In the News...
Don't give in to Groupthink
Napa Valley Register, October 28, 2018
"Groupthink" is a term derived from George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel "1984" to describe compliance as consensus, passivity as unity, bullying as leadership, and self-deception as conviction. It captures the dangers and dysfunctions that can deform our institutions.
In 2014, the Napa Valley Register endorsed Amy Martenson for the Napa Valley College Board stating, “She strikes us as a person who will do some much-needed rocking of the boat.”
The NVR found the board had been complacent, overly deferential to the college president, and intolerant of asking critical questions. By his own admission to the NVR, Martenson’s opponent, a 12-year incumbent, claimed to have opposed the cement-blockhouse design of the new performing arts center but feared board repercussions if he spoke out.
Of course, in Groupthink language the board told him he needed to be a “team player.”
Let this example of the college board’s Groupthink mentality sink in for a minute. Maybe if this trustee had expressed his doubts, and the board had not been so deferential to “the experts,” we all would have been spared an eyesore.
It is sad to see recent letters to the editor continuing to demand conformity, manufactured consent, and passivity of our leaders. We deserve better, especially for places of higher education, which have a long history of encouraging, protecting, and valuing the open exchange of ideas.
Amy, in her first term, has followed through on her pledge to ask tough questions and bring transparency to the board, two things that convinced the 2014 NVR editorial board to endorse her. She did not shrink from this pledge despite bullying efforts to punish her for the temerity of asking questions and voting her conscience to improve the college. And, in the process, she has been able to instigate some changes.
We need more leaders like Trustee Amy Martenson and candidates Beth Goff and Xulio Soriano, people who are qualified, unafraid to speak up, and not susceptible to Groupthink.
Gary Orton
Napa
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Amy Martenson: the clear choice for Napa Valley College Board
Napa Valley Register, October 28, 2018
Four years ago, I supported Napa Valley College Board Trustee Amy Martenson. In 2018, I will do the same. Amy’s commitment to public education has deep roots. I witnessed that commitment and Amy’s dedication to local students, while teaching with her in the History department at Vintage High School.
In 2014, while helping youth prepare for life after high school as the counselor at Valley Oak High School here in Napa, Amy chose to run for the NVC Board. Due to her role as a high school counselor, informing students about the various certificates and degrees available at NVC, how to enroll at the college, and access financial aid and available support services, Amy brought a wealth of knowledge with her to the Board.
She has proven to be a representative who will serve the students and public well by asking the tough questions when needed, overseeing both educational quality and the budget, and keeping the mission of NVC (student success) in the forefront.
When I look to support candidates for a local seat, I research what experience they have in that field, their personal work history, and their connections in the community. A candidate for a college board with personal experience in the education field is a much-added bonus when representing constituents, especially students and faculty.
Amy Martenson has been a teacher and school counselor for our local public school system for 24 years and, as one of only two educators on the board, has served us well for the past four years. Her opponent has no experience in the field of education and does not have experience having served on a public board either (Editor's note: Jeff Dodd responds below).
When candidates announce their plan to run for public office, their first words in writing let you know exactly on what they plan to focus. In Amy’s press release announcing her candidacy, she mentioned right upfront “teaching and learning.” On the other hand, her opponent, a land use attorney who represents industry, stated that his priority was developing the undeveloped land on the main campus using public-private partnerships. While he mentioned that it would be for student success, one of the specific project’s he mentioned, “affordable housing,” has yet to be identified as an educational need in the college’s Educational Master Plan, a point Amy mentioned in both candidate forums that I attended.
Whereas Amy’s opponent has centered in on using public-private partnerships as the way to finance new development projects on campus, Amy has pointed out the pitfalls of this method of financing. She has advocated that instead the college finance and operate any future development projects itself, not through a general obligation bond that would raise local property taxes, but by taking out a revenue bond. She has pointed out that public entities get better interest rates than private ones and don’t have to build in profit beyond what is needed to pay back the revenue bond and maintain the facility, which results in a less expensive project with the cost savings passed off to students, in this case in the form of lower rents.
After much discussion for the past several years, the college has just recently begun to seek out a planner to investigate the feasibility of student housing on campus. The college’s enrollment has been decreasing in recent years and is anticipated to continue to decrease. In addition, 90 percent of the current student population comes from Napa County and the surrounding counties. So, why this big push for housing? Are developers frothing at the mouth at the chance to use public land for private benefit?
The mission of Napa Valley College states that the college “is committed to student achievement through high-quality programs and services that are continuously evaluated and improved.” How does student housing fit into the college’s mission? Is housing the most effective way to support student success? Is the college faculty on board? Knowing Amy, she will carefully oversee the process, ask important questions, and not be bought by developers promising the moon while delivering the swamp.
When choosing a trustee for Area 2 for the NVC Board, please consider Amy Martenson’s personal dedication to local public education, her record while serving on the Board, and who is supporting her versus that of her opponent. One does not need to look too deeply to see that Amy Martenson is the clear choice for the Napa Valley College Board.
Katie Aaron
Napa
Editor's Note: Jeff Dodd responds to point out that he does have experience in education and on public boards. He says "I have served as a board member of Connolly Ranch Education Center for the past 5 years and lectured at UC Davis on environmental law issues. I have also served on public boards, including the Napa County Parks & Opens Space District Advisory Committee and the Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee. (FYI: Both boards were subject to the Brown Act.)"
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Amy Martenson earned our votes for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, October 28, 2018
Recently, Amy Martenson knocked on my door and asked for my vote. She is asking to be re-elected to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees where she has served for the last four years.
Not knowing Amy, we began an in-depth discussion of the issues and challenges at Napa College. By the way, my wife and I generally do not vote to re-elect incumbents because of the inherent dangers of corruption so Amy had her work cut out for her to convince us to vote for her. She also had to pass the unintended scrutiny by me as a psychologist. She did extremely well.
In fact, after several critical discussions and careful review of the other candidate’s credentials, we not only gave her our votes but agreed to participate in her campaign for re-election.
So why did we decide that Amy should be re-elected? First, since it is a college board trusteeship she is seeking, being a 20-plus year veteran Napa Valley teacher and master’s-level counselor, she has first-hand knowledge and understanding that is critical to benefiting students, faculty and administration.
Second, Amy has demonstrated sound fiscal policy which has resulted in data-driven financial planning and has stabilized the college’s reserve fund from the minimum 5 percent required by law to a more effective 13 percent.
Third, she is committed to transparency and as chair of the Audit and Finance Committee, she has implemented an on-line posting of the subcommittee’s minutes for public viewing.
Fourth, which is a bonus, Amy is personable, energetic, articulate and candid in her speech and manner.
It is our hope that when Amy is re-elected, she will continue her work building coalitions that improve sound fiscal policy and transparency to strengthen the important work of advancing higher education at Napa Valley College.
Gary and Beverly Mills
Napa
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Time for leaders to step up on climate change
Napa Valley Register, October 27, 2018
People are retreating from coastal lands and island nations are disappearing from planet Earth. Unprecedented flooding and destruction from hurricanes and monsoons have struck the coastal panhandle of Florida, the Carolinas, the Hawaiian Islands, India, and the Philippines, just this hurricane season 2018.
The Napa County has many land features that are coastal, such as the Napa River, which is tidal all the way to Hardman Lane just north of Trancas Street, bay-lands in American Canyon and vast wetlands in Carneros are part of San Pablo Bay. Therefore, ocean influences impact downtown Napa and Napa Valley College.
Amy Martenson and Xulio Soriano are two candidates for the Napa Valley College Board who understand that the 45 acres of undeveloped land on the northern portion of the main campus are valuable natural resources, including tidal marshes, wetlands, and stream habitats. Both candidates spent several hours hiking with me, a local watershed expert stakeholder, the college open space near the Napa River and college wetlands to thoroughly understand the importance of sea rise and inundation on the future of the college.
There is a rare and incredible opportunity for Napa Valley College to restore and protect these natural resources for the benefit of the students and public at large, and to plan for sea rise in relation to any possible future development, because the college is in the process of developing a 20-year Main Campus Master Plan.
I have been to several Napa Valley College Board of Trustees meetings over the last two years, explaining the importance of coastal inundation, planning, and possible retreat. The only person on this current board who has expressed an interest in learning more about climate change, inundation/sea rise, and planning for the 45 acres of open space on the northern portion of the college campus is Trustee Amy Martenson. She understands the issue the college faces and so does the “breath of fresh air,” newcomer candidate, Xulio Soriano.
Both candidates have shown an interest in planning for sea rise and inundation as part of the college master planning process. They understand that building now where the sea will be by 2050 is a violation of the public trust, wasteful, and lacks vision and foresight. If Amy is re-elected and Xulio is elected, they could swing a majority vote on the college Board to plan for sea inundation in the 20-year Main Campus Master Plan.
Right now, the NVC baseball field floods regularly in the winter. Sea rise and ocean inundation will slowly take land away from the undeveloped northwestern portion of the college, leaving only the northeastern portion as developable. The college needs focused planning to restore and protect precious natural resources and to determine the best use of the scarce developable land in the 20-year Main Campus Master Plan, without taking the option of leaving all of it in open space off the table.
All coastal areas of the nine Bay Area counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay voted in June 7, 2016 by 70 percent of the voters to pass the San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution and Flooding Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure AA. This passage is now taxing each parcel $12/year.
This $25 million per year is now available to each county and would cover the cost for Napa Valley College to restore and conserve its wetlands, and relocate its baseball field to higher ground, if desired. For more information see: sfbayrestore.org. For more information on specifics of coastal inundation go to sealevel.climatecentral.org.
Not only is Amy Martenson an incumbent, but she is one of only two educators on the Napa Valley College Board. She will help ensure that campus master planning for the future lands of the college is transparent, data-driven, and tied to an educational need through the college's educational master planning process, driven by faculty to serve the college’s core mission-- student achievement.
Xulio brings the viewpoint of native indigenous respect of nature along with expert vision for student diversity and social justice. He has a keen vision to the future. Soriano proposes a campus-specific climate action plan as part of his “Seven Generations Platform.” He wants to make sure we consider the social inequities and hardships that climate impacts could have upon the college and the community at large.
