District 5 candidates in the June 7 primary were grilled last week about drought, the economy, affordable housing, taxes, and the lack of adequate ambulance services at a well-attended forum at the Colusa VFW Hall.
The three-way race between Marilyn Acree, Janice Bell, and Richard Selover will ultimately determine who will replace Supervisor Denise Carter, who chose not to seek a fourth term.
The April 20 event, hosted by the Colusa County Chamber of Commerce, was the first of two opportunities for the public to hear from those seeking public office in the primary election. Colusa County has both contested and uncontested races on the ballot.
Superintendent of Schools Mike West, who served as candidates’ night moderator, is unchallenged in his third bid for the helm of the Colusa County Office of Education.
Incumbent Assessor Arnie Gross and District Attorney candidate Bredan Farrell, also unchallenged, spoke briefly last week about their roles in county government.
In addition to three candidates for the District 5 seat on the Board of Supervisors, three candidates are running to replace Clerk/Recorder Rose Gallo-Vasquez, who serves as the county’s chief election official and is retiring in December.
Candidates Night for Colusa County Clerk was held Wednesday night at the Education Village in Williams.
Acree, Bell, and Selover have a tough row to hoe if they want to secure the position outright.
To win the primary, a candidate needs 50 percent of the votes plus one to avoid a run-off in the Nov. 8 general election between the top two vote getters, which is difficult in a 3-person race.
With a lot at stake, the District 5 candidates came to the forum well prepared, said organizer Nancy Loudon, of the Chamber of Commerce.
“The questions were very challenging this time,” Loudon said. “The questions were thoughtful and challenging, in particular, because there is no incumbent running. None of the candidates had any inside information from being a supervisor. They seem to have done a lot of research and came prepared as much as one can be without having done the job.”
The forum followed the rules of the League of Women voters. Each candidate was allowed four minutes for opening statements, before each answered the same questions from the audience, but posed by the moderator.
Acree addressed what she called the “elephant in the room,” or her sudden resignation from the Colusa City Council in 2016, six months before the end of her first term.
While Acree did not cite what specific City Council decision led her to resign, she had expressed concern over the city’s financial future.
“My signs, when I ran, said ‘compassion, leadership and integrity,’” Acree said. “The (City Council) decision went against my moral compass and I walked away. I hope (the public) will trust me because I made the right decision. It was not an easy decision to make.”
Acree brings robust and comprehensive career experience in the insurance industry, including managing litigated insurance claims, budgetary matters, and large projects, which she said makes her well suited for the position of supervisor.
“The skills and competencies I’ve learned and captured over the years in the insurance industry will be a perfect fit for the board of supervisors,” she said.
One of Acree’s priorities, she said, is making sure the airport lawsuit is resolved between the city and county and that the county is proactive on issues so the airport is protected in the future.
Bell is a Colusa native and has had a 30-year career in the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office, most of which has been in emergency management. She has written over 30 emergency response plans required for the states and the counties to receive funding for disaster response or grants.
One of Bell’s priorities is finding revenue for the county to provide ambulance services.
“When District 2 was running for office (2018), all the candidates were asked what to do for the ambulance and that hasn’t fixed the problem yet,” she said. “I have a lot of ideas, I know where to find the money, I know where the bodies are buried.”
Selover is a second generation Colusa businessman and is a farmer. He also has a lengthy history of serving on local boards and commissions, and was involved in the development of the Airport Land Use Plan. He currently serves on the Colusa Planning Commission.
“I have spent 42 years of my life making Colusa County a better place to live and work,” Selover said.
Selover’s priorities, he said, are the protection of water and agriculture resources.
Last week’s forum lasted about 90 minutes.
There didn’t appear to be many points of contention between the candidates as each touched on myriad issues tied to the rural community.
All three said they would continue to support the County’s participation in the Williamson Act, which gives large landowners a property tax break in exchange for keeping their land in agriculture, and all agreed that Colusa County should remain at the table in the building of Sites Reservoir.
Selover and Acree disagreed with Bell on who should manage the water.
Bell said water management was best left to the expertise of federal and state agencies, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, the California Department of Water Resources, and the Water Quality Control Board.
Selover said it is largely state and federal agencies that failed to invest in water storage projects sooner that could have assured there was sufficient water during periods of drought.
All three candidates said Colusa County is facing high unemployment, economic hardships, the lack of mid-income housing, and a possible exodus of working families, but said they would rise to the occasion, if elected. ■