Letters to the Editor

By MICHAEL DOLEJSI
Los Alamos

Candidate Erin Green will be of tremendous value if appointed to the Los Alamos Public School Board. 

The board will have some important decisions to make regarding the Superintendent, FY21-22 school year return, and upcoming infrastructure considerations. Los Alamos residents will benefit greatly from Candidate Green’s presence on the LAPS Board, as her considerable experience in childhood education gives her the ability to consider options for the benefit of all types of students.

Erin Green founded a Los Alamos Forest School program for incorporating

By DAVID REAGOR
Los Alamos County Councilor

In a recent letter to The Los Alamos Daily Post (link), Richard Skolnik criticized a candidate for the school board vacancy.

The candidate is Nickole Aguilar Garcia, who departed from the standard media narratives on COVID and education.

One of her criticisms is of the work of Dr. Fauci, lionized by the media as a hero. There is a very funny video called Fauci vs. Fauci (link), where they show old videos of him taking every side of the COVID mask issue. Masks are useless, masks need to be mandated, “wear two masks”, and then the ultimate “masks for the vaccinated”.

By JOYCE ANDERSON
Founder, Save Los Alamos
Former teacher & current home educator

I’m writing today in support and defense of Nickole Garcia, who has applied to fill the vacancy on the school board.

In a letter published earlier today, Richard Skolnik accused Ms. Garcia of statements made about Dr. Anthony Fauci in my private Facebook group, Save Los Alamos. Mr. Skolnik failed to provide a link of where those comments were made, or a screen shot of the entire comment thread, so that people could have some context. Mr. Skolnik is also not a member of my group. His information is either second-hand

By RICHARD SKOLNIK
Los Alamos

Dear Members of the Los Alamos School Board:

Re: The School Board Vacancy

I write to you as someone who has worked more than 40 years on the health and education of young children.

The mission of the School Board is to enable high quality education in effective, efficient and fair ways. The School Board must also ensure that our children are educated in environments that are safe.

The School Board’s mission has been complicated by the present pandemic. Moreover, the number of infections in the United States is now increasing, partly due to a variant that is more transmissible

By ANNA DILLANE
Los Alamos

I wanted to be present to support Erin Green’s candidacy for School Board, but I’m afraid the Community Development Advisory Board meeting conflicted and I serve on that volunteer government board.

I have had the privilege of knowing Erin Green for around eight years now (maybe longer?). In that time, I have witnessed her character, her kindness, her empathy and her dedication. Erin is one of the rare people on this earth who is genuinely GOOD. She is smart, she cares deeply and she will bring humor to every interaction she is involved with.

Since Erin had children she has

By BRANDI ENGEMAN
White Rock

Recently the Los Alamos County Council had several closed sessions regarding the three finalists to replace retired County Manager, Harry Burgess.

The published Council agenda packet for July 13, 2021 lists a candidate on the contract for county manager. At that meeting council will be discussing the contract but, presumably, not discussing the selection of a candidate from among those three finalists. The motion indicates that their final selection has been made, presumably in these closed sessions.

At the end of June 2021, I filed an Inspection of Public Records

By ROBERT BOURQUE, Ph.D., P.E.
Los Alamos

I suggest making more use of Fuller Lodge. In particular, provide a new venue to replace Unquarked in Central Park Square.

Until their failed attempt to move to the original Blue Window, they had Science, Nature, History and other lectures (the “On Tap” series), dance and art lessons, music – including the excellent Middle and High School jazz bands – and political events.

Those are all sorely missed.

Some were moved to Project Y a couple of doors down. But Fuller Lodge would be a better place.

Sirphey, who owned Unquarked, could provide wine,

By Betsy Comly and Cas Mason
Los Alamos

All of us in White Rock have noticed and appreciated the new patios at Pig & Fig Café. They are beautiful additions to our town.

What people may not be aware of are the unseen efforts of Pig & Fig to improve the area.

