Folsom mayor faces a newcomer in race for City Council District 5. Here’s where they stand
The race to represent District 5 — generally neighborhoods on the north side of East Bidwell Street — on the Folsom City Council puts Mayor Kerri Howell against Anna Rohrbrough, who was active in local politics in Snohomish County north of Seattle before moving to California three years ago.
Kerri Howell
Party: Folsom City Council is a bipartisan election (though I am registered as a Democrat, but a financially conservative one – so pretty much middle of the road).
Age: 63
Born: Revere, Massachusetts
Residence: Folsom for 38 years
Education: University of Massachusetts at Lowell, bachelor of science in civil engineering
Occupation: Engineer, restaurant owner and small business woman for 24 years in Folsom
Offices held: Folsom City Council member since 1998, Folsom planning commission from 1994 to 1998.
I currently represent the City of Folsom on the following regional boards and commissions:
Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District
Sacramento Area Sewer District
Sacramento Regional Transit
Sacramento Placerville Transportation Joint Powers Authority
Capital Southeast Connector Joint Powers Authority
I have previously represented the City of Folsom on the Sacramento Transportation Authority, SACOG and the Regional Water Authority.
Website: WWW.voteKerriHowell.com
This is the city’s first-year with district elections. What is your top priority for your neighborhood?
The district elections came about as a result of the California Voters Rights Act, and a subsequent lawsuit. CVRA was intended to increase diversity in elections, but Folsom already has diversity on our council resulting from at-large elections. Given my experience and tenure on the council, any issues specific to District 5 would already have been addressed. The most recent issue in District 5 was oak trees along the Oak Avenue Trail. PG&E was attempting to remove a significant number of these trees due to proximity to power lines. The existing City Council members convinced PG&E to reconsider their proposed action, leading to the saving of many of those trees and doing pruning instead. My objective in this new era of districts is to continue to be a leader on the council, having served four terms as mayor, to ensure that our council members act in the best interest of all Folsom residents, not just those in a given district.
Thousands of new homes are being built on the city’s southern edge in the Folsom Ranch neighborhoods, but there are some questions about whether the city will have enough resources. Do you feel the city is prepared for the addition of these homes?
The annexation of the 3,600 acres that is now under construction at Folsom Ranch was a 20 year planning process and the build out is expected to take 20 years from sales of the first homes a few years ago. I was one of two council members involved in the negotiations with Illa Collin and Roger Niello to agree to the terms of the MOU with Sacramento County that lead to the Sphere of Influence and the ultimate annexation approved by the Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO). We agreed that groves of oak trees would be protected, 30 percent of the area would be maintained as open space and a water source would be obtained. Yes, the City has “enough resources” to provide the same level of service that all Folsom residents currently receive. There is a dedicated water supply resulting from savings of 6,200 acre feet of water north of US 50 that exceeds the water demand for Folsom Ranch at build out. A new fire station is under construction, along with parks, schools and retail centers. Two new interchanges are also in the works at Oak Avenue Parkway and Empire Ranch Road. As a civil engineer, I understand all of the requirements for resources for new development and I have been involved in every aspect of the planning. As a long time council member, I understand the requirements for public safety and the budgetary requirements to ensure that we have the money to fund what is needed. Experience matters!
What else can the city do to cut its water usage given that climate change is expected to reduce the region’s already tight water supply?
The City of Folsom has lead the pack in the Sacramento region with regard to water conservation. The development of Folsom Ranch is extremely water efficient, much more so that the older areas of Folsom, north of the freeway, with larger lots and far less water efficient appliances and landscaping. Folsom has never come close to using its water allocation and we have agreements throughout the region, along with the Bureau of Reclamation (that operates the water supply in Folsom Lake) to ensure that there is adequate water supplies in the region through conjunctive use and balancing between surface water and ground water. The city of Folsom currently uses less water on a daily basis than the volume of water that evaporates from Folsom Lake.
Anna Rohrbough
Party: Did not answer
Age: 49
Birthplace: Ellensburg, Washington.
Residence: Folsom
Occupation: Leadership development and speaker coach
Education: University of Washington, bachelor’s degrees in economics and in political science.
Offices Held: City Council member, Mukilteo, Washington.
Campaign Website: www.electanna.com
This is the city’s first-year with district elections. What is your top priority for your neighborhood?
Two things I hear the most from the 1,500 homes in my neighborhood I have visited so far are our issues with drag racing combined with red light runners and the impact of homelessness. We have proven solutions that positively impact both - targeted enforcement for our traffic violators and the dedicated focus of our Crime Suppression Unit to not only enforce our laws but also to identify the homeless who need and want a hand up and connect them with critical drug and mental health services along with our local social service providers, and nonprofits. Yet as our population continues to grow we are unable to be as proactive as we need in either case because our police department is not keeping pace with our growth. Since 2006 our city has grown by approximately 20,000 people, yet our police department has decreased by 13 officers. We have five beats in our city but unfortunately our city has only prioritized budgeting enough resources to patrol four. This leaves an elementary school and thousands of residents without an active patrol, which is unacceptable. The money is available and it is a council member’s job to develop a budget around the priorities of their community. I won’t just talk about the problem. I will immediately put a plan in action to increase the safety of our families on the roads and reduce the impact of homelessness around our schools, parks and trails! Acknowledging the lack of resources that our public safety services have received through many budget cycles is one of many reasons I’ve been endorsed by the Folsom Police Association, the Folsom Police Middle Management Association and the Folsom Local 522 Fire Association. They know I am dedicated to creating and implementing a clear vision for Folsom’s future. A vision that meets the city’s priorities and protects our current and future residents.
Thousands of new homes are being built on the city’s southern edge in the Folsom Ranch neighborhoods, but there are some questions about whether the city will have enough resources. Do you feel the city is prepared for the addition of these homes?
To some degree, yes - the City has taken many steps in preparing and planning for the new growth. The design and infrastructure being built in Folsom Ranch is strong with 30% of the land being parks, trails and open spaces, reflecting Folsom’s Distinctive by Nature brand. However, there are other resources and services that are strained because of this new growth. The biggest concerns to our residents:
1. Water supply
While some say our water supply is assured, others in our community say differently. I want to increase the communication and transparency of our water supply moving forward so that all of our residents understand the reality of where we are at today and what we need to do to strategically protect and build our water supply into the future.
2. Public safety
We are not adequately staffed in our police department to handle our current needs nor any more future growth proposed. With over 1,500 homes and an elementary school in Folsom Ranch already, we have not increased our officers appropriately. It’s an unacceptable strain on our police officers and a failure to the high expectations of our residents. We were promised that the services in Folsom would not be strained by adding the homes in the Folsom Ranch area. The city is not keeping their word to the residents and I will immediately remedy this unkept promise.
What else can the city do to cut its water usage given that climate change is expected to reduce the region’s already tight water supply?
Clearly, conservation is a necessity. Increased education, requiring efficient and drought tolerant landscaping, and transparent messaging to our residents about our water supply and constraints will be absolutely critical. However, over and over again, I hear the frustration from residents about the conflicting messages; “There is plenty of water for our growth.” “We are in a drought and we have to conserve our water so we don’t run out.” I will create more transparency and reduce the mixed messages our community is receiving about Folsom’s historic water rights and communicate what we need to do to protect our water supply for all of Folsom’s residents now and into the future.