Estelle Fennell is ‘Not in Touch with the Community in the Way I had Believed,’ Says Letter to the Editor

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Letter to the EditorDear Community, I am removing my endorsement for Estelle Fennell. Please see the letter below I sent her to understand why.—

 

Hello I am reaching out via this email address to inform you I would like my name removed from your endorsement list. Yes I’ve contributed to your campaign and supported you in the past, but the last few months have shown me that you are not in touch with the community in the way I had believed. I have attempted to contact you multiple times about multiple issues as well as made numerous public comments at BOS meetings and have been ignored by you while your colleagues respond to me.

That is not what myself or any citizen of the 2nd district deserves IMO. Strong leadership should encourage opposing opinions and respectfully discuss those issues,  ignoring them is a disservice to the community. I’ve heard of this happening to people before and  couldn’t believe it was real, I apologize to those I didn’t believe, now that it has happened to me on multiple occasions I know in all truths it is real and I feel for all those citizens of the Second District that have been ignored because their supervisor didn’t like what was said..

I was born and raised in Humboldt and want my children and future grandchildren to be able to enjoy this beautiful County. I have been very active after realizing so many were left out under ordinance 1.0 and began to engage the county in the development of ordinance 2.0. I pay attention because I want this community to prosper.

I feel another term with you as supervisor would be detrimental to our community and that is why I will be offering Michelle Bushnell the same support I have offered you over the past.

The final nail in the coffin for me was during Tuesday’s BOS meeting when Supervisor Bohn mocked me by calling me “Little Kent” and you laughed. It truly showed me where I stood. Leaders should show professionalism and respect even for differences in opinions when those opinions are brought forward in a respectful manner.

Sorry this is a 6 figure job you need to listen to everyone when you start shutting people out I feel it is easier to lose sight of everyone’s needs.

Sincerely

Thomas Mulder

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PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION (Google it)
Guest
PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION (Google it)
3 years ago

Yep mulder you see the light finally!!!!
These extortionist, domestic TERRORISTS we have giving themselves raises while RIPPING EVERYONE Off have got to go.theives,theives,theives!!!!!!
Michelle has already had my endorsement and vote and will again in November!!!! Funky fennel has got to go!!!!!

Local farmer
Guest
Local farmer
3 years ago

Kind of a joke that you quit supporting fennel because she hurt your little feelings on a personal level. She lost my support years ago because of her support of horrible policy. Sounds like you supported her until very recent. Even after she helped decimate our economy.

here's what's up
Guest
here's what's up
3 years ago
Reply to  Local farmer

Amen brother. Not thst Michelle is actually gonna help us recover on that front, but either way, As hard as estelle has worked, a d she has, we can’t in good conscience let her have thst paycheck any longer. She let down her core constituency economically while she went to sit innthe inner circle with the cool kids.
She has not fought one minute for the core environmentally minded growers who wanted to be good stewards and make a living not a killing. Not one hour did she stand for those people.
It’s not right..
people are having a lot of foreclosures now.
And it’s nothing to do with covid. It’s bad legalization policy.

We the corparation,by the corporation, in corruption we stand
Guest
We the corparation,by the corporation, in corruption we stand
3 years ago

The community is folding up one business after the next and this is just the beginning. Humboldt county should be thriving rite now with all the years of knowledge and the love of farming that’s here.but POOR leadership has led our economy and a great deal of our citizens down a dark,gloomy,dead end tunnel. Thank you Thomas mulder for speaking out to try and get Humboldt county on a better path for its residents. The sheer ignorance in continuing to vote for these people boggles my mind. We can alter our destiny and return some dignity to being a humboldtian

Alf
Guest
Alf
3 years ago

Rex Bohn is about as bad as they come. Estelle Fennell is right there as well. Remember the saying garbage in garbage out. If we keep electing people like these to leadership, we will get garbage leadership.

cu2morrow
Guest
cu2morrow
3 years ago
Reply to  Alf

Alf for supervisor !

FanOfGuest
Guest
FanOfGuest
3 years ago
Reply to  cu2morrow

I’ll second that notion. Alf,rover,guest,tax payer and kym kemp for supervisors!

Willie Bray
Guest
3 years ago

🕯🌳Finally there maybe light at the end of a very long tunnel. 👁👁🇺🇸🇺🇸

Fed up
Guest
Fed up
3 years ago

Gosh Tom , So glad you now get it and thank you for going public !
Fennell & Bohn helped get our county in the gestapo condition it is now in !

