Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (March 04, 2005)

Suggesting a conflict of interest

Editor:

I was disturbed to learn via your article "Castro now closure target" last week that school board trustee Gloria Higgins has a child in Slater Elementary, one of the schools the board is considering for closure.

Isn't this what is commonly known as a conflict of interest -- and grounds for recusal? It is critical that the board preserve the appearance of fairness and objectivity in making this extremely controversial decision. Anne Cheilek Sierra Vista Avenue

School board president a good leader

Editor:

I am responding to Oscar Garcia's letter in last week's issue in which he questions Ellen Wheeler's performance as president of the Mountain View-Whisman School Board.

I'm puzzled that Garcia feels that Wheeler is failing to provide leadership. I don't believe that the lack of decision-making is her fault. Anyone who has watched the lengthy meetings over the past many weeks can name which members of the board are delaying decision-making while also failing to propose alternative solutions. A president can lead a board to proposals, but she can't make them vote.

Ellen Wheeler has been listening to everyone's concerns, reading every e-mail sent to her and studying countless reports. To dismiss her input on the school closure task force based on vague references to closed-door sessions is wrong-headed. As Superintendent Eleanor Yick explained twice in public meetings, the task-force meetings were open virtually all of the time the group met. People are now vociferously complaining about meetings being closed when, at the time, they had no intention to attend.

Wheeler is entirely competent to lead this board to a sound decision, but its members must decide. Rather than casting aspersions, people need to offer solutions. These are tough times, calling for us to work together for a viable resolution.

Wheeler is dedicated to leading our school district to financial solvency and achieving academic equality in excellence for all children. Suggesting alternatives in these highly charged circumstances takes courage. That's leadership.

Garcia asked if Wheeler could be a better leader, but the more imperative question is: Could any of us be? If so, I look forward to seeing many new names on the ballot in the next election. Then we can further explore what strong leadership is, presumably working within a balanced budget thanks, in part, to Ellen Wheeler. Cynthia Rust-Greaves Mercy Street

Critical of reporting on toxics at Whisman

Editor:

Your Feb. 25 article regarding TCE at Whisman Station continues your newspaper's pattern of incomplete and misleading reporting on this matter.

Over the last two and one half years, your reporting on this issue has consistently been short on facts, long on inflammatory language and innuendo, and has exaggerated potential health risks to neighborhood residents.

For instance, you have repeatedly failed to report the fact that since 1994, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has directed an ongoing ground-water testing and remediation program designed to ensure that residents of Whisman Station are not being exposed to short- or long-term health risks. Throughout this process, the EPA has concluded that the low concentrations of TCE in the ground water below Whisman Station do not pose significant health risks to neighborhood residents.

Another example of your misleading reporting relates to the indoor air-testing program recently completed by EPA. You report "EPA scientists have found one Whisman home that suffers from what it calls vapor intrusion. The home in question could be located over a 'hot spot' where a large number of chemicals were spilled." You fail to report that EPA tested over 30 homes in the community, the majority of which were located over these "hot spots." Of the more than 30 homes tested, only one was found to have vapor intrusion concerns. The home with vapor intrusion concerns was subsequently retrofitted with a ventilation system, which fully mitigated the vapor-intrusion issue.

Responsible journalists have an obligation to report the news with accuracy, objectivity and balance. Your coverage of the Whisman Station TCE story has consistently failed to meet those standards. On the contrary, you seem to be engaging in fear mongering and sensationalism. The 500 families, who live at Whisman Station, and the greater Mountain View community, deserve better. Jim Pollart Emerson Lane

Voice responds

On Feb. 25, in "Whisman homes safe, residents agree," the Voice reported on the reaction of the Northeast Mountain Advisory Council (NMAC) to an EPA report that certifies the safety of Whisman Station's 503 homes. This same report was first mentioned in a Jan. 28 article, "Whisman Station is safe, says EPA."

At the group's Feb. 16 meeting, a unanimous vote of NMAC board members and residents in the audience, several of whom live at Whisman Station, the citizens group backed a statement that declares the homes safe and asks for continued cleanup of ground-water and soil contamination.

According to one estimate given at the last NMAC meeting, hundreds of gallons of TCE were spilled at Whisman Station during GTE's tenure there. That article also described the ventilation system put in at the home to which Pollart refers, though EPA officials have said that they do not know for sure that it was over a "hot spot."

With the EPA testing for TCE in homes and commercial buildings throughout Mountain View, the community's paper would be irresponsible and inaccurate not to report on these developments, their causes and their ramifications. To that end, the Voice has made an effort to consistently report on the meaning and legal status of the health standards regarding the chemical.

As Pollart mentions, last week's article explained that a stricter TCE standard frequently cited by residents and officials as a reference point has not been accepted as a legal standard, a debate detailed in previous Voice stories.
-- Jon Wiener Voice reporter

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