There is no better time than now for all leaders to step up and protect our natural resources, such as wetlands, marshlands, riparian areas, and forests for the buffer we need as sea rises from climate change, while we rally to reduce carbon and other greenhouse gases that are destroying the climate rhythm we once had.
Chris Malan
Napa
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Support Amy Martenson for reelection
Napa Valley Register, October 27, 2018
Well, the fall season is upon us. Excitement is in the air as October graces us with our beloved annual traditions: changes in the weather, commencement of harvest celebrations, football rivalries, the switch to daylight saving times, and Halloween pageantry. All this would not be complete with the "October surprise."
Yes, as sure as you can count on the above-mentioned festivities to occur, rest assured you can count on some political campaign to unleash a headline-grabbing smear of their opponent’s reputation strategically timed with the mailing of the voter ballots, so there is little time for the target to defend oneself.
Recently, an anonymous source leaked an internal Napa Valley College email regarding an issue that was resolved amicably last April. Following a discussion back in April regarding Trustee Martenson emailing a college employee to ask about the vineyard, breaking an unwritten board rule against trustees contacting college employees for information, fellow board members removed Ms. Martenson as the subject of focus and broadened the discussion to include all trustees.
As a taxpayer watchdog, I am interested in promoting good governance and fairness to all. I have worked with Ms. Martenson over the past four years, and I can assure you that she is a dedicated, honest, hardworking individual that places the best interest of the NVC students and community above all.
Amy’s campaign has remained positive and focused on her professional experience and achievements while on the board, including many needed reforms in terms of increased financial oversight and transparency. As one of two educators on the board (24 years as a teacher and school counselor with our local school district), she strives to keep the college leadership focused on student success and pushes the board to adopt policies for public benefit.
Don’t be taken in by the use of underhanded tactics designed to desecrate a good person’s reputation to sway the outcome of an election. People that employ such negative campaign tactics really show you what they are made of. Keep it clean, and stick to debating the issues and a vision for the future of the organization you are serving.
Vote for Amy Martenson for NVC Trustee, so she can continue to serve our students and the public.
Tom Orlando
Former City of American Canyon Councilmember & Mayor
Director, Napa County Taxpayers Association
Editor's Note: College officials say that while there is no specific rule explicitly forbidding contact between trustees and faculty, the lines of communication and proper procedures for communicating concerns are spelled out clearly in board policy D1140 and Standard IV of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges's accreditation standards.
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Vote Amy Martenson for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, October 25, 2018
This letter is in support of Amy Martenson’s campaign for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
I met Amy about nine years ago as part of a cultural excursion group that traveled to Peru. Some say that much can be learned about a person while traveling together, and I do agree. I was very impressed by Amy’s knowledge, passion and kindness. Ever since, I have been able to know her more, in different capacities, and the more I know her, the more respect and admiration I have for her.
Amy is good-hearted, conscientious, and smart. I strongly believe these are critical characteristics for anyone who holds any public office.
Amy is passionate about her beliefs and advocates for what she believes is right, which I think is courageous and especially important now, given the political climate of the country.
Inclusivity is important to her, and personally, I greatly appreciated that Amy took the time to ensure that her campaign materials were translated into Spanish. Many candidates ignore that so many of our Napa County residents are bilingual or monolingual, speaking only Spanish. She acknowledged that need in our community and addressed it in her campaign. That's commendable.
Amy has dedicated her professional occupation to serving our local schools. Not only does she have experience teaching in the classroom and working directly with students, but she has also served our local district as a counselor. Amy understands and believes in public education. If I’m not mistaken, currently, she is the only educator on the NVC board of trustees.
Why am I supporting Amy? You can count on her to ask the right questions. Inquiries are imperative on boards, and they often lead to necessary action or at the very least provide thought for self-auditing and/or reflection. That is what I expect from elected officials: to completely inform themselves prior to making a decision that will affect thousands of students, faculty and staff.
Amy is honorable and holds herself to a high level of integrity. In a world in which so many of our politicians are tempted by special interest groups, let us not forget that a diverse board is probably a good foundation for good decision making and just what our students deserve. What good will it do to have everyone on the board agree on everything? What would be the point in having boards?
I propose being more inclusive of diversity of thought. Vote for Amy.
Maria L. Bernal
Fairfield
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Letter presented false timeline
Napa Valley Register, October 22, 2018
As a librarian, educator, citizen and elected representative of this community who strives to be well informed, I am deeply distressed by the decision of our local newspaper to publish something so verifiably false ("Vote Jeff Dodd for Napa Valley College trustee," Oct. 19).
Since the facts have been held in such light regard, even for an “opinion” section, I would like to take a moment to explain them as simply as possible.
The meeting referenced in this letter had not been called to approve establishing a shelter at the college. The shelter had in fact already been in full operation for several days. The date of the meeting was that of the board’s regularly scheduled meeting. However, in the chaos that ensued with the immediate response to the fires, the meeting had not been properly noticed as is required by law (Brown Act).
Not two weeks prior to this meeting, a letter from the District Attorney’s office informed the board that it had been put “on notice” regarding prior technical violations of the Brown Act and admonished members that future violations could result in criminal prosecution.
Ms. Martenson’s motion to postpone the meeting in question was made out of concern that the meeting had not been properly noticed. It was further stated during the meeting by Ms. Martenson and myself that while the county and surrounding areas were undoubtedly experiencing an emergency—in fact several staff and Trustees’ homes were threatened—nothing on the agenda necessitated an emergency meeting by legal definition.
After verifying with college staff that all items on the agenda could wait until proper notice had been made, Ms. Martenson made the motion to postpone to ensure compliance with the law. I seconded that motion. Again, this had no bearing whatsoever on the college’s response to the fires, which all the Trustees agree was remarkable.
As in all elections, there has been much misrepresentation and twisting of facts here. I urge all Napans, regardless of whom they are inclined to support for office, to look beyond rhetoric and hyperbole and investigate the facts before casting their ballots.
Jennifer Baker, Trustee
Napa Valley College
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Vote Jeff Dodd for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, October 18, 2018
Editor's Note: The timeline presented in this letter is incorrect. The emergency shelter had opened several days prior to the meeting. The college administration says the emergency meeting was necessary to declare a formal state of emergency in order activate various mutual aid agreements with other jurisdictions, recover costs related to the fire response, and grant the board more flexibility to make decisions in an emergency. Trustees Amy Martenson and Jennifer Baker complained that meeting had not been properly noticed to the public, as required by the Brown Act on public meetings, and asked for a delay of 72 hours to post a new public notice in accordance with the act. The administration said it had been properly noticed. The rest of the board disagreed with Martenson and Baker and proceeded with the Oct. 12 meeting.
On Oct. 12, 2017 when the valley was on fire with ash raining from the sky, the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees had an emergency meeting in order to make the college a fire victim shelter. Area 2 Trustee Amy Martenson moved for a three-day postponement of this meeting due to lack of proper notice.
This motion was voted down and the college was made a shelter. (See board minutes on college website.)
Vote Jeff Dodd for Area 2 college board trustee.
Debra Inman
Napa
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Amy Martenson and Beth Goff will refocus Napa Valley College on student achievement
Napa Valley Register, October 9, 2018
I am proud to recommend two bright and dedicated fellow educators who are running for election to the Napa Valley College Board: Amy Martenson (incumbent) for Area 2 (central Napa and Alta Heights) and Beth Goff for Area 3 (American Canyon). I met both candidates at American Canyon Middle School, where we taught together for over seven years.
Amy Martenson has been devoted to education in Napa for the past 24 years. Her devotion has not stopped with her chosen profession as a high school teacher (at Vintage High School) and school counselor (at American Canyon Middle School and Valley Oak High School). Amy has also given her personal time over the past four years to her current elected position on the Board of Trustees at Napa Valley College.
Beth Goff has worked as a teacher in American Canyon for over 17 years (at American Canyon Middle School and American Canyon High School). She has modeled for her students a commitment to the American Canyon community through her volunteer work on the American Canyon Parks and Community Services Commission and the American Canyon Chamber of Commerce.
I know that these two educators have the professional knowledge and expertise to fulfill a key responsibility of the board: monitoring institutional performance and educational quality. They both recognize that the primary mission of any educational institution is to support student achievement with quality programs and services that are evaluated and improved continuously.
In their collective professions, their experiences have included several federal and state mandates, including the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the California State Adoption of Common Core Standards in 2010, and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
When each of these legislative mandates was passed, Martenson and Goff participated in professional development and extensive planning with administrators and fellow teachers. They are well-versed in the language of differentiated instruction, outcome-based learning, multiple measures of assessment, response to intervention, and research-based practices to increase student achievement.
In January 2018, California Assembly Bill 705 passed and will require community colleges to use high school grades and course work, instead of placement tests, to place students in college-level classes, thus increasing access to college-level coursework. Every college is required to maximize the probability that a student will enter and complete transfer-level coursework in English and math within a one-year time frame.
As the college’s professors will now have students with a greater variety of skill levels within their classrooms, this new law requires leadership that is knowledgeable about best practices in teaching and learning.
Martenson and Goff have extensive experience in creating supportive, yet rigorous, academic environments for high school students of varying abilities. They are especially skilled in ensuring access for students of low socio-economic backgrounds and students of color, which is a growing population at the college and one that has been disproportionately put into remedial classes.
I cannot imagine two candidates who are more prepared to support the college in implementing this new law. They recognize the value of professional development for administrators and faculty as they continue to prepare for this new change.
In March 2016, the Educational Master Plan for the college was approved by the Board of Trustees without any goals or strategies related to student achievement (despite Martenson’s request for the Board to direct the college president to add a goal focused in this area). The Educational Master Plan will come under review again in spring of 2019. I know that if Martenson and Goff are elected, student achievement will be the primary focus, and faculty will be appropriately supported in the development and implementation of the Plan.
I am proud to support Amy Martenson for re-election to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees in Area 2, and I am delighted to support Beth Goff for election in Area 3. I have no doubt that these two passionate and intelligent women will continue to make a positive difference in student lives through their work on the Napa Valley College Board.
