Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Humboldt; District 2

Experience:

• As the incumbent Supervisor in the 2nd District, Roger has the experience and qualifications to address the important issues facing Humboldt County. Humboldt County is at a crossroads + the balance of conservative to liberal representation on the current Board is at a fragile point. Roger's bold, practical and decisive style is a crucial component of the current Board of Supervisors decision making process. Roger understands that a Supervisors job is about the nuts and bolts of making county government work for the citizens he represents and he knows how to do that. This is not the time to replace a seasoned veteran with someone who has no experience or background as to what the scope of a County Supervisor's job entails.

• The County's budget was in the RED when Roger took office in 1997. Despite a declining revenue stream from the State and tough economic times, Roger and his associates have turned that debt around and have been running the county with a balanced budget for more then 10 years and have rebuilt the county's reserve funds for the last 3 years. It is important to Roger that the county lives within its means.

• Good paying jobs are essential to our economy and Roger will do everything in his power to make sure the businesses that provide those jobs thrive. Government doesn't create prosperity - PEOPLE do. Government's job is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to do business. Government does not create wealth, but under the wrong leadership, it can create an environment that prevents wealth from being produced. It is important to have a representative in county government who understands that concept - gained through a life time of practical experience. Roger believes private enterprise, and the freedom that fuels it, is the most powerful economic engine we have. The greatest creator of wealth is small business, private industry and free enterprise. Roger knows who fuels the engine of this county and is a powerful voice in county government on their behalf.

• Roger believes there has to be a balance or we become stagnant. Roger knows that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are essential to one another. It's a symbiotic relationship. We have to always make sure that our natural resource base remains viable enough to support our economic base. We cannot over commit our scarce resources like water and productive soils. There should be sincere and rational conversations about these questions without the influence of politically driven agendas.

• Humboldt's General Plan process has become a costly battleground of opposing interests turning it from an "update" to an expensive and languishing experience. Years of time and millions of taxpayers' dollars have been spent on the process and yet citizens with vested interests in Humboldt County continue to feel their input is being ignored. This is not acceptable and Roger continues to advocate for a planning department dedicated to serving the people of Humboldt County.

• Roger is the only Supervisor who voted NO on the Supervisor's action to place a building moratorium on all Timber Production Zone land in the county. This action affects more than 1700 property owners and has a devastating affect on property values. Roger's willingness to stand up for the people he represents and his influence on empowering those citizens to come forward and be heard, resulted in a reversal of the building moratorium decision.

• Each community in the 2nd District is distinct unto itself with diverse geography, circumstances and philosophies on a myriad of issues. The uniqueness of each community is what makes our area interesting. Homogenizing our diverse communities is not desirable nor is it the job of a county supervisor. Government is taking away our rights. Our government was set up by our founding fathers to be a government of the people and by the people - NOT a government of the bureaucrats by the bureaucrats. Roger believes this is what we should all come together on regardless which end of the political spectrum we are on.

• Funding for our county road department is at an all time low thanks to our representatives at the state level. While tax dollars allotted to our county from the state for the county road department and other discretionary programs continues to shrink, the entitlement programs mandated by the state have grown to nearly 50% of the county budget. The county road department continues to do as much maintenance to our county roads as possible under these less than desirable circumstances. Roger continues to meet with, advocate for and endorse the efforts of the county road department to maintain county infrastructure.

• Roger has been working closely with Cal Trans on the Highway 101 at Richardson Grove road widening project. No old growth redwood trees will be taken from the area. Roger's suggestion to include a trail for pedestrian and bike use will be incorporated in the project and collaboratively designed and built by Cal Trans, the State Park and the California Conservation Corps. The project will result in industry standard trucks being able to pass through at Richardson's Grove. This project offers significant benefits to the people of Humboldt County. When we can get our goods here cheaper, travel safer, and still maintain our natural beauty, everyone wins according to Roger.

• Roger is currently the Chairman of Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) whose responsibility is coordinating logical and timely changes in local governmental boundaries, conducting special studies that review ways to organize, simplify and streamline governmental structure and preparing Sphere of Influence for each city and special district within each county. The Commission's efforts are directed to seeing that services are provided efficiently and economically while agricultural and open-space lands are protected.

