Supervisor does a lot for you

As former office manager for Supervisor Linda Parks I am compelled to respond to Dina Adler's complaint in Sept. 6 letters regarding an unreturned phone call. Ms. Adler needs to understand just how hard the supervisor and her staff work.

The supervisor, in addition to serving as chair for the board, serves on more than a dozen boards and commissions. The workload is unbelievably demanding. In addition, there are constituent concerns to be addressed. The phones start ringing at 8 a.m. and don't stop.

"What does this item on my tax bill mean?" "It's Election Day and I'm in Vancouver; can I still vote?" "I'm being evicted from the hotel where I've been living and am about to become homeless, and I know it's the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, but can you help me?" "I'm disabled and having trouble getting through to Social Security." "My adult son refuses to take his medication, and I think he may hurt himself or me." "There are six ducklings in my pool; what should I do?" "I'm afraid that a cousin is taking financial advantage of my elderly grandmother." "My neighbor's trees are blocking my view."

Some constituent questions can be answered in a few seconds. Others require hours or days helping people navigate through the various county departments. The supervisor and her staff do their best to make sure every request is handled promptly and courteously.

This spring, the City Council of Thousand Oaks voted to oust the supervisor from her offices at the Civic Arts Plaza. The supervisor has been forced to find new office space at a considerably higher cost. Temporary space was found at the government center in Ventura, but it is too small to house the entire staff at once. Unfortunately, these constraints resulted in the necessity of my leaving my position in June.

Despite the inconveniences and cutbacks, I know the supervisor and her staff are giving their all to maintain the level of service her constituents have come to appreciate.

I would urge Ms. Adler to consider the years of dedicated service Linda Parks has provided to the community. Ginger Pollack Oak Park