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My wife and I have been Healdsburg residents since 1990 and raised two children here. Measure R is an obsessive political ideological convoluted, manipulated, and a monstrously complex failure waiting to happen. Measure R is not a modification of the GMO, it is a complete political takeover for massive pro-growth and as presented will destroy the faint resemblance of small town charm and community forever. It will be the biggest disaster in Healdsburg’s history.

When we look at our Sonoma County ballot for the Nov. 8 election with the many individual tax increases we wonder why some items are missing. County leaders want us to raise our taxes for parks, libraries and tourist activities to upkeep “the luxury of living in a world class destination.”

At an event in the Plaza in 2005 a trio of questions were asked, in English and Spanish of the almost 1,000 attendees. To the question What single change would most improve the quality of your life in Healdsburg? (¿Qué cosa mejoraría la calidad de su vida en Healdsburg?) The most frequent answer written on the chart pads was overwhelmingly, “Affordable housing.”

My family and I have lived in Healdsburg for 36 years, and in the area for 42 total. Our daughter and her family also live here. I understand fluoride occurs naturally in most water supplies. I grew up with fluoridated water, along with my three sisters.

Alliance Medical Center (Alliance) has recently been recognized as one of the best federally qualified health clinics (FQHCs) in the country. FQHCs are nonprofit outpatient clinics that are required to adhere to several quality initiatives and serve patients regardless of their ability to pay.

I’m not a slogan kind of thinker. In fact, slogans really bug me. Whenever I hear one of those pithy little phrases that are supposed to sum up what needs to be said and put me firmly on one side of an issue, I immediately go into question mode.

The No on R signs with their ominous “Protect Healdsburg” byline remind me of the dad we met at the farmers’ market whose icebreaker question was “What do you do for work that you can live here?”— as though we belong to a special club and not a town. Or the guy in Parkland Farms who told me he wasn’t concerned about the Saggio Hills development because, “That’s all going to be high end stuff … What I’m worried about are the apartments they want to build downtown— it’ll look like Rohnert Park.”

If the people of Healdsburg truly want their children, young families and local workers to be able to rent and buy homes here, then it is time for new initiatives, real action and bigger efforts.

Oct. 2-8 is being celebrated as National Newspaper Week. This is the 76th annual observance dating to 1940, covering a span of time that has included great changes to the business of newspapers, as well as throughout our society.

Measure R not the answer