Winds of Change
Guest
Winds of Change
3 years ago

Thank you Thomas Mulder. I too, my family and friends were also supporters of Supervisor Fennell, but not this time around. She has definitely been out for touch for some time. She used to be responsive and would listen to concerns raised. Now she seems distant, uncaring and does not want to hear any concerns, complaints or even suggestions. If she were running a business , she’d be running it into the ground. I guess one could say she’s running the community, County into the ground. I know a number of folks in the community who don’t even bother to try to work with her anymore. It’s no wonder she got less than 50% of the vote.

It amazes me she has not brought forward any recommended changes to the cannabis regulations, abatement program, Sheriff’s Department MET program which includes the unnecessary destruction of private property and the apparent under-reporting of confiscated cash (why do they not wear body cameras during these operations and why do they disable property owners security cameras), wind turbine regulations, cell tower regulations, the advertisement or lack thereof, of the Safe Home program, the homelessness issue, road improvement policies and the COVID situation as it affects out local businesses.

Although he does seem to work hard for his constituents, Supervisor Bohn, continues to put his foot in his mouth, be disrespectful to not only his colleagues and members of the community, including those who take time out of their day to participate in local government.

Karen😁
Guest
Karen😁
3 years ago

I agree with every word ☺ Wind of change.

cu2morrow
Guest
cu2morrow
3 years ago

“six figure job”, #whadImiss?

Anon
Guest
Anon
3 years ago
Reply to  cu2morrow
Food for thought
Guest
Food for thought
3 years ago
Reply to  Anon

And probably much higher when u think about the perks involved with helping certain entities to achieve their financial gains.

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago

Fennel and Bohn support the big growers and have their fingers in the pie. Screw Mom n Pop, they can starve.

Jeffersonian
Guest
Jeffersonian
3 years ago

Getting Estelle to return a phone call is virtually impossible. Getting Rex to not make crass comments is impossible.

They are all thieves and liars
Guest
They are all thieves and liars
3 years ago

Michelle Bushnell isn’t any better, has anyone seen her how she treats and talks to people who work at our local businesses? And no, I’m not talking about the businesses who kiss her ass, I’m talking about the businesses she rarely frequents. She’s rude and entitled and thinks you have to bow down to her because of whatever, money? Because she owns the.l Bootleg? She’s definitely not a “people” person.

SoHum Sun
Guest
SoHum Sun
3 years ago

I couldn’t agree more. It’s voting for the lesser of 2 evils here….

Food for thought
Guest
Food for thought
3 years ago

I took a glass vase and a nice table standing plaque for a fundraiser to her business to see if she would be willing to put it up for a bit in her store. When I came back to check if she had put it out or not she had not and had turned the vase I left to collect the donations into a floating plant vase for her office….. lost my support for life that day in every way. If you don’t want to then that’s fine but I felt so insulted and just hurt.

Choni
Guest
Choni
3 years ago

Estelle Fennel ignores many in her path, for her own agenda. My family took a situation to her with multiple documented facts, left copies for her, and all she had to do was look into it.
But hey… it was an election year, and votes were more important to her than, “Rocking the Boat” and havinga conscience. This was after promising, “I’ll get right on it”. She recently purchased a home in Shelter Cove. You couldn’t get Humboldt County Roads to work on the Shelter Cove Rd. for nothing! All of a sudden, it’s getting all the repairs in the world, hmm, coincidence, I think not. She needs to go. It is my opinion that her and Rex both are as crooked as they come!

SoHumXXX
Guest
SoHumXXX
3 years ago

Thomas Takishi69 Mulder!!! You went and bitched to the supervisors about 1 of your 3 farms and they called you out and now your butt hurt. Lol x 100000! You should go make another video with John Ford promoting Humboldt’s Satellite program!! A program that is and has destroyed many mom and pop grows that are the real back bone of Southern Humboldt, if you wanted So Hum to prosper, you wouldn’t be in Lord Fords promo add!

Local watch
Guest
Local watch
3 years ago
Reply to  SoHumXXX

Yep He’s one to point a finger and not be able to have a finger pointed at him . How many acres did He trash working for J&J and when they went to Jail, he got rich and got land !!! School board has suffered under his terms too