When strong Spring winds caused cardboard from the recycle bin near the Café to be blown into the adjacent arroyo, the Café saw to it that the arroyo was perfectly cleaned up.

The arroyo is now a real asset to the nearby White Rock Community Garden area.

Thank you, Pig & Fig, for being such a positive part of our community.

By J. TAUB
Former longtime Los Alamos resident

Part of the reason we’re enduring the political climate we’re in is because for some unfathomable reason we don’t require our schools to teach our form of government.

Civics must be made mandatory in our school systems. Civics, which explores the rights and duties of citizenship including its theoretical, political and practical aspects, must become a required course in our middle and high schools.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, as of 2018 only nine states and the District of Columbia required one year of U.S. government or civics,

By GINA DOORN
White Rock

When will our little town of White Rock realize that white is made up of all colors of the rainbow? 

Happy Pride week, Los Alamos and White Rock!

Terry DuBois
Los Alamos

Although I am not on social media, I have heard rumblings of people encountering “aggressive” coyotes in town. Somebody took it so far as to kill one and dump it over the bridge by the old sewer plant. 

Having lived on Walnut St. off and on for 64 years, I am fully aware of the wildlife in our canyons and mesas. Unfortunately, I was guilty of being an irresponsible dog owner and ended up carting dogs to the vet for stitches and antibiotics due to encounters with coyotes. 

I learned from these experiences a couple of things. I did not have control of my dogs. I also realized that them

By ROBERT F. BOURQUE, Ph.D., P.E.
Los Alamos

I have lived in Los Alamos for 22 years and retired from LANL seven years ago.

I looked over the County Master Plan slides and have some comments (in no particular order) that I would like to share:

1. It seems to ignore the fact that it’s too cold here for almost half the year for the outdoor activities that the plan emphasizes.  And, because of that cold, people will want to park near their destination, not in some remote parking garage.

2. The MeriMac shopping center just needs a face lift, not a tear down. A bowling alley in the old Smiths is a great idea. There

By LAURAN MCDANIEL
Director
Los Alamos MainStreet

Over the years there has been continued frustration about some of our visible and unsightly vacant buildings in Los Alamos and White Rock and declining retail options in the downtown.

The community, as well as business and property owners, seem to all want the same thing: A vibrant downtown and business-friendly community. How we achieve this may be up for interpretation in our unique town, but the reality exists that we must bring stakeholders together, including business owners and property owners, in a constructive way to initiate important

By AARON WALKER
White Rock

If I owned a local business, I would be tearing up my Chamber of Commerce membership after the Tuesday night County Council meeting. Patrick Sullivan, the executive director of the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation provided public comment that was very telling of the way the LACDC and the Chamber see small businesses.

At that meeting, the Council was discussing a “pedestrian retail overlay zone” proposal to be sent to the Planning and Zoning Commission, which would alter zoning to prohibit first floor office space in downtown. During public comment,

DIMAS M. CHAVEZ
Potomac, Md.

As a former resident of Los Alamos I read the Los Alamos Daily Post frequently. April 25, 2021, I read with keen interest the letter to the Editor titled “Growing Up As Asian American – The Model Minority Myth” by Olivia Koo.

Ms. Koo touched on a topic of great interest to me, and she presented it  eloquently. Her statement “One could say that Los Alamos is a manifestation of the model minority myth” was spot on.

I am Mexican-American. My family moved to Los Alamos Aug. 15, 1943, when I was six years old. When I began the first grade at Central School, when K-12 were all

By BRIAN L. GOLDBECK
Santa Fe

To protect Americans overseas and advance U.S. interests, I was proud to represent America in 10 posts in seven countries over my 32 years of service with the U.S. State Department.

I write this in advance of Foreign Service Day May 7, a day Congress designated honoring our active-duty and retired members of the Foreign Service, including some 250 Ambassadors and others that perished overseas while serving our nation.

This past year’s devastation and uncertainty has been difficult for everyone. This includes our 15,600 Foreign Service members that have remained