Open Letter from Ellen to the Farm Bureau

By Ellen Pirie

Ellen views the farming community as essential to preserving our County's balance between urban and rural land.

One of the best kept secrets in Santa Cruz County is that the 2nd District has more productive land in agriculture than any other district. What is well known, however, is that farming is very important to our local economy. It provides jobs and sustains a quality of life we have come to cherish and enjoy. With your support, I will work with the community to protect and preserve that quality of life.

Development and the need for housing can pose a threat to the fundamental principle of a viable agricultural industry -- the need to preserve acreage in agricultural production. There is a minimum number of acres that must remain in agricultural production to keep it a viable industry. Without a dedicated effort to protect and preserve acreage we may lose farms, related businesses and our growing agri-tourism industry. Once lost, it is gone forever.

I am running for County Supervisor in the 2nd District because I want to maintain the balance of urban and rural land that we presently enjoy. I have the experience it takes to meet the needs in our community to sustain our diverse economy. I have worked successfully for 23 years as a lawyer protecting the rights of senior citizens, youth and the disabled in their struggles with large institutional bureaucracies. In that work I have learned much about what makes bureaucracies work and how to obtain the best results for the people I serve.

To be better prepared to preserve agriculture as a viable part of our diverse local economy, I plan to take part in the Farm Bureau's Focus Agriculture 2000 program. I want to put that experience, along with my successful history of advocacy, to work for the farming community of the 2nd District.

I hope that you will vote for me on March 7th.

Very truly yours,

Ellen Pirie