Amy Stark, NVUSD Teacher
Napa
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Napa Valley College board candidates reach out to voters at campus forum
Napa Valley Register, October 5, 2018
A month before Election Day, five candidates made their cases to voters for the right to help guide Napa Valley College over the next four years.
A candidates’ night Thursday at NVC brought together trustees Amy Martenson, Kyle Iverson and Mary Ann Mancuso, who represent three of the community college’s seven Napa County districts and are facing competitors on the Nov. 6 ballot. Also speaking were Beth Goff, an American Canyon High School teacher running for Mancuso’s seat in Area 3, and Xulio Soriano, a community organizer who is matched against Area 4 incumbent Iverson.
Organized by the League of Women Voters of Napa County, the forum at the NVC library was the first of two candidate showcases on campus on consecutive nights, with a debate planned for Friday by the Associated Students of Napa Valley College.
Taking questions from an audience of about 50 people, board candidates on Thursday laid out their achievements in NVC’s service – or the changes they hope to spark.
Martenson, who was elected in 2014 along with Iverson, promised to continue pressing her fellow trustees, and the college, toward greater openness and financial watchfulness.
“When I ran four years ago I ran on transparency and also fiscal responsibility and accessibility, and I’ve made tangible, positive changes in those areas at the college,” she said, pointing to her advocacy of sharing meeting videos online and avoiding deficit spending.
Soriano, a local advocate for the rights of Latinos and indigenous peoples, pledged to focus on closing the achievement gap for minority students at NVC. Key to that goal, he said, will be pushing the college to quickly comply with Assembly Bill 705, which took effect this year and restricts the steering of junior college enrollees into remedial courses – a practice critics say disproportionately slows the progress of minority students.
“I’m known as a bridge-builder in the community, and I will continue to do the same as a trustee,” said Soriano, a former NVC student who now leads the advocacy group Movimiento Cultural de la Union Indígena.
Goff told voters to expect from her the perspective of a longtime educator with years of community service in American Canyon, where she has been a parks commissioner and Chamber of Commerce board member. “I have no political connections at all, and I’m not political at all, because I don’t think this position should be political,” she said.
Among the questions posed by spectators Thursday, how NVC should expand the scope of its Napa campus – and especially whether to find a private development partner or go it alone – proved one of the sharpest dividing lines among the candidates.
Board members Mancuso and Iverson backed the idea of using public-private partnerships for possible additions such as a “student village” of on-campus housing and retail, or a rail service center for the Napa Valley Wine Train that also could provide technical and hospitality training.
Mancuso expressed support for such deals “in the right situations” and with fair labor practices, while Iverson argued that putting a developer in charge of fundraising will spare NVC officials from the whim of county voters who otherwise would control the fate of bonds.
“Rather than going for a general obligation bond that’s going to hit all of us in our property taxes, we should look at utilizing some of the assets on campus,” he said.
“It can help us for not having to be the person who’s running the business,” said Mancuso. “We don’t have to be the landlord; we don’t have to be the coffeeshop manager.”
However, such partnerships drew pushback from Martenson – who in board discussions has criticized applying the idea to campus housing – as well as Goff, who was wary of sticking students with higher fees they said private-sector builders could charge to make back their investment.
“If Napa Valley College builds housing using a revenue bond instead of a private partner, every single bit of rent can go to pay off that financing,” replied Goff. “If you put a private partner in there, not only will it be more expensive in the long run, they have a motivation to make money – and that means our students will pay more in rent to not only cover the bond but also to make profits for the private entity. At this point, I’m not really sold on it.”
Any proposal to leverage college land and resources – even in the direct service of students – demands the strictest and most public scrutiny, according to Soriano.
“I’m protective of taxpayer money and taxpayer-owned land, so if we’re going to decide something, throw it out there because we need to make sure we get the best deal,” he told the audience.
Martenson’s Area 2 challenger Jeff Dodd, an environmental lawyer and the son of state Sen. Bill Dodd, was unable to attend the Thursday forum because of a work commitment, according to event organizers. Area 5 trustee Michael Baldini is running unopposed.
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Reelect Amy Martenson as Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, September 24, 2018
Amy Martenson deserves reelection to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
In the last four years, she has shown her passion for education, responsiveness to constituents, and effectiveness as a board member. She has listened, asked questions, and looked for solutions. Her appointment as chair of the board’s Audit and Finance Committee speaks volumes about how her peers view her dedication to stewardship of this great Napa County resource. I will give three examples (there are more) that exemplify her performance.
I met Amy during her 2014 campaign. A month after taking office, she asked for advice about the college’s investment policy, knowing I had been an elected official and legal counsel to several public agencies before retiring to Napa. With District investments of about $27 million, she knew trustee oversight of the investment policy was not a minor responsibility.
Amy thought the policy appeared unduly lax. She was right. After studying state requirements and policies of other community colleges, she worked with staff to propose a revised policy restricting investments to the County Investment Pool unless otherwise approved by the board. The board agreed and adopted her proposed revisions.
In early 2017, concerns were raised about NVC’s long-talked-about (since at least 2013) planning for campus housing. Members of the public urged the board to focus on affordable housing and to hire an independent project manager to represent the college, not one in the pocket of a developer. Amy urged the board, without avail, to provide guidance to staff along those lines.
Months later, NVC administrators reported at a board meeting that it had three proposed developers to interview; Amy again called for the board to support her request to seek someone to give independent advice. After lengthy board discussion and uncertainty by some members, the board eventually concurred, giving the administration clear direction. The College has yet to retain any campus housing planner, independent or otherwise.
At the April 2018 board meeting, it appeared that some trustees were unaware of a state-mandated duty of board members to receive from whistleblowers confidential complaints of improper activities. After the meeting, I formally requested NVC board policy be revised to include those whistleblower protections.
I then alerted the board’s Audit and Finance Committee that the current NVC policy not only fails to mention certain specifically mandated whistleblower protections, but that auditors, regardless of legal mandates, universally recommend a robust whistleblower policy, together with a program to educate employees about ways to report suspected improper activities.
My request, with a proposed amended board policy, patterned on provisions found in other districts, appeared on the NVC Board’s June agenda. Amy made a motion, which was seconded by Trustee Baker, to expedite staff review and submission to the board. When the College President personally committed to review the suggested changes and bring it back to the board after faculty returned from summer break, the motion became unnecessary.
Thank you, Amy, for your leadership.
Gary Orton
Napa
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Amy Martenson is the people's candidate for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, September 23, 2018
I am writing in support of Amy Martenson, who is running for re-election for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees. Amy is one of the most qualified candidates to be on the Board, having dedicated over 24 years of her life to the students of Napa County and their educational success, first as a high school teacher, then a school guidance counselor with at-risk youth.
She has in-depth knowledge of the educational and vocational needs of our students and how to help them achieve their goals. In addition to the professional knowledge and experience she brings to the college are her personal qualities of impeccable honesty, transparency, a strong sense of ethics, and a passion to serve her community and to protect the health and welfare of its citizens and our environment.
I met Amy in 2012, when I began volunteering with the organization Label GMOs to pass Proposition 37 to label genetically engineered foods in California. Amy was the coordinator for our county.
Immediately, I was impressed with how skilled she was at coordinating a diverse group of people, tactfully dealing with difficult personalities and helping everyone stay focused on the goals. As I eventually joined her as co-coordinator, and we worked together beyond Prop. 37, my respect and admiration for her have only grown.
I have seen that she is skilled at reaching out to stakeholders of varied interests to work toward goals for the common good, and she is fearless about speaking up for what is fair and right, even when powerful interests oppose.
These skills have been very useful in her first term on the board at Napa Valley College, as not all board members were as interested in being more transparent and in making board meetings more accessible to the public as Amy.
However, due to her leadership and persistence on this issue, Board meetings are now video recorded, and minutes are now taken at the board’s subcommittee meetings, and both are published online. Amy has also been steering the board toward better fiscal management, bravely being the only board member not to vote for the first budget that came before her, because it was a deficit budget during good economic times.
Although that budget passed, a message was sent, and since then, all the budgets that have been presented to the board for adoption have been balanced ones, and the college has more than doubled its budget reserve.
As a true progressive, Amy accepts no money from corporations and businesses, which might leave her beholden to their special interests. As a result, she does not have the biggest signs, and I am sure she will not have slick mailers.
Unlike her opponent, Amy is not the child of a State Senator and cannot boast that she has the endorsement of most of Napa’s political establishment. However, let’s not forget that the local officials who have endorsed her opponent’s campaign have repeatedly put the interests of the wine industry, tourism, and unchecked development above the needs and wishes of citizens who live here.
Lastly, Amy has dedicated her life to helping others through the field of education and volunteering to protect public health and the environment.
Meanwhile, her opponent, as a land use and “environmental attorney,” has chosen to represent clients, such as Syar Industries and the Halls, in support of projects that have drawn criticism from the local community due to their environmental and social impacts.
We need more independent, corporate-free candidates in elected office--candidates who are qualified and have demonstrated their commitment to the general public.
If you look into the history of Amy’s service to our students and community and her positions while serving on the college Board in her present term, I am sure you will agree that Amy Martenson is the grassroots choice “for the people” of Napa. Please join me in voting to re-elect Amy for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
Carol Nagle,
Napa
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Amy Martenson is moving Napa Valley College forward
Napa Valley Register, September 6, 2018
I am supporting Amy Martenson for reelection as Napa Valley College trustee because my wish is to promote dedicated people to run the college.
I did not know Amy before she was elected college trustee in 2014, but I certainly got to know her afterwards. Attending college trustee meetings over the past four years, I saw Amy work within the system to focus the cooperation of teachers, staff, trustees and administration toward common goals.
And, in doing so, she has worked hard with great ideas always guiding meetings and the college administration toward transparency and responsiveness to balance the needs of the college and the public. She is a friend of taxpayers and she has an abiding goal to guide the college toward excellence as an educational institution making our community proud.
Amy is a leader and has been dedicated and steadfast in her goals to make the college the best education institution it can be. As I watched, I saw it was largely due to her hard work and dedication that the college budget is now balanced and has a healthy financial reserve; the nursing program has survived its crisis and the reaccreditation process has been successful.
Largely due to her foresight, the college did not attempt another tax election in 2018 because of the dismal voter polling.