Shakti
Guest
Shakti
3 years ago

Thank you for speaking out Thomas! I too feel unheard, unrepresented and deeply hurt by this. I wish I could believe Estelle had genuine intentions to serve all of her constituents but I do not see good cause to.
I begged the sups to stop the abatement program back in November 2019 so myself and others could grow organic food for our families in small greenhouses (without fear of 10k daily fines) after those abatement warning letters went out. The sups just rolled their eyes (except wilson and madrone- they are great). When Comparing my small greenhouse veggie garden February of 2019 with May 2020 without a greenhouse it is so depressing and frankly amidst a pandemic it’s life threatening. I should be feeding my neighbors right now not stressing over an almost empty veggie garden , small wasted seed starts, bringing them in my house each night/when raining Etc, This is absurd.
I also told the sups that I know people who died stressed by the abatement program, 4 people now and Im sure there are more. Yet the sups again didn’t care and then most of the local press just mocked our pleas and discounted too many of our rural residents who are enduring such immense oppression and violations of our rights right now. They didn’t ask anyone who spoke out at that meeting followup questions, only the supervisors got publicity. consequently the majority of Humboldt county residents have no clue about the real life impacts of these (Estelle championed) Cannabis policies.
Every time Estelle says she is protecting the environment from greenrushers, understand not only are more large farms permitted than small farms, but also that negative narrative is a tool used to exclude the majority of farmers from a future in legalization for the “benefit” of the few (and corporate influences I imagine?). It didn’t have to be this way “Humboldt should be experiencing a boom not a depression,” we provide essential services here! If they can’t get an accessible permit process going, The government needs to back off and let people work to serve those who need essentials amidst a pandemic whether that be food or medicines.
There are something like 9xs the number of abatements as cultivation permits and this impacts everyone in the county regardless of their involvement with cannabis. The permitted farms and non related businesses will also feel this collapse. Someday I hope the majority in Humboldt will begin to understand what is at stake. We need new cannabis policy!
I struggle to vote Democrat and I’ve certainly never considered voting for a Republican ever before, but I fear there is no alternative. We need change yesterday.
Bushnell- folks need to get you up to speed on all the issues around cannabis, in addition basic human rights, issues facing the most vulnerable in our communities, affordable housing, non livable wages etc., and the benefits to your community/stores from using and encouraging food stamps etc. your statement about this at a debate was concerning but I believe people can change. Let’s find common humane ground backed by expert data and evidence so we can collectively get back to humboldt as we know it, a small farm paradise, Mecca for the world, nearly immune from economic collapse, while yes obviously preserving the environment. farmers do that as a regular practice, especially small farmers. The environment would vote for new cannabis policy and new representation for so hum if you ask me.

Perspective
Guest
Perspective
3 years ago
Reply to  Shakti

Permit your greenhouse.

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
3 years ago
Reply to  Perspective

You can’t permit just your greenhouse. If you bring the county into your property they will mess with you about every structure and grading project done in the last fifty years.

Anon
Guest
Anon
3 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

And technically it’s *ag exempt* ie: no permit required. But they make you tell them all about your structure (that needs no permit) and force you to submit site plan and pay a fee (of course) for your no permit structure . People have been forced to tear down there perfectly fine AG greenhouse, submit ridiculously detailed *AG exempt paperwork* then go ahead and reconstruct their greenhouse on the very same footprint as before. Read the statutes from the county; shade houses and any structures associated with veg ag ARE EXEMPT. They’re just being nit-picking, terrorist idiots.

Cali
Guest
Cali
3 years ago

I know Michelle was the best choice from the start. Vote For her peeps!

Oold school
Guest
Oold school
3 years ago

I have been wondering how many people on Estelle list of supporters from the past that she still claims continue to support her now. She has done next to nothing for Southern Humboldt but take a paycheck and consolidate her power. She has been unresponsive for years to many individuals who have contacted her about different issues. She tries to sweet talk the community with her bs.I use to support her also and have been disillusioned for quite some time.

For sure
Guest
For sure
3 years ago

We need COMMUNITY SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP. Our county is so wonderful, and it’s being torn apart by some of the prominent leaders who think they are better than everybody else. We need more leaders like Steve Madrone& Noah Levy. They are intelligent, human, and compassionate. The county has a history of being against its citizens whom they deem to be of a different cultural background. From Native Americans, the Chinese, the Back to the Landers, the hippies, Latinos& more, the county gov’t has discriminated across the board, anyone with other cultural nuances. Most of the “leaders” are church- goers, yet they continually think they are better than everyone else. If everyone practiced the Golden Rule, we would have a lovely community.

Get help
Guest
Get help
3 years ago

Mulder is blaming Fennell for what he perceives was as an insult to him as a speaker during open time, that was said by another supervisor. really? welcome to everyone else’s world that has to deal with you Thomas. people that have served with you on another board have had to put up with this from you for years!
You throw out insults at people all the time during board meetings, and when you get called on it , you drill down and get even more nasty. you never apologize or even acknowledge your bad hostile behavior. Your hostile insecurities always seem to drive your narratives no matter what the topic. You would do well to seek counseling and try and get to the root of all of your anger issues.

Anon
Guest
Anon
3 years ago
Reply to  Get help

Always /never / All the time?

Now you’re just exaggerating.

