October 2006 Sound Off
28 Oct

Is Lincoln Village on "the Wrong Side of the
Tracks"?

First of all-- I do agree w/continuing with the current
council members & w/vote to re-elect same.

But secondly, I'm very concerned that no one has
moved into the old Ralph's store.  It would seem to be
very worthwhile to "update" it to a restaurant (Chevy's,
Elephant Bar, etc.) or bookstore (Borders, Barnes &
Noble) or even a combination of both since there is
already a structure in place vs. the talk about
development of the drive-in area into an "upscale"
restaurant/shopping area.  What's wrong with updating
& upscaling what we already have in our neighborhood?
 The lack of apparent interest is leading me to believe
that the Lincoln Village area is still viewed as the "other
side of the tracks".

I hope I'm wrong--but the vacant Ralph's does not
present an image of a thriving neighborhood.

                           - Ann Colbourn
22 October

            
Keep Our Team Together

Three different times this last week, while walking or
driving along streets in my Lincoln Village neighborhood,
I was reminded of just how much our quality of life has
been improved during the short few years since the City
of Rancho Cordova was born.

We all remember those “yearly” (once every 18 to 20
months is “yearly” in County-Speak) bulky item trash
pickups the County offered, and how those caused our
streets to look like trash dumps, sometimes for weeks.
But this week, I saw one neighbor place a pile of items
out at his curb one morning and by the very next
afternoon it was gone. Our current city council has
worked hard to provide us with quality service. Dan
Skoglund has been a real bulldog on this issue,
attending regular work sessions with the trash service
folks and keeping the pressure on them to perform for
us.

My second observation was seeing a few kids riding
their bicycles down Lincoln Village Drive. Our city
inherited streets from the county that were full of
potholes and had deeply crack surfaces. Linda Budge
rode her bike down our streets last year and at that time
agreed Lincoln Village roadways had some of the worst
street surfaces in all of Ranch Cordova. Now that street
has been nicely re-surfaced, bike lanes painted, and
new cross walks and stop signs have made it much safer
for our kids. Thanks to our current City council we look
forward to similar resurfacing on Explorer and Vanguard
Drives next Spring.

The third event was seeing our Rancho Cordova police
making an arrest on Lincoln Village Drive near Viking
Drive. Dan Skoglund and the rest of our City Council
have worked hard with law enforcement, prosecutors,
code enforcement and others to address the concerns
that neighborhood groups have voiced about gang
activities and crime.

Our current City Council has been a good team, getting
Rancho Cordova off to a great start. Dan Skoglund has
proven himself to be a good friend to Lincoln Village and
a hard worker for meeting its needs. Linda Budge has
an unmatched knowledge of our history and a clear view
of where the community wants to go.

My vote this November is to keep this winning team
together, so our quality of life in Lincoln Village and all of
Rancho Cordova will be safer and with more local
control.

               - Kevin Jenkins
27 Oct

   
Grapevine says "Stay the Course"

The Grapevine Independent endorsed Council Members
Linda Budge and Dan Skoglund in their re-election
efforts in an editorial run in the 27 October edition of the
local newspaper.
Below is a segment of that editorial:

"The overall satisfaction with the way our young city is
being operated makes a pretty strong case for returning
to office the two incumbents who are currently locked in
a three-way race for the Rancho Cordova City Council.
In this case, the two are former mayor Linda Budge and
appointed council member Dan Skoglund. We
recommend you vote for both.
...Budge's true strength is in her three decades of
experience in the front row of just about every civil
venture in this town. She has served as the president of
everything from the Rancho Cordova Chamber of
Commerce and the Cordova-Community Council to the
Cordova Planning Advisory Council and Cordova
Recreation and Park District. ... There is more, but you
get the picture.
As for Skoglund ... (h)is long years of community service
range from leading Rancho Cordova Rotary Club and
the Cordova Community Council, to years on the
Cordova Planning Advisory Council and school bond
oversight responsibilities...
One can only imagine the weight placed on his
shoulders when he was asked to step up to a council
seat left vacant by the death of his longtime friend Dave
Roberts. But step up he did, and in the ensuing two
years we have watched him grow in the job, gaining
confidence in his own views on such matters as
preserving the status quo on the American River
Parkway and giving focus to the needs of struggling
Lincoln Village residents.
The challenger in this race, Pedro Hernandez, finished
just out of the winners' circle back in 2002 when the first
city council race was held. Since that time, he has been
barely visible in civic and city matters.
He is trying to make the case that the city council only
focuses on new growth areas, but the charge fizzles
when more police protection, repaved roads, repaired
sidewalks and a gleaming city hall facility enjoyed by
many are taken into consideration.
... (S)end both Budge and Skoglund back for another
round when you vote on Nov. 7."

I couldn't have said it better.
                                           - Admin.
8 Oct
 
Lincoln Village Family for Dan Skoglund

We are writing this sound off in support of Dan Skoglund
for Rancho Cordova City Council.  About 16 months ago
our youngest son picked up a used hypodermic needle
in Lincoln Village Park.  We proceeded to email any city
contact we could uncover to report this incident,
including one to Dan Skoglund.  Of the 25 emails we
sent, the one and only person to respond was Dan.   Not
only did he make a personal contact to check on our son’
s condition, he also put us in contact with the Lincoln
Village Neighborhood Association.  Over the next few
months, he kept in touch with us to check on the welfare
of our child.  Dan also encouraged us to testify at a
Rancho Cordova City Council meeting and at the
County Board of Supervisors regarding a hypodermic
needle bill that was being proposed throughout
Sacramento County.  As you may know, the Board voted
down the proposal in October 2005.