Amy’s leadership role at the college is not done and she is laser focused on guiding Napa Valley College toward building upon its potential to excel in its educational goals as a valued asset in this community.
Leon Brauning
Napa
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Martenson is an asset to the Napa Valley College Board
Napa Valley Register, August 27, 2018
It my pleasure to support Amy Martenson for the position of Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
I worked with Amy for five years, while she was the school counselor at Valley Oak High School and I was facilitating drug and alcohol prevention groups on campus for the Wolfe Center. I regularly collaborated with Amy to do outreach to students to give them an opportunity to refer themselves to these groups and to track their progress, discussing any issues as they arose.
I observed Amy to be professional, conscientious and compassionate and a person of great integrity. She is also an effective and caring communicator. I discovered that Amy was a person I could rely on to meet her commitments to both students and her colleagues.
Working with at-risk students means working with a very diverse population culturally and socioeconomically, and in terms of students’ interpersonal functional ability. Amy always cared for and worked to inspire youth who came from very difficult home environments. She worked to not only keep her students engaged with their education but would also help meet other, more basic needs like food, clothing, and shoes for her students.
She would provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space to help students work through any emotional issues they were experiencing. For some of the students, Amy was more than a guidance counselor; she was a trusted friend.
In addition, as a high school counselor, part of Amy’s job was to inform students about their options after high school, including programs at Napa Valley College, and to help students transition. As a result, Amy has firsthand knowledge of the programs and services that are available and the barriers to students accessing them, and she brings that knowledge with her to the Board.
From my experience working with various boards, sometimes board members lose sight of the population they are supposed to serve, allowing personal ambitions and/or special interests to get in the way. With Amy as your representative on the Napa Valley College Board, you can be assured that she will always put the best interests of students first.
I believe Amy Martenson is an asset to the Napa Valley College Board and should be reelected to serve the community and the college for four more years.
James Nicolis
Vallejo
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A teacher's choice for Napa Valley College Board
Napa Valley Register, August 16, 2018
Amy Martenson is an educator with 24 years of experience in Napa schools, and since her election four years ago has filled a critical role on the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees. She brings her background in K-12 education and school counseling to her fellow board members, as they develop and oversee educational policy and provide direction to the college president to fulfill the college’s mission.
As a teacher, I began working with Amy in 2006 at American Canyon Middle School, where she served as school counselor to over 900 students. She quickly became a trusted colleague, gaining the support of both students and teachers. During this time, she introduced several new school-wide research-based prevention programs to build a safe, positive learning environment on campus. She successfully gained the buy-in of administrators, teachers, and staff to implement them and make them a reality. These programs became defining elements of our school’s culture and still exist today because of her leadership.
Over the past few years, I have followed her work on the college board and can say that every action she has taken and decision she has made has been in the best interest of the student population she serves. There are few people who engage with their work as passionately as Amy, and none better qualified to serve on the Napa Valley College Board.
Amy understands the importance of working with the whole student, providing support services to help students as they continue on their path toward a degree, learn a valuable trade, or grow in their career with continuing education. She also understands the importance of continually assessing the campus culture and attending to it, knowing that employees and students perform best when they feel safe and respected.
Her personal values, knowledge, and professionalism are in perfect alignment with the college’s mission of being “committed to student achievement through high-quality programs and services that are continuously evaluated and improved.”
I am proud to support Amy Martenson for re-election to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
Miriam Kaufman
Napa
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A poem supporting Amy Martenson
Napa Valley Register, August 6, 2018
Rise up from the working class trip
Educate our people for active citizenship
Keep the road to equality open for all
Let us all be free and part of society
Amy Martenson gives us all a chance
To make it above
In a college that treats all with love
This woman has lots of experience
In education and common sense
She should continue to be
A trustee at NVC
Vote for Amy and let it be
Amy Martenson for trustee.
Craig Payne
Napa
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Support Amy Martenson reelection as Napa Valley Trustee
Napa Valley Register, July 24, 2018
This letter is in support of Amy Martenson who is seeking re-election to the Napa Valley College Board for the area in which I live— Area 2.
With over 20 years of experience in education in Napa County, Amy’s dedication to the youth in the community is evident, and her impact has been felt by thousands of students, of whom I am one. As one of Amy’s former history students at Vintage High School, I have personally been influenced by her as an educator.
Having spent time as a substitute teacher and in administrative roles in schools, I can attest to the challenges of keeping the interest of students in a classroom. You can stick to the book and teach very literally, risking losing the focus of your audience to a sea of words, or you can teach how Amy taught.
Amy took the words off the page and engaged the classroom, and related, when she could, what she was teaching to current and relevant issues. She also related U.S. history to the rest of the world and tied together past and current events. It was clear that she could get on the students’ level and really cared that we understood the significance of the subject.
Amy’s ability to communicate with and concern for students in the classroom easily translate into her being able to represent them as a member of the college board.
Napa Valley College has its own importance to me as it was part of my college experience on my way to, and while I was attending, the University of San Francisco. I feel strongly that Napa Valley College is an incredibly important part of our community as a path to higher education for those seeking it. For this reason, I am even more interested in the leadership of the college and confident that Amy is the right choice for this role.
I encourage other residents in Area 2 to vote for Amy Martenson for the Napa Valley College Board in November.
Tara Blum Clark
Napa
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We support Amy Martenson for Napa Valley College Trustee
Napa Valley Register, July 17, 2018
Amy Martenson has announced her candidacy for a second term with the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees, and we are writing this letter to express our support. We have known Amy since her childhood as a very close friend of our daughter and have always taken pride in recognizing her as an extended family member.
Amy is a Napa native and a product of our local public schools, attending Northwood Elementary School, Redwood Middle School, and Vintage High School with our daughter. Never skipping a beat on her education, Amy earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in school counseling.
Her education and life experience have served her well in her role as a teacher and school counselor for the Napa Valley Unified School District for many years. She has dedicated her life to assisting students in need, helping to remove barriers to their academic success. Her choice to serve on the Napa Valley College Board is a natural extension of that drive to serve students in the pursuit of their education.
Amy has frequently visited our home and has never fallen short on her manners and positive outlook on life, while sharing her views on history, politics, and the environment. She is blessed with unique qualities essential to bringing people together for a common cause. She has always displayed a high level of integrity and has been committed to being accessible and transparent to gain the trust of those she serves.
She will continue representing the public with dedication, her down-to-earth philosophy, and a steadfast commitment to students’ continuing education.
My family takes great pride in endorsing Amy for her second term for this trusted office. Please join us in supporting Amy Martenson for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees, so she can continue serving the public interest.
Bob and Connie Boucher
Napa
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Amy Martenson pursues second term as Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, July 11, 2018
One of the newcomers elected four years ago to the board of Napa Valley College will seek a second term.
Amy Martenson, whom voters chose for the NVC board of trustees in 2014, announced her re-election campaign in a news release Tuesday. The longtime Napa high school teacher and counselor represents the college’s Area 2, which includes downtown Napa, the Alta Heights neighborhood to the east and the alphabet streets west of Jefferson Street.
A campaign kickoff and fundraiser is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. July 24 at Silo’s, 530 Main St. in downtown Napa.
As she had during her election campaign, Martenson pledged to push NVC leaders toward greater transparency with students, faculty and county residents, as well as disciplined fiscal management. She also promised to make the improvement of student achievements her top priority.
“More than ever, the college needs leaders who are passionate and knowledgeable about teaching and learning,” said Martenson, who has taught and counseled within the Napa Valley Unified School District since 1994.
Martenson won her NVC trustee seat with 58 percent of the vote, unseating the Area 2 incumbent Bruce Ketron. She was one of two newcomers elected to the college board in the 2014 race, joining Kyle Iverson in Area 4.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Martenson
Tel: 707-337-8968
Email: [email protected]
Napa, CA, July 10, 2018--
Martenson Kicks off Campaign for Napa Valley College Board Re-election
Napa native and local educator, Amy Martenson, has announced that she will run for re-election this November to continue representing Area 2 on the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees. Area 2 includes Alta Heights, Downtown, and the letter streets in Napa.
Having earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from UC Berkeley, a teaching credential from San Francisco State University, and Master’s degree in School Counseling from Sonoma State University, Martenson has worked for the Napa Valley Unified School District as a high school History teacher and school counselor for twenty-four years.
During the November 2014 election, Martenson ran on a platform of bringing more integrity, transparency, and accessibility to the college Board and was elected with over 58% of the vote, defeating a twelve-year incumbent.
“During the past four years, I have honored my campaign promises, even with entrenched opposition,” Martenson stated. “For example, as a result of my leadership, Board meetings are now videotaped and posted online for public viewing.”
Martenson’s campaign priorities are to continue moving the college forward in terms of being more transparent and responsive to both the college community and the public. She hopes to continue providing oversight to help ensure that the college utilizes best educational and fiscal management practices, and that Board actions are in line with Board policy and the law. Lastly, Martenson seeks to help safeguard the college’s core mission, making sure that the effort to improve student achievement is at the forefront and is driving college decision making.
“Napa Valley College has recently shifted to being ‘community supported,’ in which the college’s state funding is now tied to local property taxes instead of student enrollment. Therefore, the large focus the college has had on public relations efforts designed to increase enrollment can now be re-focused on student success,” said Martenson. “More than ever, the college needs leaders who are passionate and knowledgeable about teaching and learning.”
Some early endorsements for Martenson include Mariko Yamada, Former State Assembly Member; Richard Bennett, Retired Judge; Geoff Ellsworth, St. Helena City Council Member; Ruscal Cayangyang, Vallejo School Board Member and Former Napa Valley College Student Trustee; Sheila Daugherty, Former Napa Valley Unified School Board Member; and, Alex Shantz, Former St. Helena School Board Member and Former Napa Valley College Student Trustee.
Martenson’s campaign kickoff will be held at Silo’s at 530 Main Street in Downtown Napa on Tuesday, July 24th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and is open to the public. It will feature wines donated by Crazy Flower and Pott Wines, appetizers, and a small silent auction. Campaign donations of $20 or more will be collected at the door.
For more information, see Martenson’s website at amymartenson.com.
