Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Mendocino; Supervisorial District 5

As a coast resident, and in my travels around the county, I have seen the challenges faced by families and our small rural communities to sustain themselves despite the loss of jobs in our depleted resource-based economy. I've observed the damage to our fragile watersheds and heard the threats to our ocean resources. I've been struck by the fact that while more than 90% of the county lies outside of the four incorporated cities, county government and county services cluster in the three larger cities, leaving many residents isolated and largely unserved.

I've also delved more deeply than most into the county budget, and what I have seen is cause for concern. About half of our annual budget of more than $220 million comes from state and federal funds that are shrinking by the day. In addition, we are carrying the highest debt per person of any county in California. Millions of dollars in annual interest payments will continue for decades into the future, weakening our ability to provide essential services and sustain our quality of life. Meanwhile, many critical budget discussions are influenced by politics and special interests and the county's unfunded pension liabilities continue to escalate

Mendocino County is not alone in facing rocky times ahead. Nor are we without resources to deal with these challenges, but before we can fix what isn't working, we have to recognize our problems for what they are, make the tough choices, and begin to build on our strengths to move forward toward a more livable, prosperous and sustainable future.

In running for supervisor, I am prepared to invest my own business and public service experience and education on behalf of our county. More importantly, I'm prepared to listen to ALL of the Fifth District's diverse constituents and to seek common ground on which we can re-build our struggling economy.

There are going to be tough decisions to be made, and making government more accessible and participatory is a high priority for me because it is the key to:

• Debt reduction and managing our shrinking county budget;
• Protecting services that impact public health and safety;
• Creating favorable circumstances for job creation while protecting our coastal and inland environments and rural lifestyles;
• Addressing chronic water issues that impact agriculture, the natural environment and domestic supplies.