Ten vie for two El Dorado County supervisor seats

When two new members join the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors in January, they can expect to face a tight budget, rising fees, sales tax leakage, traffic problems and quality-of-life issues.

But the 10 candidates in the June 3 primary races say they are more invigorated than daunted by the prospects.

With incumbents Rusty Dupray and Helen Baumann unable to seek re-election because of term limits, the races in Districts 1 and 2 have drawn a diverse field of potential successors, ranging from former supervisors to political newcomers. But in a county known for contentious politics, there is considerable consensus among this year's candidates when they talk about the county's needs.

Seeking to represent District 1, which covers portions of El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park, are former Supervisor Bob Dorr, a 12-year board member in the 1980s and early '90s; John Knight, a member of the El Dorado Hills Fire District board and county Planning Commission; Harry Norris, a member of the El Dorado Irrigation District board; and Shiva Frentzen, president of CAL Internet Services Inc. and ElDoradoBusiness.com, an online business directory.

Expansive District 2, stretching from El Dorado Hills across the southern portion of the county to Twin Bridges and Kirkwood, has drawn six candidates.

Former Supervisor Ray Nutting, who served eight years before being retired by term limits in 2000, seeks to return to the board after narrowly losing to incumbent Baumann in 2004. Joining him in the race are Harry Dean, a rancher and heavy equipment operator with the county Department of Transportation; Rachel Michelin, executive director of California Women Lead, which encourages and trains women to seek elective office; Barbara Smiley, community volunteer manager for Marshall Medical Center; Sam Teresi, a retired marketing representative for heavy equipment firms; and George Turnboo, an automotive mechanics shop owner.

With the county government facing a nearly $15 million shortfall in the coming fiscal year, candidates say getting control of the budget is the No. 1 job for the next board.

"The budget is going to be the worst in the history of El Dorado County this year," said Nutting.

Nutting said he faced an $8 million budget deficit when he took office in 1994, but when he left, the county had a $21 million cash reserve. He recommended cutting costs through voluntary time off for county employees as opposed to layoffs.

Teresi said the county has relied heavily on the housing industry to fund government operations and now has some "cleanup" to do. "Until the county gets its fiscal house in order, nothing good can happen," he said.

District 1 candidate Norris also cited the budget as a major issue, but said he does not favor across-the-board cuts. Some departments, like the County Assessor's Office, are fairly lean and generate revenue, while larger department's may be top-heavy in management. The budget-cutting knife needs to be wielded judiciously, he said.

Candidates also said they would look beyond cutting costs to generating sales tax revenue. All cited economic development as a key to solving many of the county's problems, including congested roadways.

"One of the things we need is more job centers," said Dorr. "Let people work up here rather than commute downtown (to Sacramento)."

Frentzen said the county should pursue more high-paying jobs. "We need to do research to see what kind of work force we have that we are losing to other areas and try to attract those businesses," she said.

Knight and Dorr said the county needs to identify the best locations for job centers and make sure adequate land is available for the businesses it seeks.

In addition to attracting business, Smiley said residential development in the county should be directed toward work force housing, so people can live in the communities where they work.

Candidates say the county also must create a more business-friendly climate by streamlining its permitting process and controlling fees. Michelin, a member of the county's Economic Development Advisory Committee, said the Development Services Department Web site ought to allow people to track their projects online.

Candidates also generally said they would support some modifications to Measure Y, an initiative approved by county voters in 1998 that requires new development to pay the cost of road improvements to serve growth.

Several candidates blamed the measure for high traffic impact fees that they say discourage commercial development and make it difficult to provide affordable housing. Dean and Turnboo criticized the county for raising fees during an economic downturn, saying high costs are driving contractors out of business.

"You need to step back sometimes and put your feet in those people's shoes," Turnboo said.

But others said the fees are necessary to provide the roads to serve development. Knight, a commercial real estate consultant, said he believes fees have an impact on economic development but not to the degree that people tend to think they do.

Though candidates say they are eager to promote commercial and industrial development, they also want to maintain the county's quality of life.

To do that, Dean and Turnboo said, the county must pursue new water rights and plan for additional water storage, so it can serve residential and commercial growth, as well as agricultural operations in coming decades.

"When we get short of water, they will take it from agricultural users, and people will start selling and developing their land," Dean said.

Candidates said they would advocate on behalf of residents in the El Dorado Hills area who are affected by noise from low-flying aircraft using Sacramento County's Mather Airport.

Several candidates said the board also should move forward with long-delayed parks in Pollock Pines and the Bass Lake area.

"It's important to the quality of life for the young families that live here," Norris said.

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