A qualified candidate

By Gerald H. Derr

I was the founding general manager and fire chief for the Elk Grove CSD.

It is for the above reasons that I believe that the voters should consider me; I've been there, and I know what it's all about.

I believe that the Recreation and Park Department provides services second to none, particularly in the pre-school area. These services should be expanded, and should be able to be run on a "revenue-neutral" basis, without taxpayer cost, while helping protect and educate our youngsters while parents are at work.

I also believe that the CSD should take over the operation of Elk Grove Park, and that it can also be operated and maintained primarily with fees, and without added taxpayer cost.

The CSD does an excellent job of providing neighborhood parks, and caring for all of the traffic corridors and medians in the newer areas of the district. This must be continued, at almost breakneck speed, due to our rapid growth.

More large playfields must be provided for team sports, preferably in areas that do not conflict with the privacy rights of neighbors. Developers must learn to be "up front" with new home buyers, so that they know when a sports complex is planned for their area, particularly when some have been planned for many years.

Fire protection and ambulance services are about the best available, and I am proud to have been in on the ground floor of making them that way. I introduced paramedics to Elk Grove, the first in Sacramento County. The Elk Grove Fire Department has been known statewide for its many innovations since the early 1960's. Response times are good, but they can always be better, with the addition of more paramedic-firefighters. This is an expensive proposition, but the growth in the area is so great that the increase in assessed valuation should bring in enough tax revenues to improve service times.

I believe that the Elk Grove CSD and the City of Elk Grove actually compliment each other. Special Districts have a history of innovation and better service than small cities, particularly in the area of fire protection and paramedic service. That is the reason that the Los Angeles County Fire Protection District provides service to so many cities in that county. The LA County Fire District was one of the first in the US to provide paramedic service.

Whether or not the City of Elk Grove takes over the CSD in our lifetime depends on the will of the people. Anything is possible. I believe that Special District government is better at providing specialized services.