Dan cares about families and has a great passion for
the City of Rancho Cordova.  We have maintained
contact with him ever since that unfortunate incident
occurred.  He continues to show concern for our family
and neighbors by working with LVNA to improve our
streets and increase public safety.  

We want someone in office who cares about us and has
empathy and consideration for families and children.  He
has great ideas for our city and is a solid and decent
man.

We urge you to go to the polls and vote for Dan
Skoglund.  We are proudly voting for him!

                 - Cortney and Lori Kennedy
27 Oct

            Skoglund for City Council

I am writing to let Grapevine readers know that Dan
Skoglund is a tireless worker for the City of Rancho
Cordova and that he deserves to be elected to continue
his labors as a city councilman.
I met Dan four years ago when we were appointed as
planning commissioners. Upon the untimely death of
Dave Roberts, Dan was selected to complete the term
for Dave.
As an executive board member of the Lincoln Village
Neighborhood Association I have been pleased to see
Dan at many of our meetings and that he takes great
interest in what is happening in our area.
He listens to us and offers his help in any way he can to
address and answer the problems that we have had in
the Lincoln Village area, such a as lack of law
enforcement we had before Rancho Cordova became a
city, and then the lack of code enforcement, in that our
area had become a dumping area for abandoned and
junk vehicles.
Dan gave the opening “Welcome to Rancho Cordova” to
the American Independent Party Convention that was
held here in Rancho Cordova in September. Although it
was not planned, questions were asked of Dan for
almost 45 minutes and he proved to be an outstanding
ambassador for our city.
A vote for Dan Skoglund would insure that the people of
Rancho Cordova have a representative that will listen to
them and will work to see that their questions are
addressed.

           -Ernest Vance

(First printed in the 27 Oct Grapevine Independent.)
6 Oct
             
Bee  backs Budge and Skoglund

The Sacramento Bee's editorial board come out today in
support of both Linda Budge and Dan Skoglund, noting
how
well young Rancho Cordova has faired under the current
City Council. The phrase the
Bee used was, "rollicking
good
start."

It also called Budge and Skoglund, "Two very capable
incumbents". The
Bee's final advise was for Rancho
Cordova voters to, "Keep this team together."

                         - Admin
4 October
                  
Matt's for Dan

It is my pleasure to announce that Dan Skoglund is
seeking his first full term on the City Council. As you
may know, Dan answered the call of duty in April 2004
after the untimely death of Dave Roberts. Since then,
Dan has worked tirelessly throughout Lincoln Village
and the City to improve our quality of life.

A simple look of his achievements suggests that he and
his fellow Council members are on the right track:
*  Implemented a park standard that guarantees 7
acres of parks and open space per 1,000 homes built,
and supported a parks measure that will improve
security and park maintenance.
*  Established the local police contract.
*  Supported the creation of our own neighborhood
association.
*  Approved a citywide residential garbage contract,
resulting in a higher quality of service than the County's.
*   Provided effective leadership on hundreds of issues
(including the new City Hall, various safety, adult, and
drug ordinances).
*   Advocated for LVNA on dozens of issues, including
Betty's Kitchen; Liquor Loft; the paving of Lincoln
Village Drive and Old Placerville; Semi-truck parking in
the neighborhood and many more.

Dan's commitment to LV and Rancho Cordova has
garnered him support from Sheriff John McGinness, all
of his colleagues on the Rancho Cordova City Council,
Firefighters Local 522, the Sacramento County Deputy
Sheriff’s Association, and the Rancho Cordova
Chamber of Commerce.

I have proudly signed on as Dan's Campaign Chairman,
and ask you to join me with his election campaign.

There are many ways you can get involved:
*  Host a yard sign at your home or place of business;
*  Write a letter to Rancho's Grapevine Independent,
listing your support for Dan;
*  Join us on October 19th at 5:30 pm for a great
fundraiser at The Marriot Hotel - tickets are only $50,
and it gets you free drinks, appetizers, and a chance to
talk to Dan!!
*   Volunteer any weekend this month to help get the
word out about Dan's accomplishments.
*   Spread the good word about Dan to your friends
around the City!!!

Dan Skoglund is right for Rancho, and I hope you will
join me in supporting him this month and on November
7th. Contact me if you would like to volunteer or have
any questions.

With Regards,
                  Matt Cummings
                  Campaign Chairman
                  Dan Skoglund for City Council
23 Oct
              "
Dug in" to Lincoln Village
                  and Supporting the
             Team of Skoglund & Budge

My wife Michele and I have been living in Lincoln Village
since 1997.

When we first moved into this community, we were
skeptical as to how long we would stay.  With the help of
devoted citizens like Dan Skoglund and Matt Cummings
the quality of life and the safety of our village has
increased dramatically.  Our Rancho Cordova Police
Department is out there making a real difference in on
the streets of our neighborhood and shows with the
increased family activity outdoors.

Our family is "dug in".  We purchased our home here in
Lincoln Village and we intend to stay.  Working together
with great organizations like the Lincoln Village
Neighborhood Association has convinced us that we
have found our home.  Life will only get better here if we
stay on this course and more residents stand up and
become involved in solving the problems.

I urge everyone to support Dan Skoglund and Linda
Budge for City Council.  Our family extends our sincerest
thanks and support to both of these fine folk.  They
have been responsive and very creative in working
tirelessly to improve Rancho Cordova.

                - Marion "Curt" Curtis