Disagreement Over Spencer’s Record on Appointments

Readers have a lot to say about mayor’s leadership.

Her use (or perhaps misuse?) of the appointments process is only one of many apparent shortcomings of Mayor Spencer’s leadership of Alameda [“The Trespass, the Mayor, and the Political Spat,” November 2015]. In not reappointing Dania Alvarez—whose colleagues strongly supported her reappointment because of her effectiveness on the planning board—Spencer went against years of tradition and precedent that sitting board and commission members who wanted to be reappointed were reappointed unless there had been problems during their service. Alvarez’s service was exemplary by most knowledgeable observers’ accounts.I had been hoping that Spencer, who had apparently never earned the trust of her board of education colleagues enough to be elected president of the board of AUSD’s trustees, might somehow learn to lead our city well and to trust the staff hired to carry out the day-to-day management of city affairs.

Sadly, neither seems to have come to pass.

Jon Spangler

How disingenuous not to finish the final statement with the facts. Councilman Jim Oddie suggested changes to the appointment process but the changes were voted down by the council.

Dorothy Freeman

Alameda to the Rescue

This is wonderful news. [“Kathleen Courtney is Behind the Scenes at Alameda Point,” October 2015]. Sometimes big productions have trouble finding set space. It is great to know that Alameda can fill that need. Thank you for posting!

Erika Yanin

Mead is Not New

In your November 2015 issue, from page 34-41 your pages read May 2015. Not only is that late, but so is your article on mead.

Discovery is one thing. Not knowing or citing more about it’s prevalence in Oakland is another. Did you know home-brewed mead/honey wine has been in Oakland Ethiopian restaurants for dozens of years? They may not have singled out a specific business like the Mead Kitchen, but they were made and served in Oakland long before people thought it was cool to make or drink mead in Oakland. Tej is an Ethiopian mead, fermented with wild yeasts (and bacteria), and with the addition of gesho. Recipes vary from family to family, with some recipes leaning towards braggot with the inclusion of grains.

Aleks Figueroa