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Napa Valley Register, October 28, 2018
"Groupthink" is a term derived from George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel "1984" to describe compliance as consensus, passivity as unity, bullying as leadership, and self-deception as conviction. It captures the dangers and dysfunctions that can deform our institutions.
In 2014, the Napa Valley Register endorsed Amy Martenson for the Napa Valley College Board stating, “She strikes us as a person who will do some much-needed rocking of the boat.”
The NVR found the board had been complacent, overly deferential to the college president, and intolerant of asking critical questions. By his own admission to the NVR, Martenson’s opponent, a 12-year incumbent, claimed to have opposed the cement-blockhouse design of the new performing arts center but feared board repercussions if he spoke out.
Of course, in Groupthink language the board told him he needed to be a “team player.”
Let this example of the college board’s Groupthink mentality sink in for a minute. Maybe if this trustee had expressed his doubts, and the board had not been so deferential to “the experts,” we all would have been spared an eyesore.
It is sad to see recent letters to the editor continuing to demand conformity, manufactured consent, and passivity of our leaders. We deserve better, especially for places of higher education, which have a long history of encouraging, protecting, and valuing the open exchange of ideas.
Amy, in her first term, has followed through on her pledge to ask tough questions and bring transparency to the board, two things that convinced the 2014 NVR editorial board to endorse her. She did not shrink from this pledge despite bullying efforts to punish her for the temerity of asking questions and voting her conscience to improve the college. And, in the process, she has been able to instigate some changes.
We need more leaders like Trustee Amy Martenson and candidates Beth Goff and Xulio Soriano, people who are qualified, unafraid to speak up, and not susceptible to Groupthink.
Gary Orton
Napa
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Amy Martenson: the clear choice for Napa Valley College Board
Napa Valley Register, October 28, 2018
Four years ago, I supported Napa Valley College Board Trustee Amy Martenson. In 2018, I will do the same. Amy’s commitment to public education has deep roots. I witnessed that commitment and Amy’s dedication to local students, while teaching with her in the History department at Vintage High School.
In 2014, while helping youth prepare for life after high school as the counselor at Valley Oak High School here in Napa, Amy chose to run for the NVC Board. Due to her role as a high school counselor, informing students about the various certificates and degrees available at NVC, how to enroll at the college, and access financial aid and available support services, Amy brought a wealth of knowledge with her to the Board.
She has proven to be a representative who will serve the students and public well by asking the tough questions when needed, overseeing both educational quality and the budget, and keeping the mission of NVC (student success) in the forefront.
When I look to support candidates for a local seat, I research what experience they have in that field, their personal work history, and their connections in the community. A candidate for a college board with personal experience in the education field is a much-added bonus when representing constituents, especially students and faculty.
Amy Martenson has been a teacher and school counselor for our local public school system for 24 years and, as one of only two educators on the board, has served us well for the past four years. Her opponent has no experience in the field of education and does not have experience having served on a public board either (Editor's note: Jeff Dodd responds below).
When candidates announce their plan to run for public office, their first words in writing let you know exactly on what they plan to focus. In Amy’s press release announcing her candidacy, she mentioned right upfront “teaching and learning.” On the other hand, her opponent, a land use attorney who represents industry, stated that his priority was developing the undeveloped land on the main campus using public-private partnerships. While he mentioned that it would be for student success, one of the specific project’s he mentioned, “affordable housing,” has yet to be identified as an educational need in the college’s Educational Master Plan, a point Amy mentioned in both candidate forums that I attended.
Whereas Amy’s opponent has centered in on using public-private partnerships as the way to finance new development projects on campus, Amy has pointed out the pitfalls of this method of financing. She has advocated that instead the college finance and operate any future development projects itself, not through a general obligation bond that would raise local property taxes, but by taking out a revenue bond. She has pointed out that public entities get better interest rates than private ones and don’t have to build in profit beyond what is needed to pay back the revenue bond and maintain the facility, which results in a less expensive project with the cost savings passed off to students, in this case in the form of lower rents.
After much discussion for the past several years, the college has just recently begun to seek out a planner to investigate the feasibility of student housing on campus. The college’s enrollment has been decreasing in recent years and is anticipated to continue to decrease. In addition, 90 percent of the current student population comes from Napa County and the surrounding counties. So, why this big push for housing? Are developers frothing at the mouth at the chance to use public land for private benefit?
The mission of Napa Valley College states that the college “is committed to student achievement through high-quality programs and services that are continuously evaluated and improved.” How does student housing fit into the college’s mission? Is housing the most effective way to support student success? Is the college faculty on board? Knowing Amy, she will carefully oversee the process, ask important questions, and not be bought by developers promising the moon while delivering the swamp.
When choosing a trustee for Area 2 for the NVC Board, please consider Amy Martenson’s personal dedication to local public education, her record while serving on the Board, and who is supporting her versus that of her opponent. One does not need to look too deeply to see that Amy Martenson is the clear choice for the Napa Valley College Board.
Katie Aaron
Napa
Editor's Note: Jeff Dodd responds to point out that he does have experience in education and on public boards. He says "I have served as a board member of Connolly Ranch Education Center for the past 5 years and lectured at UC Davis on environmental law issues. I have also served on public boards, including the Napa County Parks & Opens Space District Advisory Committee and the Agricultural Protection Advisory Committee. (FYI: Both boards were subject to the Brown Act.)"
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Amy Martenson earned our votes for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, October 28, 2018
Recently, Amy Martenson knocked on my door and asked for my vote. She is asking to be re-elected to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees where she has served for the last four years.
Not knowing Amy, we began an in-depth discussion of the issues and challenges at Napa College. By the way, my wife and I generally do not vote to re-elect incumbents because of the inherent dangers of corruption so Amy had her work cut out for her to convince us to vote for her. She also had to pass the unintended scrutiny by me as a psychologist. She did extremely well.
In fact, after several critical discussions and careful review of the other candidate’s credentials, we not only gave her our votes but agreed to participate in her campaign for re-election.
So why did we decide that Amy should be re-elected? First, since it is a college board trusteeship she is seeking, being a 20-plus year veteran Napa Valley teacher and master’s-level counselor, she has first-hand knowledge and understanding that is critical to benefiting students, faculty and administration.
Second, Amy has demonstrated sound fiscal policy which has resulted in data-driven financial planning and has stabilized the college’s reserve fund from the minimum 5 percent required by law to a more effective 13 percent.
Third, she is committed to transparency and as chair of the Audit and Finance Committee, she has implemented an on-line posting of the subcommittee’s minutes for public viewing.
Fourth, which is a bonus, Amy is personable, energetic, articulate and candid in her speech and manner.
It is our hope that when Amy is re-elected, she will continue her work building coalitions that improve sound fiscal policy and transparency to strengthen the important work of advancing higher education at Napa Valley College.
Gary and Beverly Mills
Napa
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Time for leaders to step up on climate change
Napa Valley Register, October 27, 2018
People are retreating from coastal lands and island nations are disappearing from planet Earth. Unprecedented flooding and destruction from hurricanes and monsoons have struck the coastal panhandle of Florida, the Carolinas, the Hawaiian Islands, India, and the Philippines, just this hurricane season 2018.
The Napa County has many land features that are coastal, such as the Napa River, which is tidal all the way to Hardman Lane just north of Trancas Street, bay-lands in American Canyon and vast wetlands in Carneros are part of San Pablo Bay. Therefore, ocean influences impact downtown Napa and Napa Valley College.
Amy Martenson and Xulio Soriano are two candidates for the Napa Valley College Board who understand that the 45 acres of undeveloped land on the northern portion of the main campus are valuable natural resources, including tidal marshes, wetlands, and stream habitats. Both candidates spent several hours hiking with me, a local watershed expert stakeholder, the college open space near the Napa River and college wetlands to thoroughly understand the importance of sea rise and inundation on the future of the college.
There is a rare and incredible opportunity for Napa Valley College to restore and protect these natural resources for the benefit of the students and public at large, and to plan for sea rise in relation to any possible future development, because the college is in the process of developing a 20-year Main Campus Master Plan.
I have been to several Napa Valley College Board of Trustees meetings over the last two years, explaining the importance of coastal inundation, planning, and possible retreat. The only person on this current board who has expressed an interest in learning more about climate change, inundation/sea rise, and planning for the 45 acres of open space on the northern portion of the college campus is Trustee Amy Martenson. She understands the issue the college faces and so does the “breath of fresh air,” newcomer candidate, Xulio Soriano.
Both candidates have shown an interest in planning for sea rise and inundation as part of the college master planning process. They understand that building now where the sea will be by 2050 is a violation of the public trust, wasteful, and lacks vision and foresight. If Amy is re-elected and Xulio is elected, they could swing a majority vote on the college Board to plan for sea inundation in the 20-year Main Campus Master Plan.
Right now, the NVC baseball field floods regularly in the winter. Sea rise and ocean inundation will slowly take land away from the undeveloped northwestern portion of the college, leaving only the northeastern portion as developable. The college needs focused planning to restore and protect precious natural resources and to determine the best use of the scarce developable land in the 20-year Main Campus Master Plan, without taking the option of leaving all of it in open space off the table.
All coastal areas of the nine Bay Area counties surrounding the San Francisco Bay voted in June 7, 2016 by 70 percent of the voters to pass the San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution and Flooding Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure AA. This passage is now taxing each parcel $12/year.
This $25 million per year is now available to each county and would cover the cost for Napa Valley College to restore and conserve its wetlands, and relocate its baseball field to higher ground, if desired. For more information see: sfbayrestore.org. For more information on specifics of coastal inundation go to sealevel.climatecentral.org.
Not only is Amy Martenson an incumbent, but she is one of only two educators on the Napa Valley College Board. She will help ensure that campus master planning for the future lands of the college is transparent, data-driven, and tied to an educational need through the college's educational master planning process, driven by faculty to serve the college’s core mission-- student achievement.
Xulio brings the viewpoint of native indigenous respect of nature along with expert vision for student diversity and social justice. He has a keen vision to the future. Soriano proposes a campus-specific climate action plan as part of his “Seven Generations Platform.” He wants to make sure we consider the social inequities and hardships that climate impacts could have upon the college and the community at large.
