Voters in the El Dorado Irrigation District swept out an incumbent in Tuesday's board election amid charges that the district had overspent and was raising rates too quickly.
Challenger Alan Day got 50 percent more votes than current EID board President Harry Norris in the district's Division 5, which includes El Dorado Hills.
Day got 3,206 votes to Norris' 2,122 votes, according to the county Elections Office tally.
"In my opinion it's a referendum that the status quo – the continued business as usual – the people are not happy with that," said Day, owner of a landscape irrigation business.
The district had been challenged, particularly in El Dorado Hills, by ratepayers who complained about district spending – including for a wastewater plant with capacity far exceeding current needs.
Day's irrigation clients complained to him about the district, he said.
"A lot of that is because of the spending and the debt and the rate increases of the board," Day said.
In the district's only other race, for Division 1 on the southeast side of the district, incumbent George W. Osborne beat challenger Rene "Ray" Van Asten, 1,747 votes to 1,222.
A third candidate, Rob Carey, attempted to withdraw after an arrest Sunday on suspicion of domestic violence.
Carey still garnered 356 votes in that district.
The winning candidates' terms begin in December.
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