Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (May 21, 2004)

Little League, Babe Ruth are getting along

Editor:

I agree with Joe Cree, who wrote last week about the need for a second regulation baseball field in Mountain View, and the space on North Bayshore could be a viable location.

And I believe that we need a multi-purpose field that could be used by Pop Warner and the various soccer and softball leagues, who also need field space.

But regarding the current use of McKelvey Field, I think Mr. Cree was inaccurate. There has been a complete turn-around in relations between Little League and Babe Ruth. The Junior Little League had exclusive use of the McKelvey ball park during the month of March.

In April, May and June it has exclusive use of the field on Tuesdays and a time slot on Saturdays. In Babe Ruth we have a total of 10 teams (seven regular division and three senior division) trying to utilize one field.

I believe we have done this quite well, and the good folks at the city's recreation department have been instrumental in helping us sort this out.

My Babe Ruth team uses Graham Middle School for practice, as has every team in our league. It is not perfect, but it is okay for batting practice and taking fly balls. You just have to be a little creative when you go there.

I would like to thank Hilary Holeman from the recreation department and Kirk Williamson and Rick Moore from Little League for their cooperation and help in smoothing over the McKelvey Field issue, and working out an equitable schedule for all teams. With the loss of the Graham Middle School field in June, we will need to continue working closely to utilize every bit of field space we can find.

Paul Cunningham
Mountain View Babe Ruth Board Member
Pamela Drive

Shoreline tickets a harmless perk

Editor:

During the bulk of my adolescent and college years, my father served on the city council in Palo Alto.

I am certain it would surprise most members of the public to know just how much time and energy these volunteer public servants contribute to their communities. The small stipend that he received for this service went straight into my and my sisters' college funds and may have been adequate to cover the cost of my textbooks, but little else.

My dad and his colleagues may well have received a few inconsequential perks on occasion. I personally was much more aware of the cost and sacrifice he paid in time spent away from his family and business. To think that he or any of his fellow council members could have had their votes influenced by something as innocuous as free tickets to some events at an important city venue is absolutely laughable.

Mountain View has apparently made a tradition of providing members of our city council with free use of a VIP box for the annual concert series at Shoreline Amphitheatre -- tickets contractually provided by the venue operator at no cost to the city as part of the original operating agreement. In your May 7 editorial, you claim that these tickets create a conflict of interest on the part of our elected officials, and you state that the market value of these season passes is "over $8,000."

Technically, perhaps, this is true. Given the wide variety of entertainment and musical styles presented in any given season at Shoreline, it is highly unlikely that any members of the council (or of the public for that matter) would purchase a luxury box for their own personal use.

I suspect that the overwhelming majority of VIP boxes are purchased by local business interests, and tickets to the individual performances are doled out to clients, employees, recruits, and so on. It is improbable that any member of the council receives thousands of dollars of value out of this benefit.

I commend Council member Greg Perry's personal decision to donate his tickets to the Mountain View Educational Fund, and should any of his colleagues feel equally conflicted with this long-standing benefit to council members, they should certainly consider a similar course. But this modest perk harms no one, and this voter hopes that we will not force our city council into eliminating such a small return for their investment of time and commitment to our city.

Mike Cobb
Nilda Avenue

Thanks for dialysis story

Editor:

I appreciated your article on the relocation of the dialysis center at El Camino Hospital.

It made me understand how the needs of those on dialysis and the people who drive them to dialysis are different from my assumptions. The need for a quieter location so that elderly citizens can drive their elderly companions to the center without a wreck was really an eye opener. Thanks.

Jennifer Henderson
Ada Avenue

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