There is no better time than now for all leaders to step up and protect our natural resources, such as wetlands, marshlands, riparian areas, and forests for the buffer we need as sea rises from climate change, while we rally to reduce carbon and other greenhouse gases that are destroying the climate rhythm we once had.
Chris Malan
Napa
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Support Amy Martenson for reelection
Napa Valley Register, October 27, 2018
Well, the fall season is upon us. Excitement is in the air as October graces us with our beloved annual traditions: changes in the weather, commencement of harvest celebrations, football rivalries, the switch to daylight saving times, and Halloween pageantry. All this would not be complete with the "October surprise."
Yes, as sure as you can count on the above-mentioned festivities to occur, rest assured you can count on some political campaign to unleash a headline-grabbing smear of their opponent’s reputation strategically timed with the mailing of the voter ballots, so there is little time for the target to defend oneself.
Recently, an anonymous source leaked an internal Napa Valley College email regarding an issue that was resolved amicably last April. Following a discussion back in April regarding Trustee Martenson emailing a college employee to ask about the vineyard, breaking an unwritten board rule against trustees contacting college employees for information, fellow board members removed Ms. Martenson as the subject of focus and broadened the discussion to include all trustees.
As a taxpayer watchdog, I am interested in promoting good governance and fairness to all. I have worked with Ms. Martenson over the past four years, and I can assure you that she is a dedicated, honest, hardworking individual that places the best interest of the NVC students and community above all.
Amy’s campaign has remained positive and focused on her professional experience and achievements while on the board, including many needed reforms in terms of increased financial oversight and transparency. As one of two educators on the board (24 years as a teacher and school counselor with our local school district), she strives to keep the college leadership focused on student success and pushes the board to adopt policies for public benefit.
Don’t be taken in by the use of underhanded tactics designed to desecrate a good person’s reputation to sway the outcome of an election. People that employ such negative campaign tactics really show you what they are made of. Keep it clean, and stick to debating the issues and a vision for the future of the organization you are serving.
Vote for Amy Martenson for NVC Trustee, so she can continue to serve our students and the public.
Tom Orlando
Former City of American Canyon Councilmember & Mayor
Director, Napa County Taxpayers Association
Editor's Note: College officials say that while there is no specific rule explicitly forbidding contact between trustees and faculty, the lines of communication and proper procedures for communicating concerns are spelled out clearly in board policy D1140 and Standard IV of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges's accreditation standards.
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Vote Amy Martenson for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, October 25, 2018
This letter is in support of Amy Martenson’s campaign for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
I met Amy about nine years ago as part of a cultural excursion group that traveled to Peru. Some say that much can be learned about a person while traveling together, and I do agree. I was very impressed by Amy’s knowledge, passion and kindness. Ever since, I have been able to know her more, in different capacities, and the more I know her, the more respect and admiration I have for her.
Amy is good-hearted, conscientious, and smart. I strongly believe these are critical characteristics for anyone who holds any public office.
Amy is passionate about her beliefs and advocates for what she believes is right, which I think is courageous and especially important now, given the political climate of the country.
Inclusivity is important to her, and personally, I greatly appreciated that Amy took the time to ensure that her campaign materials were translated into Spanish. Many candidates ignore that so many of our Napa County residents are bilingual or monolingual, speaking only Spanish. She acknowledged that need in our community and addressed it in her campaign. That's commendable.
Amy has dedicated her professional occupation to serving our local schools. Not only does she have experience teaching in the classroom and working directly with students, but she has also served our local district as a counselor. Amy understands and believes in public education. If I’m not mistaken, currently, she is the only educator on the NVC board of trustees.
Why am I supporting Amy? You can count on her to ask the right questions. Inquiries are imperative on boards, and they often lead to necessary action or at the very least provide thought for self-auditing and/or reflection. That is what I expect from elected officials: to completely inform themselves prior to making a decision that will affect thousands of students, faculty and staff.
Amy is honorable and holds herself to a high level of integrity. In a world in which so many of our politicians are tempted by special interest groups, let us not forget that a diverse board is probably a good foundation for good decision making and just what our students deserve. What good will it do to have everyone on the board agree on everything? What would be the point in having boards?
I propose being more inclusive of diversity of thought. Vote for Amy.
Maria L. Bernal
Fairfield
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Letter presented false timeline
Napa Valley Register, October 22, 2018
As a librarian, educator, citizen and elected representative of this community who strives to be well informed, I am deeply distressed by the decision of our local newspaper to publish something so verifiably false ("Vote Jeff Dodd for Napa Valley College trustee," Oct. 19).
Since the facts have been held in such light regard, even for an “opinion” section, I would like to take a moment to explain them as simply as possible.
The meeting referenced in this letter had not been called to approve establishing a shelter at the college. The shelter had in fact already been in full operation for several days. The date of the meeting was that of the board’s regularly scheduled meeting. However, in the chaos that ensued with the immediate response to the fires, the meeting had not been properly noticed as is required by law (Brown Act).
Not two weeks prior to this meeting, a letter from the District Attorney’s office informed the board that it had been put “on notice” regarding prior technical violations of the Brown Act and admonished members that future violations could result in criminal prosecution.
Ms. Martenson’s motion to postpone the meeting in question was made out of concern that the meeting had not been properly noticed. It was further stated during the meeting by Ms. Martenson and myself that while the county and surrounding areas were undoubtedly experiencing an emergency—in fact several staff and Trustees’ homes were threatened—nothing on the agenda necessitated an emergency meeting by legal definition.
After verifying with college staff that all items on the agenda could wait until proper notice had been made, Ms. Martenson made the motion to postpone to ensure compliance with the law. I seconded that motion. Again, this had no bearing whatsoever on the college’s response to the fires, which all the Trustees agree was remarkable.
As in all elections, there has been much misrepresentation and twisting of facts here. I urge all Napans, regardless of whom they are inclined to support for office, to look beyond rhetoric and hyperbole and investigate the facts before casting their ballots.
Jennifer Baker, Trustee
Napa Valley College
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Vote Jeff Dodd for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, October 18, 2018
Editor's Note: The timeline presented in this letter is incorrect. The emergency shelter had opened several days prior to the meeting. The college administration says the emergency meeting was necessary to declare a formal state of emergency in order activate various mutual aid agreements with other jurisdictions, recover costs related to the fire response, and grant the board more flexibility to make decisions in an emergency. Trustees Amy Martenson and Jennifer Baker complained that meeting had not been properly noticed to the public, as required by the Brown Act on public meetings, and asked for a delay of 72 hours to post a new public notice in accordance with the act. The administration said it had been properly noticed. The rest of the board disagreed with Martenson and Baker and proceeded with the Oct. 12 meeting.
On Oct. 12, 2017 when the valley was on fire with ash raining from the sky, the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees had an emergency meeting in order to make the college a fire victim shelter. Area 2 Trustee Amy Martenson moved for a three-day postponement of this meeting due to lack of proper notice.
This motion was voted down and the college was made a shelter. (See board minutes on college website.)
Vote Jeff Dodd for Area 2 college board trustee.
Debra Inman
Napa
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Amy Martenson and Beth Goff will refocus Napa Valley College on student achievement
Napa Valley Register, October 9, 2018
I am proud to recommend two bright and dedicated fellow educators who are running for election to the Napa Valley College Board: Amy Martenson (incumbent) for Area 2 (central Napa and Alta Heights) and Beth Goff for Area 3 (American Canyon). I met both candidates at American Canyon Middle School, where we taught together for over seven years.
Amy Martenson has been devoted to education in Napa for the past 24 years. Her devotion has not stopped with her chosen profession as a high school teacher (at Vintage High School) and school counselor (at American Canyon Middle School and Valley Oak High School). Amy has also given her personal time over the past four years to her current elected position on the Board of Trustees at Napa Valley College.
Beth Goff has worked as a teacher in American Canyon for over 17 years (at American Canyon Middle School and American Canyon High School). She has modeled for her students a commitment to the American Canyon community through her volunteer work on the American Canyon Parks and Community Services Commission and the American Canyon Chamber of Commerce.
I know that these two educators have the professional knowledge and expertise to fulfill a key responsibility of the board: monitoring institutional performance and educational quality. They both recognize that the primary mission of any educational institution is to support student achievement with quality programs and services that are evaluated and improved continuously.
In their collective professions, their experiences have included several federal and state mandates, including the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the California State Adoption of Common Core Standards in 2010, and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
When each of these legislative mandates was passed, Martenson and Goff participated in professional development and extensive planning with administrators and fellow teachers. They are well-versed in the language of differentiated instruction, outcome-based learning, multiple measures of assessment, response to intervention, and research-based practices to increase student achievement.
In January 2018, California Assembly Bill 705 passed and will require community colleges to use high school grades and course work, instead of placement tests, to place students in college-level classes, thus increasing access to college-level coursework. Every college is required to maximize the probability that a student will enter and complete transfer-level coursework in English and math within a one-year time frame.
As the college’s professors will now have students with a greater variety of skill levels within their classrooms, this new law requires leadership that is knowledgeable about best practices in teaching and learning.
Martenson and Goff have extensive experience in creating supportive, yet rigorous, academic environments for high school students of varying abilities. They are especially skilled in ensuring access for students of low socio-economic backgrounds and students of color, which is a growing population at the college and one that has been disproportionately put into remedial classes.
I cannot imagine two candidates who are more prepared to support the college in implementing this new law. They recognize the value of professional development for administrators and faculty as they continue to prepare for this new change.
In March 2016, the Educational Master Plan for the college was approved by the Board of Trustees without any goals or strategies related to student achievement (despite Martenson’s request for the Board to direct the college president to add a goal focused in this area). The Educational Master Plan will come under review again in spring of 2019. I know that if Martenson and Goff are elected, student achievement will be the primary focus, and faculty will be appropriately supported in the development and implementation of the Plan.
I am proud to support Amy Martenson for re-election to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees in Area 2, and I am delighted to support Beth Goff for election in Area 3. I have no doubt that these two passionate and intelligent women will continue to make a positive difference in student lives through their work on the Napa Valley College Board.
Amy Stark, NVUSD Teacher
Napa
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Napa Valley College board candidates reach out to voters at campus forum
Napa Valley Register, October 5, 2018
A month before Election Day, five candidates made their cases to voters for the right to help guide Napa Valley College over the next four years.
