Thank you for reporting the results of the recent election for the Colusa Basin Drainage District in the Sept. 22 edition of the Pioneer Review. Director Mary Fahey was reelected with an affirmative vote of 44,929,047 acres, which represented 124 of the 366 ballots cast. Congratulations to Mary on her reelection.
This was the first election ever regarding a nearly 30-year-old public agency, which has been assessing 18,176 parcels over 1,036,000 acres, the majority of which is in District II for which the election occurred.
The question I have, which some of you may also have, is why there were only 366 ballots returned and why only approximately 77,000 acres was represented in the vote. Perhaps it is because the qualification to vote required the potential voters to prove ownership by providing a deed or partnership agreement to vote for a Drainage District most people did not even know existed before the election?
Although I have questions about how voters were qualified, I have no doubt in my mind that the effort was worth it because political reform comes in small steps and is difficult, especially in small communities like Colusa County.
You may have noticed the RFP for the Lease on the 2,942-acre cattle ranch right below the election results in last week’s paper. You should know that the rent on the manufactured house is being raised and you should still be concerned about the luxury house in disrepair, small steps but definitely a victory for transparency. The cattle ranch still needs to be sold and the proceeds returned to the taxpayers but that is good government work for the future.
Finally, I want to express my thanks and appreciation for Colusa County Clerk Cristy Edwards and her excellent staff in administering this election. The election was called on short notice and with a very complex set of rules that were determined by the CBDD during the election. Thank you again for your public service and doing it well.
Ben King
Colusa County
