Meeting Recap for Tuesday, September 30, 2014
The two candidates seeking to represent California’s 7th Congressional District were invited to be onstage Tuesday with Rotary Club of Sacramento. One of the two was front and center at the Red Lion Hotel - Woodlake, the other was missing in action.
Chair of the Day Brian Van Camp detailed for club members the lengths to which he and the Program Committee had gone to get incumbent Ami Bera to agree to the debate challenger, former Congressman and RCS member Doug Ose.
“In keeping with the club’s long tradition of fairness and balance, we issued multiple invitations to Congressman Bera’s office in hopes of providing you an opportunity to see, hear and compare the candidates before the election,” said Van Camp.
“We were turned down multiple times. We were told he could not be here because Congress would still be in session. When the date changed to a time when Congress would not be in session we contacted them again. We’re still waiting for a response.”
That is how Ose, a Sacramento native who represented the 3rd Congressional District from 1999 through 2005 before keeping his vow to return to the private sector after no more than three terms in Washington, came to have the stage to himself barely a month before the election.
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“Leadership matters,” declared Ose, a Rio Americano High School and UC Berkeley graduate, drawing a parallel between his effort the last three years to turn around a moribund Gibson Ranch Park through the application of private sector management principles and what is needed in Washington.
“Since April of 2011, not one dime of taxpayer money has gone into keeping Gibson Ranch open,” he said. “We’re going to gross $500,000 this year and all the money is going right back into rehabilitating and upgrading the facility.
“What we’ve done is come up with programs and services that customers want, not just what the county park department wants to give people,” contended Ose, who negotiated a 10-year lease for a park that had been shuttered for seven months and fallen into disrepair even before it closed.
Washington is broken, Ose asserted, because it doesn’t listen.
“People always want to know why I’ve chosen to run for Congress again, so I’ll just go ahead and answer the question,” said Ose. “The answer is that leadership matters and I can’t just continue to stand to the side and watch what is happening.
“There are three things that really concern me at the moment. I can’t tell you what our country’s economic policy is—and I’m really into economics. I mean, I’m all about economics and I have no idea what the current administration is really trying to achieve.
“I can’t tell you what our foreign policy is. I have no explanation for it for my daughters. And I don’t know what we’re doing about the waves of children crossing our borders. I could not define our policy on that for my 20 and 22-year-old daughters.
“The answers to those issues are going to drastically affect the lives of my children and grandchildren. I can’t just stand to the side; I won’t stand aside and continue to watch what’s happening to this country. That’s why I want to go back to Washington. Leadership matters.”
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President Susan Sheridan announced that the board of directors has voted to increase dues for the first time in quite a few years. Quarterly dues for active membership will increase by $20 and for those members who are exempt status, the cost of the weekly meal will increase by $5.
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Some 550 riders have signed up to participate in the Oct. 25 Sacramento Century event and more than $25,000 raised toward to goal of $75,000 for Habitat for Humanity according to the event committee.
More riders, donors and volunteers are needed for the event, which includes an Oktoberfest party in addition to four levels of bike rides ranging from 20 to 100 miles. The “early bird” discount period has been extended to Oct. 15 for people still wanting to sign up.
Helping to hype the event, which this year replaces Bids for Kids as the club’s major fundraiser, were Elfrena Foord, attired in a (sort of) authentic Oktoberfest waitress outfit, Todd Andrews with his “state of the art” bike and Bob McLean with his “30 year old plus” (duster cycle).
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President Susan lightened several members’ wallets, extracting $500 from Ed Towne and Don Turner. Also giving $250 apiece were Past President Rob Scherer, Eric Solis and Norm Marshall.
Marshall offered up the gift in honor of his son, Parker, and daughter-in-law, Elicia, who were at the meeting. Parker, a Navy Seal, has just returned from Afghanistan and has volunteered for another deployment. He received a standing ovation from members.
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Rita Gibson provided the thought for the day, Brendan McVeigh from J Vineyard & Winery (son of Dan McVeigh) sponsored the pre-meeting wine reception, Mike Bullington played the piano and Mike Pearson and Bob Miller were the greeters.
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Next week’s guest speaker will be Monica Miller, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Sacramento office (noon at the Red Lion Hotel - Woodlake).
Thank you Rita Gibson for the photo's.