A candidates’ night Thursday at NVC brought together trustees Amy Martenson, Kyle Iverson and Mary Ann Mancuso, who represent three of the community college’s seven Napa County districts and are facing competitors on the Nov. 6 ballot. Also speaking were Beth Goff, an American Canyon High School teacher running for Mancuso’s seat in Area 3, and Xulio Soriano, a community organizer who is matched against Area 4 incumbent Iverson.
Organized by the League of Women Voters of Napa County, the forum at the NVC library was the first of two candidate showcases on campus on consecutive nights, with a debate planned for Friday by the Associated Students of Napa Valley College.
Taking questions from an audience of about 50 people, board candidates on Thursday laid out their achievements in NVC’s service – or the changes they hope to spark.
Martenson, who was elected in 2014 along with Iverson, promised to continue pressing her fellow trustees, and the college, toward greater openness and financial watchfulness.
“When I ran four years ago I ran on transparency and also fiscal responsibility and accessibility, and I’ve made tangible, positive changes in those areas at the college,” she said, pointing to her advocacy of sharing meeting videos online and avoiding deficit spending.
Soriano, a local advocate for the rights of Latinos and indigenous peoples, pledged to focus on closing the achievement gap for minority students at NVC. Key to that goal, he said, will be pushing the college to quickly comply with Assembly Bill 705, which took effect this year and restricts the steering of junior college enrollees into remedial courses – a practice critics say disproportionately slows the progress of minority students.
“I’m known as a bridge-builder in the community, and I will continue to do the same as a trustee,” said Soriano, a former NVC student who now leads the advocacy group Movimiento Cultural de la Union Indígena.
Goff told voters to expect from her the perspective of a longtime educator with years of community service in American Canyon, where she has been a parks commissioner and Chamber of Commerce board member. “I have no political connections at all, and I’m not political at all, because I don’t think this position should be political,” she said.
Among the questions posed by spectators Thursday, how NVC should expand the scope of its Napa campus – and especially whether to find a private development partner or go it alone – proved one of the sharpest dividing lines among the candidates.
Board members Mancuso and Iverson backed the idea of using public-private partnerships for possible additions such as a “student village” of on-campus housing and retail, or a rail service center for the Napa Valley Wine Train that also could provide technical and hospitality training.
Mancuso expressed support for such deals “in the right situations” and with fair labor practices, while Iverson argued that putting a developer in charge of fundraising will spare NVC officials from the whim of county voters who otherwise would control the fate of bonds.
“Rather than going for a general obligation bond that’s going to hit all of us in our property taxes, we should look at utilizing some of the assets on campus,” he said.
“It can help us for not having to be the person who’s running the business,” said Mancuso. “We don’t have to be the landlord; we don’t have to be the coffeeshop manager.”
However, such partnerships drew pushback from Martenson – who in board discussions has criticized applying the idea to campus housing – as well as Goff, who was wary of sticking students with higher fees they said private-sector builders could charge to make back their investment.
“If Napa Valley College builds housing using a revenue bond instead of a private partner, every single bit of rent can go to pay off that financing,” replied Goff. “If you put a private partner in there, not only will it be more expensive in the long run, they have a motivation to make money – and that means our students will pay more in rent to not only cover the bond but also to make profits for the private entity. At this point, I’m not really sold on it.”
Any proposal to leverage college land and resources – even in the direct service of students – demands the strictest and most public scrutiny, according to Soriano.
“I’m protective of taxpayer money and taxpayer-owned land, so if we’re going to decide something, throw it out there because we need to make sure we get the best deal,” he told the audience.
Martenson’s Area 2 challenger Jeff Dodd, an environmental lawyer and the son of state Sen. Bill Dodd, was unable to attend the Thursday forum because of a work commitment, according to event organizers. Area 5 trustee Michael Baldini is running unopposed.
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Reelect Amy Martenson as Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, September 24, 2018
Amy Martenson deserves reelection to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
In the last four years, she has shown her passion for education, responsiveness to constituents, and effectiveness as a board member. She has listened, asked questions, and looked for solutions. Her appointment as chair of the board’s Audit and Finance Committee speaks volumes about how her peers view her dedication to stewardship of this great Napa County resource. I will give three examples (there are more) that exemplify her performance.
I met Amy during her 2014 campaign. A month after taking office, she asked for advice about the college’s investment policy, knowing I had been an elected official and legal counsel to several public agencies before retiring to Napa. With District investments of about $27 million, she knew trustee oversight of the investment policy was not a minor responsibility.
Amy thought the policy appeared unduly lax. She was right. After studying state requirements and policies of other community colleges, she worked with staff to propose a revised policy restricting investments to the County Investment Pool unless otherwise approved by the board. The board agreed and adopted her proposed revisions.
In early 2017, concerns were raised about NVC’s long-talked-about (since at least 2013) planning for campus housing. Members of the public urged the board to focus on affordable housing and to hire an independent project manager to represent the college, not one in the pocket of a developer. Amy urged the board, without avail, to provide guidance to staff along those lines.
Months later, NVC administrators reported at a board meeting that it had three proposed developers to interview; Amy again called for the board to support her request to seek someone to give independent advice. After lengthy board discussion and uncertainty by some members, the board eventually concurred, giving the administration clear direction. The College has yet to retain any campus housing planner, independent or otherwise.
At the April 2018 board meeting, it appeared that some trustees were unaware of a state-mandated duty of board members to receive from whistleblowers confidential complaints of improper activities. After the meeting, I formally requested NVC board policy be revised to include those whistleblower protections.
I then alerted the board’s Audit and Finance Committee that the current NVC policy not only fails to mention certain specifically mandated whistleblower protections, but that auditors, regardless of legal mandates, universally recommend a robust whistleblower policy, together with a program to educate employees about ways to report suspected improper activities.
My request, with a proposed amended board policy, patterned on provisions found in other districts, appeared on the NVC Board’s June agenda. Amy made a motion, which was seconded by Trustee Baker, to expedite staff review and submission to the board. When the College President personally committed to review the suggested changes and bring it back to the board after faculty returned from summer break, the motion became unnecessary.
Thank you, Amy, for your leadership.
Gary Orton
Napa
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Amy Martenson is the people's candidate for Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, September 23, 2018
I am writing in support of Amy Martenson, who is running for re-election for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees. Amy is one of the most qualified candidates to be on the Board, having dedicated over 24 years of her life to the students of Napa County and their educational success, first as a high school teacher, then a school guidance counselor with at-risk youth.
She has in-depth knowledge of the educational and vocational needs of our students and how to help them achieve their goals. In addition to the professional knowledge and experience she brings to the college are her personal qualities of impeccable honesty, transparency, a strong sense of ethics, and a passion to serve her community and to protect the health and welfare of its citizens and our environment.
I met Amy in 2012, when I began volunteering with the organization Label GMOs to pass Proposition 37 to label genetically engineered foods in California. Amy was the coordinator for our county.
Immediately, I was impressed with how skilled she was at coordinating a diverse group of people, tactfully dealing with difficult personalities and helping everyone stay focused on the goals. As I eventually joined her as co-coordinator, and we worked together beyond Prop. 37, my respect and admiration for her have only grown.
I have seen that she is skilled at reaching out to stakeholders of varied interests to work toward goals for the common good, and she is fearless about speaking up for what is fair and right, even when powerful interests oppose.
These skills have been very useful in her first term on the board at Napa Valley College, as not all board members were as interested in being more transparent and in making board meetings more accessible to the public as Amy.
However, due to her leadership and persistence on this issue, Board meetings are now video recorded, and minutes are now taken at the board’s subcommittee meetings, and both are published online. Amy has also been steering the board toward better fiscal management, bravely being the only board member not to vote for the first budget that came before her, because it was a deficit budget during good economic times.
Although that budget passed, a message was sent, and since then, all the budgets that have been presented to the board for adoption have been balanced ones, and the college has more than doubled its budget reserve.
As a true progressive, Amy accepts no money from corporations and businesses, which might leave her beholden to their special interests. As a result, she does not have the biggest signs, and I am sure she will not have slick mailers.
Unlike her opponent, Amy is not the child of a State Senator and cannot boast that she has the endorsement of most of Napa’s political establishment. However, let’s not forget that the local officials who have endorsed her opponent’s campaign have repeatedly put the interests of the wine industry, tourism, and unchecked development above the needs and wishes of citizens who live here.
Lastly, Amy has dedicated her life to helping others through the field of education and volunteering to protect public health and the environment.
Meanwhile, her opponent, as a land use and “environmental attorney,” has chosen to represent clients, such as Syar Industries and the Halls, in support of projects that have drawn criticism from the local community due to their environmental and social impacts.
We need more independent, corporate-free candidates in elected office--candidates who are qualified and have demonstrated their commitment to the general public.
If you look into the history of Amy’s service to our students and community and her positions while serving on the college Board in her present term, I am sure you will agree that Amy Martenson is the grassroots choice “for the people” of Napa. Please join me in voting to re-elect Amy for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
Carol Nagle,
Napa
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Amy Martenson is moving Napa Valley College forward
Napa Valley Register, September 6, 2018
I am supporting Amy Martenson for reelection as Napa Valley College trustee because my wish is to promote dedicated people to run the college.
I did not know Amy before she was elected college trustee in 2014, but I certainly got to know her afterwards. Attending college trustee meetings over the past four years, I saw Amy work within the system to focus the cooperation of teachers, staff, trustees and administration toward common goals.
And, in doing so, she has worked hard with great ideas always guiding meetings and the college administration toward transparency and responsiveness to balance the needs of the college and the public. She is a friend of taxpayers and she has an abiding goal to guide the college toward excellence as an educational institution making our community proud.
Amy is a leader and has been dedicated and steadfast in her goals to make the college the best education institution it can be. As I watched, I saw it was largely due to her hard work and dedication that the college budget is now balanced and has a healthy financial reserve; the nursing program has survived its crisis and the reaccreditation process has been successful.
Largely due to her foresight, the college did not attempt another tax election in 2018 because of the dismal voter polling.
