A Message from Chamber CEO Douglass Wilhoit:
Residents show community 
pride in The Record

August 2008 - I have had the honor of being the CEO of your Chamber of Commerce since July of 1999. During that time, including this article, I have written a combined total of  more than 130 columns for Port O Call (and for The Record business section) and often quoted in The Record about our great City of Stockton and my belief in a great history, an exciting present and a bright future.

As you know the constant theme running through all of them has been “Stockton is a great community with many, many positives and some negatives but if we are to improve and get even better EVERYONE must be part of the solution and if not then you are part of the problem!”  I know that is what is expected of the CEO of a chamber, to extol the virtues of the community. As you know, I come from a much more personal and stronger point of few — part of a family that has been here since 1850 and owes Stockton so much for providing generations of Wilhoits, along with so many others, a wonderful place to live and opportunities to succeed.

You all know that my love for this community goes far beyond my duties as CEO of the 107-year-old Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce even to the point where one columnist said I “erupt like a volcano” if someone belittles the worth of Stockton and/or her people. Some reporters discount my praise of what we have and what we can become by using the term “chamber types.”   That is why I did not respond to Mike Klocke’s great column in The Record on Sunday July 13th when he invited people to contact him to give three good things about Stockton.

I even told Mike, when I saw him at the reception on Tuesday, July 15th for the new SUSD Superintendent Anthony (Tony) Amato at Alder Market that I was not going to respond because he knew how I felt and my response would be predictable and would not stop at just three things I liked (loved) about Stockton. He told me to look in the Sunday, July 20, 2008 column for the many and great responses he had already received.

I would like to thank and  mention the names of those published in Mike’s column who took the time to respond with great comments and draw attention to four, in particular, who really put an exclamation point on how I feel and have been trying to share with you since 1999 in this column.

Those listed in Mike’s column were:  Candy Payne, Jenna Miller, Scott Ferry, Geri Beckman, Jennifer Wood, Ron Sylvia , Matt Beckwith, Chuck Holmes, Sylvia Qualls, David Qualls, Cherie Fields, Patrick Chase, Ken Parsons, Fred and Norma Sellin and Steve Schermerhorn.  To them all and the rest, Mike did not have space to print a big THANK YOU FOR LEADING THE WAY TO A BETTER  COMMUNITY!  To Dan Greene, Patrick Chase (again), Candy Payne (again), Maureen Gill, Matt Beckwith (again) and Beth Lambdin thank you for making suggestions for improvement and I hope you will pitch in and be part of the process to help improve our/your community!

I really want to highlight the four people who apparently transmitted to Mike many of the same things  I have been saying for years. In some circles I was scoffed at and even said “I am not realistic/naive, just overly optimistic or just a dreamer”.

First to Paula and Kevin White who gave Mike not just the “three” things they liked about Stockton but expanded it to 37 things, places and people they really liked and I am sure if we all put our collective energy together we could come up with hundreds.

The White’s also had a suggestion that, thankfully, supported my thoughts over the years; “Our city will never be perfect, because we as a people are imperfect.  It is easy to find what is wrong with a city, wherever you live. However, if we just step back and start looking for the good things, perception will change.  Improving Stockton to reach its potential is not just the responsibility of our elected leaders, but also our responsibility as well.”

Robert Applegate wrote, “ What I don’t love is everyone is so busy pointing and blaming everyone else that they are not looking inward.  Everyone in this city must take ownership.  They must know where and what their children are up to. They must call the police when they need help or see something suspicious, and they must not be upset if sometimes they don’t get what they want.  It  doesn’t work that way.”

Finally from Sara Garfield, “If everyone who complains about Stockton would do something to make it a better place, the possibilities are endless.”

Gee, that is just what I have been saying all my life and publicly since 1967 from my time with the Police Department, San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and your Chamber.

Thank you to all of those quoted above and the many more who contacted Mike. Thank you for taking the time and helping this older Stocktonian see the light at the end of the tunnel on which the train of naysayers is leaving and hopefully they bought a one way ticket out of here.  Also a big thank you to Mike Klocke for a job well done!

One note of frustration that I and many have is the irresponsible, unaccountable and unidentifiable “bloggers” who are allowed to say anything about anyone, anything or about this great community WE call home whether half true or outright false. These bloggers attach their comments to stories on The Record web site in the form of links at the end of the story which lead readers to the forum page. At times these “comments” turn darn right nasty, vicious, with no social or public redeeming value in their twisted words. If you write a letter to the editor, you have to list your name and address so it can be verified and often times your letter is edited “for space”.

Bloggers do not seem to have the same criteria. I put them in the same category as the taggers as a blight on our community.

In talking to The Record publisher Roger Coover, I recognize the efforts they make to police these forums. They remove items they deem racist or objectionable, but technology makes it nearly impossible to remove all of it.

There are hundreds of websites devoted to allowing people to discuss and vent their frustrations over any subject they want. When area media outlets allow these bloggers to vent their frustration under their banner, it gives them a credibility they wouldn’t otherwise have and don’t necessarily deserve.

Hopefully many of you read the Lens Section of The Record and have read Ian Hill’s stories and recognize 209VIBE.  Ian is the editor of 209VIBE and recently we broke bread and discussed the future of the music and entertainment scene here in Stockton and San Joaquin County. Ian is a very interesting, knowledgeable, nice and talented young man and I am learning a great deal from him.

He graphically gave me insight as to what other areas, namely Modesto and Seattle, are doing to support and encourage all types of entertainment and the arts with a multitude of benefits both culturally and financially. These benefit not only the residents and business community but the city treasury as well.

Ian and I will be meeting with folks from other areas to bring back to Stockton some ideas that the City of Stockton leaders and members of the community should work towards as we move toward a city that will be able to reach out to our great diversity and offer something to enjoy  for everyone either separately or even better, enjoyed together.

In the September Port O Call I will share more of the information he gave me but due to the coverage of Mike Klocke’s article I did not have the space. I encourage you to read Ian in The Record, go to his website (www.209Vibe.com) and to ours,(www.visitstockton.org) and find out what is going on IN YOUR COMMUNITY on an ongoing basis and join those on the Opinion page of the July 20, 2008 Record who enjoy, love, appreciate and want to make better the place we call home, Stockton, California.  TOGETHER, WE CAN DO IT AND YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!