You “would do well to seek counseling…”

Acmechris
Guest
3 years ago

I too am disappointed in Fennel as I used to listen to her show on KMUD and thought that she was a progressive. I was/am wrong. I also believe that Rex has always been a poser/phony. Who is he? Who was behind promoting his campaign? I, born and raised in Humboldt (70) and upon seeing all his campaign signs everywhere I was struck by what/who? I am left with he serves a few. Not me. The ball dropped on the promotion by them of Humboldt weed and Humboldt Redwoods is shameful.

Sohumboldter
Guest
Sohumboldter
3 years ago

Supervisor Fennell has always been very responsive and helpful to our family .
We had a watershed project that hit a wall with an agency and Estelle helped us and without her help would not have been able to move forward with our project. She also helped a family member through the process in getting her small farm permitted. That was after my family member hired an expensive lawyer and the lawyer gave wrong information and advice all along the way. And I know my neighbor hit a similar snag on his permit process, and if it wasn’t for Fennell, he would not have gotten his permit either.

Ima Wannabe
Guest
Ima Wannabe
3 years ago
Reply to  Sohumboldter

Based on your statement, it’s true that Estelle helps her friends and leaves the rest of her constituents between a rock and a hard place. Instead of pulling strings for her friends, she should be focusing on changing those regulations where your family and friends got stuck. A watershed project? How could she help with that, what did she do to help? Details please. Why not use your real name? Nothing you stated is controversial or could be used against you in retribution.

Why do yo need a five acre parcel if you meet the required setbacks, your neighbors have no objection and you comply with the State requirements? A simple change that could be made almost immediately that could help a lot of small boutique wannabe farmers.

SoHumEx
Guest
SoHumEx
3 years ago

Eloquently put Thomas! Don’t let the haters get to you. Taking the middle path tends to upset the extremists on either side. As far as I’m concerned you’ve always been a stand up guy, keep doing it! Would like to see you run for supervisor someday:)

TIME TO SEND HER DOWN THE ROAD
Guest
TIME TO SEND HER DOWN THE ROAD
3 years ago

It’s all down hill for her now that the community see’s we have a chance of really voting her out!

Worldguy
Guest
Worldguy
3 years ago

She’s never called me back, and every one I Know who’s left messages never gets a call or email back.
Say what you will about Rex, he calls me back and I’m not even in his district!

Time to get rid of Estelle, vote Bushnell.

HEYHOESTELLMUSTGO
Guest
HEYHOESTELLMUSTGO
3 years ago

Time to send Estelle packing. As we begin to safely move towards opening our local economy we need leaders who understand the needs of local Main Street business as well as the needs of the Canna industry. The steps implemented by John Ford and his wingmen Bob Russell and Steve Santos have put undue burden on the people of Humboldt County while Estelle sits back and does nothing. How does the Supervisor from the one of largest cannabis producing region in the allow for the Planning Director to make policy directives without oversight that time and time again stifle business here in Humboldt County.

South fork dadbod
Guest
South fork dadbod
3 years ago

Who we need to send packing is bushnell from our school board , and while we’re at it ,send Mulder packin too. Between Mulder and Bushnell , they’ve pretty much run our school into the ground, it’s in shambles under their rule. They have created a toxic vortex there. They treat our teachers and parents like crap . These two malcontents should resign so we can get some fresh new blood in there who actually knows how to get things done, knows how to treat people and knows how to work with people and be respectful for our kids. Nobody wants to serve on the school board with them because all they do is instigate bickering and division.

Badger
Guest
Badger
3 years ago

There hasn’t been enough candidates to even have a school board election since the early 2000’s. One could argue that with a board stacked with so many unpleasant people, no one would even want to be on it, so there is a self-fulfilling prophesy there. But that said, with so many kids lives at stake, you’d think someone who challenge the status quo. Bushnell was appointed to the school board by the existing board because there was no one to fill that seat. While Michelle Bushnell may be a lateral move–not better or worse than Estelle–we need to let our Supervisor know that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. Estelle needs to be taught a lesson. As for Mulder’s change of heart, we must always allow people to change their minds, even as we remind them that it took them long enough. That’s what bringing people together is about. Michelle may be tough and rude, but she’s real. She says what she thinks. Not Estelle. She’s phony, a liar and travels with an enforcer to give the hairy eyeball and nasty words to anyone who disagrees or criticizes. At least Michelle does her own dirty work.

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago

Agree

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago

I can’t agree with you more. She has always been that way she’s fake and thinks she has been better than anyone for years never could understand her running for supervisor she will act nice to your face but watch out she will talk behind your back as soon as you walk away. Will never have my vote wish there was someone other than Estelle and Michelle we are doomed either way.

With liberty and justice for all
Guest
With liberty and justice for all
3 years ago

I have faith in Michelle she’s a local girl and will fight for local people!!!! She has my vote!!!! That other theiving, corrupt little troll has shown her true colors!!!!!!!