Editor:
In regards to your editorial concerning the First District and Rex Bohn (“Sad days in the 1st District,” April 11): “Actions speak louder than words.” And no one’s actions create more love and unity in this entire county than our First District Supervisor Rex Bohn.
We can go on and on about all of the things that Rex has voluntarily given his time and effort to for the benefit of our entire community. Hardly the actions of a racist or of an individual spreading hate or division.
Let me tell you my little story that truly exemplifies the character of Rex Bohn. Our son Christopher, who has Downs Syndrome and is now 22 years old, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 3. During the three-and-a-half years of treatment, Rex Bohn made sure that Santa Claus was at our rural home every Christmas morning to personally give Christopher his gifts. This was truly a gift of love from a man who cares.
Rex isn’t our supervisor but I know I speak for many others out of his district; he is who we turn to in time of need. We know he is genuinely concerned and will address the issues.
Perhaps one should spend a day with Rex and witness his actions first hand. You just might change your opinion of him. Just a warning, you will need to be up and on the road before the sun rises and won’t be home until long after it sets. I suggest you bring a thermos full of strong coffee.
Claudia Lima, Arcata
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This article appears in To Stop a Heist.
“likable” people do not necessarily make good leaders and Rex Bohn is perfect example.
If he had his way there would be 3 nine-story liquified natural gas tanks one mile from Humboldt County’s largest population center, well within the burn-zone of an explosion that these facilities occasionally produce. Exporting LNG to China instead of reducing its cost here.
As a pulp-mill apologist, Bohn had no problem with the black smoke that they illegally discharged late at night and on weekends into Humboldt County’s most populated center for decades.
Voting to unilaterally deregulate Humboldt County’s General Plan and Guiding Principles to facilitate rezoning of 500,000 acres for development serves Bohn’s biggest contributor’s interests in the next housing boom and bust, each time leaving local families in financial ruin.
Bohn’s legislative track record is not in the public’s interest, no matter how many babies he kisses.
Racism comes in all forms. It can come from your friendly neighbor and your unfriendly neighbor alike. Most prevalent these days is in the form of intrinsic bias, which by its nature we are often unaware of having ourseleves. But we all have it to one degree or another, and I think we all like to believe ourselves to be good people.
Being comfortable with overtly promoting racist stereotypes goes beyond this however. And good acts towards one person does not give you a pass for the ill treatment of another person, nor the denigration of an entire people.
We must always be mindful and self-aware, and this is especially incumbant on ourselves if we purport to be a respresentative of a plurality of people. If we cannot fulfill that singularly important duty of equally respresenting and advocating for all our constituents, then we are derelict in our duty as respresentatives and must step down. We deserve someone that will treat everyone with due respect, and someone we can trust to have everyone’s interests at heart regardless of race, sex, creed, and even political affiliation. I no longer have confidence in Rex Bohn’s ability to live up to this necessary standard, as such I believe he should respectfully move aside and make room for someone who can.