House of Burgess

RB: What is your position on the Harris Quarry project?
CB: I believe that the business owner that has the Harris Quarry has tried to locate in two properly zoned areas industrial zoned already in this county and was encouraged by the board of supervisors to actually go up to the ridge where the Harris Quarry is located. I’m not knowledgeable totally on the EIR on that project and I would have to reserve a position until I’m able to get all the information.
RB: Name one decision your opponent has made during his tenure that you vehemently disagree with.
CB: I would say that I attended a joint meeting on the Ukiah Valley Area Plan of the city council and the board of supervisors and my opponent was leaning very heavily towards converting vineyard land on Lover’s Lane into a housing development of anywhere from 500 to 800 homes. I do strongly disagree with that. Also, I do not believe that the footprint of Masonite should have a shopping mall in that location, nor should it have home development and he was leaning towards the rezoning of both those properties.
RB: What about one you agreed with?
CB: I would say that it would have to have been the grading ordinance. It was in development for quite some time. It came out as a discretional document ordinance rather than a ministerial. That could have cost the county up to $500,000 a year. I agree with his decision to have it tabled.
RB: What is an issue that is important to you that you feel isn’t being talked about in this campaign?
CB: The county debt. It’s an enormous issue for our county, not only today, but it’s going to be an issue well into the future. They have not properly addressed their legal obligations to the pension fund and they are not, and I say they, although I would like to say that my opponent is the longest-serving supervisor on the board and should take a strong leadership role, that they have not addressed paying down the Teeter Plan and continually use it to fund their general fund.
RB: I asked for questions from our readers and this is one from Don Rowe: “What distinguishes an outstanding supervisor from one who is merely competent?”
CB: I believe what distinguishes me from my opponent in the ability to be an outstanding supervisor is all the work that I have done. I’ve had a lifetime of community service which has brought me together with many people of diverse interests throughout our county. I believe I have the ability to listen, to unite groups and to move forward on solutions for the critical issues we face.
RB: Is it easier or more difficult to run as a newcomer instead of an incumbent like your opponent?
CB: I believe it is easier for an already elected office holder that it is for a newcomer to enter the political arena, especially at a county board of supervisors level where there is so much to know and so much to learn…But I believe that I am one of the best qualified newcomers, candidates to run for supervisor having already having a lot of the knowledge.
RB: What is the future of marijuana in Mendocino County and what do you think the board should do about it during the next few years?
CB: If there was a way, I believe that the legalization of marijuana should be done. It has created a huge problem for this county. I believe that the present ordinance with the 25 plant limitation seems to be working. I am very pleased that we have had both federal and state law enforcement coming to eradicate the big, large, commercial grows of marijuana in our national forest as well as on private lands throughout the county. We need to wait to see what happens with the lawsuit before any further regulation is attempted.
RB: Is the current board to blame for the high amount of debt the county now faces and what would you do about it if elected?
CB: I do believe that the current board is responsible for some of the high amount of debt the county now faces. I do believe that my opponent, who is the veteran on the board, should have taken a leadership role quite some time ago on this issue. And I believe he said during the 11th hour when they were readdressing budget issues that he told his colleagues ‘the public is wise, we can no longer hide it’ and he was referring to the county debt. I wouldn’t hide it and I would get citizens involved that are very knowledgeable in this area to get us out of problems we face with the county debt today.
RB: This year’s budget hearings were extremely contentious and many different suggestions for a solution were thrown around at the 11th hour. Is this healthy and how would you do things differently if elected?
CB: I would instruct staff to bring the information that is needed. County finances are extremely difficult to understand being as big and as broad as they are. I would not have waited until the 11th hour. The information that should have been discussed should have happened June, July or August and if the information wasn’t available at that time I would have called a special meeting to get that information and would not have proceeded without it.
RB: The results in your race in the June primaries were exceedingly close. How do you account for that?
CB: I think the constituents of the first district want a supervisor that will provide the leadership that we need today and I think that they want someone like me that is the type of person that we need now. Again, I’m not a career politician. I’m an individual that wants to give back to my county and work on the change that is needed.
RB: How would you sum up your platform for potential voters?
CB: Well, I think it’s a very critical time to address the county finances including the mounting debt. I will address the need for solutions to our infrastructure that includes adequate water supply. We need economic development and to have that you’ve got to have an adequate infrastructure.
RB: Is there anything else you’d like to add that I didn’t ask you about?
CB: I would like to add the responsibility that a 1st District supervisor has in also being a part and attending special district meetings. Ukiah Valley Sanitation District is one example of where my opponent has not paid attention and has not taken the responsibility he should have had representing the constituents as a director on that particular board. I was amazed that an audit hadn’t been done for 10 years. When they decided to finally catch up those audits they lumped five years together. The CPA was unable to sign off on that particular audit for the lack of paperwork to back it. That was the responsibility of the current directors, which one is my opponent, who has sat at least 11 of the last 12 years on that board. To me it is criminal when you don’t take care of the people’s business.