The entertainment and the excitement come from talking to and getting to know so many people, all of good will, all interesting, all with genuine concerns about our county government. I recommend it as a way of expanding one's circle of friends as well as one's outlook on the world.
The education comes from learning about the issues, in some depth, and bouncing what one learns off of people in the community. I now have a grasp of the water issue, the general plan issue, the grading ordinance issue, the fishing issue, the environmental issues and a number of others of which I would otherwise have only a surface understanding had I not undertaken a supervisorial campaign.
All of these issues have environmental repercussions, are indeed environmental issues. Our Board of Supervisors too often ignores the environment in favor of the money. Their custom is to favor jobs over the environment; that helps the interests whose bottom line is more important than the tomorrows of ourselves and our children.
This County is short on water sources. Ft. Bragg has gone through a painful process of figuring out how to provide the water that people need in that city. Inland, agriculture is insisting that the diversion from the Eel River into the Russian River remain at present levels; at the same time, folks along the Eel argue, with some justification, that it's time to close down the diversion and bring "their" river back up to a reasonable level. Do we want to raise Coyote dam, a very expensive process which risks destabilizing the faultlines under Lake Mendocino? Do we really want to divert water from the Eel at Dos Rios, also at great cost, and pipe it down to Redwood Valley? And let's not forget: if we get more water, we'll get more population with it - not good for the "rural life-style" we like to celebrate.
The County should have a general plan update as a matter of law and common sense. Such a plan would outline the future of the county, a matter of some importance. A grading ordinance which contributes to stopping the continued silting and pesticide poisoning of salmon and steelhead habitat must be part of that.
Our fishing industry is idle, the result of overfishing at sea, loss of fish to predators and loss of fish breeding and rearing habitat, brought about primarily by irresponsible farming and timber practices. We have no control over the first of those, though I hear that an extension of the limit to 200 miles is in the works. The second is relatively unimportant. But we can do something about the silting and pesticide poisoning.
A grading ordinance, which is legally required - Mendocino County is out of compliance - would be a good first step, as that could eliminate much of the silt and pesticide runoff from agricultural operations into fish-bearing streams. And a ban on clear- and steep-slope cutting would ensure that our hillsides don't dump all their pesticide-ridden dirt into the streams. What's most distressing is that the Farm Bureau and the timber companies display little concern for the loss of jobs and income - with all the consequences - that a moribund fishing industry represents.
The campaign process is frustrating because it is almost impossible to get the message to the voters in any full sense, given fund limitations (thanks to the many people who contributed to keep our fund limitations to a minimum) and other factors. One can advertise on the radio and in the press, but without a lot of money, sound bites are about the best one can do.
Thanks to the Coyote Valley Tribal Council, the National Women's Political Caucus, in cooperation with the American Association of University Women and the Ukiah Daily Journal, and even Potter Valley High School. They provide a service to the people with the candidate forums they hold. But in that forum, the candidate has only a two minute introductory talk and a one minute wrapup, with questions from the audience in between. There is no chance to present a coherent program, particularly in races where there are a multitude of issues, all important.
The most heartening part of the process was working with a campaign committee willing to spend many hours doing often very unexciting work, contributing great ideas and generally boosting the candidate's morale just by their examples. I am very grateful to all those folks who did that work: keeping track of the money, talking to and phoning people, walking precincts, making and putting up signs, creating literature, arranging events and all the other details that a campaign involves.
Liberals, radicals, progressive voters! Let's look to the future! People interested in solving the problems mentioned above (and there are many others are out there) can be working toward the next election, two years hence, when Third District Supervisor Tom Lucier will be on the ballot. Precinct organizing is underway. Call Lynda McClure at 468-1660.
Finally, thank you to those, about a third of the voters, who marked my name. What an honor, to get a person's vote!
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2000
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited