrong for Clairemont she is wrong for Mayor!

Ron Mason

Dear Editor:

As a former staff reporter for the Gay & Lesbian Times, I know first-hand the difficulty Michael Portantino faces in making political endorsements as publisher of one of our community’s most important forums. I remember having impromptu debates with Michael as he sorted out his position, often luring me in to play devil’s advocate.

The recent endorsement of Ron Roberts for mayor has encouraged me once again to sound a voice of descent.

Perhaps the strongest point that you make in endorsing Ron Roberts is that he is ostensibly more of a consensus builder than Donna’s principals will alow her to be. I would point out that there are probably a few County Supervisors who have seen Robert’s own maverick streak, but a fair point.

And precisely the point that I would make in supporting Donna Frye. Donna’s principals led her to cast the lone descenting vote on the underfunding of the city_s pension fund. Looking back, I am sure that we all wish that more on the council would have done so.

See the problem with the city council is there is too much getting along or going along. Ever since I have lived in San Diego many on the city council have chosen expedience over prudence, aquiscence over descent and secrecy over transparency.

The reason our city is in its current crisis is not because we lack a strong mayor form of government, it’s because we lack a strong mayor and a council that is willing to excersise ample powers of descent.

What the council needs is leadership not a dictatorial mayor who is in the pockets of specail interests.

Donna represents that leadership.

If you want proof of her convictions you need only watch the council discusions on renewing the Boy Scouts lease in Balboa Park. Donna spoke with courage and conviction on behalf of this community. Had more on the council followed her leadership then that of our current mayor we could have saved the city thousands of dollars in legal bills.

Michael, there is a difference between coming to the dance as a call girl and coming as a date.

Donna Frye is the right date for this dance.

Timothy P. Holmberg

Dear Editor:

Hypocrisy of San Diego LGBT Center Board and Management

“Watch what they do, not just what they say”

My removal from the board of directors at the LGBT Center on September 7, 2004, “without reason” and without discussion was a clear indication of a pattern of hypocrisy by the LGBT Center Board and CEO, Delores Jacobs. I dissented on several issues and I challenged Delores Jacobs, the CEO , Kevin Tilden (City Commissioner), Jennifer LeSar (City Commissioner) and Robert Gleason (City Commissioner) when they misled the community about the need for criminal background checks last year in GL Times (reference articles in April and May of 2003 by Pat Sherman)

Prime Examples of this hypocrisy by the LGBT Center Board led by Richard Valdez, Kevin Tilden, Jennifer LeSar, John Laird, Lennie Alickman, Dale Kelly-Bankhead, Geri Bone, Jennifer Flynn, and Robert Gleason

Hypocrisy=“when actions belie stated beliefs”

1. They advocated for an unnecessary criminal background check on board members and volunteers who have little to no contact with youth. They misled stakeholders, board and community members and taxpayers about the need for the background check widely quoted in the GL Times. A major donor and Center stakeholder, Jim Ziegler, was rumored to be the catalyst for this unnecessary and anti-privacy rights policy development. Yet, he now denies being involved.

2. After implementing this unnecessary policy, they allowed and may still be allowing at least one stakeholder and donor volunteer(Phil Katcher) who had not been criminally background checked to be at the Hillcrest Youth Center having more than incidental contact with vulnerable youth. This hypocrisy once again puts the Center at legal and financial risk and the LGBT youth at risk.

3. They champion a commitment to diversity on the board. Then they remove the first out bisexual board member and give no reason. One invididual, Richard Valdez, even attempted to suggest at a meeting that I was at the Hillcrest Youth Center inappropriately and somehow that was reason for my calling for my removal.

I had been to the volunteer training and I had been background checked. I was at the youth center three times in my two years of board service. Once to attend the volunteer training, another time as an invited guest to present on bisexuality, and one final time for one hour to introduce a friend of mine to the Center at a BBQ.

4. This Summer, the Center executive committee led by Richard Valdez delayed and ignored the application of a highly qualified transgender and bisexual board candidate. To date, they have still not contacted the applicant. They now have added several new board members that do not represent sexual, gender or racial diversity.

5. In August, they dismissed a long time, very well liked and respected senior level employee saying that she was let go as a result of budget cut backs. Then they hired two new senior level staff in September and October.

Where did the money suddenly appear to pay these salaries and benefits?

It is rumored that Delores Jacobs is paid over $120,000 a year for her position and over $1.3 million of the over $2 million in taxpayer money is spent on salaries for employees at the Center.

Is this a fair and efficient use of funding to implement the Center’s mission statement?

I strongly encourage the community to have a close look at the ongoing activities of these individuals. They are the ones responsible for the divisiveness and isolation that LGBT people face and the way the LGBT community is perceived by others.

I call on politicians responsible for allocating money to the Center, stakeholders and donors, corporate sponsors, and San Diego taxpayers to investigate the activities of the Center board and management.

Finally, I am reminded as I watch the questionable actions and decisions of these leaders in San Diego and elsewhere.

“Watch what they do, not just what they say.”

Richard Woulfe