The Preserving Sonoma Committee, the grassroots organization spearheading the Hotel Limitation Measure election this fall, has recently added members to its committee. The new members are:
Tommy Thomsen - Celebrated local second-generation Sonoma resident who's musical talent has been recognized with multiple industry awards and stunning reviews. He continues to play the music he loves and to support the small town values he grew up with.
Karla Noyes - Resident of Sonoma Valley since 1993 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and an MBA in Marketing. She has been in the real estate industry for the past 10 years and is also an amateur historian currently researching a book on the history of the Blue Wing Inn.
David Eichar - President of Ontrac Consulting, Inc, specializing in payment systems technology. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He and his wife of 20 years reside in Boyes Hot Springs, having moved to the Sonoma Valley from San Francisco.
Ned Forrest - An architect with his office adjacent to the Plaza for 29 years. He is on the board of The Blue Wing Adobe Trust, a historic preservation non profit corporation. He and his wife Leslie have restored and reside in the John Ray Adobe on East Spain.
"It is delightful to add such talented and dedicated people officially to our committee. They join an original group of equally talented and remarkable people," said Committee Chair Larry Barnett.
The other members of the committee at this time include:
Bob Edwards - Attorney and mediator. In 2006 he served on the "No on C" Committee to help defeat an attempt to build a large hospital on the Leveroni farm, and later was Co-Chair of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Coalition which helped create the positive conditions for our current hospital's success. See www.edwardslawpractice.com
Jerry Bernhaut - An environmental attorney with a specialty in water-related issues. He is a long-time resident of the Sonomoma Valley.
Norma Campbell Barnett (Treasurer) - Her 40-year East Bay psychotherapy practice recently came to a close. From 2005-2008 she was President of the Board of the Psychotherapy Institute of the East bay and during her term provided the vision and energy to bring about its first major reorganization.
Ed Clay - A self-employed maker of fine furniture and has lived in the Valley since 1984. Ed also currently serves the the President of Transition Sonoma Valley. See www.edclay.com.
Will Shonbrun - Co-founder and editor of the North Bay Progressive newspaper. He is a longtime community political activist and active writer with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Arts, and a Master's Degree in Psychology.
Marilyn Van Hoosear Goode - Connected with the town of Sonoma since she was a child. Her Grandfather put the first electricity in the town in 1906. Her parents built a summer home here in the 1930's. She has a degree in the history of Art and started the Sonoma County Environmental Forum in the 1970's. Marilyn has been an advocate for Smart Growth and good land use planning for many years.
Georgia Kelly - Founder/Director of Praxis Peace Institute, a Sonoma non-profit peace education organization. She is the editor of the Praxis book, "Uncivil Liberties: Deconstructing Libertarianism" and writes a blog for the Huffington Post. Her previous career was as a musician (harpist, composer and recording artist).
Larry Barnett (Committee Chair) - Served 12 years on the Sonoma City Council, two terms as Mayor and led the effort to create Sonoma's Urban Growth Boundary in 2000. He has recently retired from 43 years in business, which included, design, publishing, 13 years as owner of a local B&B and 16 years of website development.