• Roger is Humboldt County's alternate member on Humboldt County Association of Governments Board of Directors. The HCAOG Board is the final authority for all of the decisions generated in the region's transportation planning and programming arena. Roger has been a member of HACOG for over 10 years serving as Treasurer and HACOG's representative on California Association of Governments (CALCOG) board of directors for many years.

• Law enforcement is the bull work between civility and anarchy; between reason and chaos. A vibrant, viable economy does not exist where anarchy and chaos reign. Humboldt County is fortunate to have a state of the art Sheriff Department and correctional facility under the leadership of Sheriff Gary Philp. You will find Sheriff Philp's name on Roger's endorsement list. Roger has had a long standing amicable working relationship with Sheriff Philp and his department. Roger and Sheriff Philp work diligently to keep the Garberville substation a viable law enforcement fixture in southern Humboldt. Providing a safe place to live and work is a priority for Roger.

• Roger believes a county supervisor should be easily accessible to his constituents. That is one of the reasons his home phone number is listed in the phone book. Roger has maintained an office in Garberville since he was first elected to provide a convenient place for Southern Humboldt citizens to meet with him. You can find him there on most Thursday afternoons. And of course you can also contact him at the County seat in Eureka. Roger's style is open and inclusive. Roger's quest for knowledge is ongoing and he enjoys receiving input from his constituents on the many issues he deals with on a daily basis.

• The life blood of redevelopment is sales tax - something that Humboldt County, unlike more urban counties, does not have an abundance of. Redevelopment takes funding away from every community service district and city within the redevelopment boundaries. This includes volunteer fire departments, water districts, and hospital districts. To the relief of a groundswell of communal concern, Roger was instrumental in ending the County's quest for Redevelopment by making the motion to end the process.

• Roger feels very fortunate to have many great community services in his district. The 2nd District is the only district in the county with not one, but two great hospitals. Redwood Memorial with its 24/7 Emergency Room services, state of the art surgery wing, maternity center and critical access designation, is a great asset to Fortuna and the surrounding communities. The Jerold Phelps Hospital in Garberville serves as a vital link for the citizens of rural Southern Humboldt. Airports at Rohnerville, Garberville and Dinsmore are important transportation links for the 2nd District. The 2nd District has many dedicated citizens who volunteer their time and expertise to make up the numerous Volunteer Fire Departments. Roger takes pride in having the quality of people in his district which make all of these services run smoothly and efficiently for the benefit of all and will continue to fight to assure their success.

• The 2nd District has four State Parks within its boundaries -Richardson Grove, Benbow, Grizzly Creek and Humboldt Redwoods. These parks provide employment and recreation opportunities. Humboldt Redwoods State Park has been recognized as one of the top 100 parks in the nation for two years in a row. Its Cuneo Creek horse camp is renowned as one of the top horse camps in the U.S. Currently, Grizzly Creek State Park is being threatened with closure due to Governor Schwarzenegger's budget cuts. Roger has authored a letter from the Board of Supervisors urging the Governor to keep this treasured asset open. Our parks are not only an important piece of Humboldt County's cultural and natural resource heritage, but also serve as an attractant for tourists to visit Humboldt County.

• The six rivers of Humboldt County's 2nd District are unique and important resources. The Mad, Van Duzen, Eel, Mattole, South Fork Eel, and Bear Rivers all flow through the 2nd District.

• Shelter Cove is another valuable asset of the 2nd District. It provides visitors and residents access to Humboldt's breathtaking coastline. The harbor at Shelter Cove has a long history as a resource for fishermen.

• Roger is very active in the community through his memberships in Rotary International, Farm Bureau, Fortuna Chamber of Commerce, Humboldt /DelNorte Cattlemen's Association, Grange, California Cattlemen's Association, Native Sons of the Golden West and The Buckeye Conservancy. He also participates in numerous community events supporting youth groups, agriculture, our timber heritage, rodeo, education, Redwood Acres Fair and Humboldt County Fair.