Amy’s leadership role at the college is not done and she is laser focused on guiding Napa Valley College toward building upon its potential to excel in its educational goals as a valued asset in this community.
Leon Brauning
Napa
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Martenson is an asset to the Napa Valley College Board
Napa Valley Register, August 27, 2018
It my pleasure to support Amy Martenson for the position of Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
I worked with Amy for five years, while she was the school counselor at Valley Oak High School and I was facilitating drug and alcohol prevention groups on campus for the Wolfe Center. I regularly collaborated with Amy to do outreach to students to give them an opportunity to refer themselves to these groups and to track their progress, discussing any issues as they arose.
I observed Amy to be professional, conscientious and compassionate and a person of great integrity. She is also an effective and caring communicator. I discovered that Amy was a person I could rely on to meet her commitments to both students and her colleagues.
Working with at-risk students means working with a very diverse population culturally and socioeconomically, and in terms of students’ interpersonal functional ability. Amy always cared for and worked to inspire youth who came from very difficult home environments. She worked to not only keep her students engaged with their education but would also help meet other, more basic needs like food, clothing, and shoes for her students.
She would provide a compassionate, non-judgmental space to help students work through any emotional issues they were experiencing. For some of the students, Amy was more than a guidance counselor; she was a trusted friend.
In addition, as a high school counselor, part of Amy’s job was to inform students about their options after high school, including programs at Napa Valley College, and to help students transition. As a result, Amy has firsthand knowledge of the programs and services that are available and the barriers to students accessing them, and she brings that knowledge with her to the Board.
From my experience working with various boards, sometimes board members lose sight of the population they are supposed to serve, allowing personal ambitions and/or special interests to get in the way. With Amy as your representative on the Napa Valley College Board, you can be assured that she will always put the best interests of students first.
I believe Amy Martenson is an asset to the Napa Valley College Board and should be reelected to serve the community and the college for four more years.
James Nicolis
Vallejo
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A teacher's choice for Napa Valley College Board
Napa Valley Register, August 16, 2018
Amy Martenson is an educator with 24 years of experience in Napa schools, and since her election four years ago has filled a critical role on the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees. She brings her background in K-12 education and school counseling to her fellow board members, as they develop and oversee educational policy and provide direction to the college president to fulfill the college’s mission.
As a teacher, I began working with Amy in 2006 at American Canyon Middle School, where she served as school counselor to over 900 students. She quickly became a trusted colleague, gaining the support of both students and teachers. During this time, she introduced several new school-wide research-based prevention programs to build a safe, positive learning environment on campus. She successfully gained the buy-in of administrators, teachers, and staff to implement them and make them a reality. These programs became defining elements of our school’s culture and still exist today because of her leadership.
Over the past few years, I have followed her work on the college board and can say that every action she has taken and decision she has made has been in the best interest of the student population she serves. There are few people who engage with their work as passionately as Amy, and none better qualified to serve on the Napa Valley College Board.
Amy understands the importance of working with the whole student, providing support services to help students as they continue on their path toward a degree, learn a valuable trade, or grow in their career with continuing education. She also understands the importance of continually assessing the campus culture and attending to it, knowing that employees and students perform best when they feel safe and respected.
Her personal values, knowledge, and professionalism are in perfect alignment with the college’s mission of being “committed to student achievement through high-quality programs and services that are continuously evaluated and improved.”
I am proud to support Amy Martenson for re-election to the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.
Miriam Kaufman
Napa
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A poem supporting Amy Martenson
Napa Valley Register, August 6, 2018
Rise up from the working class trip
Educate our people for active citizenship
Keep the road to equality open for all
Let us all be free and part of society
Amy Martenson gives us all a chance
To make it above
In a college that treats all with love
This woman has lots of experience
In education and common sense
She should continue to be
A trustee at NVC
Vote for Amy and let it be
Amy Martenson for trustee.
Craig Payne
Napa
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Support Amy Martenson reelection as Napa Valley Trustee
Napa Valley Register, July 24, 2018
This letter is in support of Amy Martenson who is seeking re-election to the Napa Valley College Board for the area in which I live— Area 2.
With over 20 years of experience in education in Napa County, Amy’s dedication to the youth in the community is evident, and her impact has been felt by thousands of students, of whom I am one. As one of Amy’s former history students at Vintage High School, I have personally been influenced by her as an educator.
Having spent time as a substitute teacher and in administrative roles in schools, I can attest to the challenges of keeping the interest of students in a classroom. You can stick to the book and teach very literally, risking losing the focus of your audience to a sea of words, or you can teach how Amy taught.
Amy took the words off the page and engaged the classroom, and related, when she could, what she was teaching to current and relevant issues. She also related U.S. history to the rest of the world and tied together past and current events. It was clear that she could get on the students’ level and really cared that we understood the significance of the subject.
Amy’s ability to communicate with and concern for students in the classroom easily translate into her being able to represent them as a member of the college board.
Napa Valley College has its own importance to me as it was part of my college experience on my way to, and while I was attending, the University of San Francisco. I feel strongly that Napa Valley College is an incredibly important part of our community as a path to higher education for those seeking it. For this reason, I am even more interested in the leadership of the college and confident that Amy is the right choice for this role.
I encourage other residents in Area 2 to vote for Amy Martenson for the Napa Valley College Board in November.
Tara Blum Clark
Napa
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We support Amy Martenson for Napa Valley College Trustee
Napa Valley Register, July 17, 2018
Amy Martenson has announced her candidacy for a second term with the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees, and we are writing this letter to express our support. We have known Amy since her childhood as a very close friend of our daughter and have always taken pride in recognizing her as an extended family member.
Amy is a Napa native and a product of our local public schools, attending Northwood Elementary School, Redwood Middle School, and Vintage High School with our daughter. Never skipping a beat on her education, Amy earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in school counseling.
Her education and life experience have served her well in her role as a teacher and school counselor for the Napa Valley Unified School District for many years. She has dedicated her life to assisting students in need, helping to remove barriers to their academic success. Her choice to serve on the Napa Valley College Board is a natural extension of that drive to serve students in the pursuit of their education.
Amy has frequently visited our home and has never fallen short on her manners and positive outlook on life, while sharing her views on history, politics, and the environment. She is blessed with unique qualities essential to bringing people together for a common cause. She has always displayed a high level of integrity and has been committed to being accessible and transparent to gain the trust of those she serves.
She will continue representing the public with dedication, her down-to-earth philosophy, and a steadfast commitment to students’ continuing education.
My family takes great pride in endorsing Amy for her second term for this trusted office. Please join us in supporting Amy Martenson for the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees, so she can continue serving the public interest.
Bob and Connie Boucher
Napa
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Amy Martenson pursues second term as Napa Valley College trustee
Napa Valley Register, July 11, 2018
One of the newcomers elected four years ago to the board of Napa Valley College will seek a second term.
Amy Martenson, whom voters chose for the NVC board of trustees in 2014, announced her re-election campaign in a news release Tuesday. The longtime Napa high school teacher and counselor represents the college’s Area 2, which includes downtown Napa, the Alta Heights neighborhood to the east and the alphabet streets west of Jefferson Street.
A campaign kickoff and fundraiser is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. July 24 at Silo’s, 530 Main St. in downtown Napa.
As she had during her election campaign, Martenson pledged to push NVC leaders toward greater transparency with students, faculty and county residents, as well as disciplined fiscal management. She also promised to make the improvement of student achievements her top priority.
“More than ever, the college needs leaders who are passionate and knowledgeable about teaching and learning,” said Martenson, who has taught and counseled within the Napa Valley Unified School District since 1994.
Martenson won her NVC trustee seat with 58 percent of the vote, unseating the Area 2 incumbent Bruce Ketron. She was one of two newcomers elected to the college board in the 2014 race, joining Kyle Iverson in Area 4.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Martenson
Tel: 707-337-8968
Email: [email protected]
Napa, CA, July 10, 2018--
Martenson Kicks off Campaign for Napa Valley College Board Re-election
Napa native and local educator, Amy Martenson, has announced that she will run for re-election this November to continue representing Area 2 on the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees. Area 2 includes Alta Heights, Downtown, and the letter streets in Napa.
Having earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from UC Berkeley, a teaching credential from San Francisco State University, and Master’s degree in School Counseling from Sonoma State University, Martenson has worked for the Napa Valley Unified School District as a high school History teacher and school counselor for twenty-four years.
During the November 2014 election, Martenson ran on a platform of bringing more integrity, transparency, and accessibility to the college Board and was elected with over 58% of the vote, defeating a twelve-year incumbent.
“During the past four years, I have honored my campaign promises, even with entrenched opposition,” Martenson stated. “For example, as a result of my leadership, Board meetings are now videotaped and posted online for public viewing.”
Martenson’s campaign priorities are to continue moving the college forward in terms of being more transparent and responsive to both the college community and the public. She hopes to continue providing oversight to help ensure that the college utilizes best educational and fiscal management practices, and that Board actions are in line with Board policy and the law. Lastly, Martenson seeks to help safeguard the college’s core mission, making sure that the effort to improve student achievement is at the forefront and is driving college decision making.
“Napa Valley College has recently shifted to being ‘community supported,’ in which the college’s state funding is now tied to local property taxes instead of student enrollment. Therefore, the large focus the college has had on public relations efforts designed to increase enrollment can now be re-focused on student success,” said Martenson. “More than ever, the college needs leaders who are passionate and knowledgeable about teaching and learning.”
Some early endorsements for Martenson include Mariko Yamada, Former State Assembly Member; Richard Bennett, Retired Judge; Geoff Ellsworth, St. Helena City Council Member; Ruscal Cayangyang, Vallejo School Board Member and Former Napa Valley College Student Trustee; Sheila Daugherty, Former Napa Valley Unified School Board Member; and, Alex Shantz, Former St. Helena School Board Member and Former Napa Valley College Student Trustee.
Martenson’s campaign kickoff will be held at Silo’s at 530 Main Street in Downtown Napa on Tuesday, July 24th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and is open to the public. It will feature wines donated by Crazy Flower and Pott Wines, appetizers, and a small silent auction. Campaign donations of $20 or more will be collected at the door.
For more information, see Martenson’s website at amymartenson.com.
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