This city councilman is the best choice for Placer County Board of Supervisors seat

Placer County is projected to grow exponentially over the next decade, with much of that growth already taking place in western Roseville, where new housing developments are filling up with former Bay Area residents trading expensive cities for the suburbs. These demographic changes signal that Placer County is not only growing but also changing politically.

Once a reliably red county, Placer tilted purple in the 2020 presidential election.

Constituents in Placer County’s 2nd Board of Supervisors District deserve a future-minded representative who mirrors Lincoln and western Roseville’s mix of family values, fiscal conservatism and politics that are moving closer to progressive. Roseville City Councilman Scott Alvord offers the balance of experience and compassionate leadership that the county needs during an era of rapid transformation.

With major housing and commercial projects underway, current and future 2nd District residents need a supervisor who can advocate for his community, increase government accountability and ensure that the area is growing sustainably with future generations in mind. Alvord is the best candidate for the job.

After 26 years, conservative Supervisor Robert Weygandt is set to retire from the seat Alvord is seeking. Also vying to succeed the supervisor is Weygandt’s district director and choice for the seat, Shanti Landon, and Lincoln City Councilman Paul Joiner.

Alvord has served on the Roseville City Council since 2016 and is a rare elected Democrat in the county. While his colleagues have catered to a vocal right-wing minority, Alvord has consistently been a voice of reason. He was the sole dissenting vote on a policy that prohibits Roseville from flying the LGBTQ Pride flag.

A moderate Democrat with an master’s in business administration, Alvord has advocated for popular, bipartisan ideals, including supporting small businesses and advancing local economic growth. The chair of the Placer County Economic Development Board, Alvord runs a Christian business networking group and teaches at Rocklin’s William Jessup University.

Alvord and Joiner have both criticized the Board of Supervisors, suggesting that the county needs to do a better job of building mixed-density housing instead of developments limited to single-family homes. Roseville is the only city in the county that has worked with developers on affordable housing, giving Alvord critical insight into that process.

Joiner, the current chair of the South Placer Regional Transportation Agency, is a realist when it comes to Placer’s development needs. His knowledge of the transportation and housing sector is valuable, though his conservative ideals could be out of step with young families planting roots in the booming district.

Landon has been more partisan, often taking to social media to denounce vaccine and mask mandates that have protected public health. She expressed doubts about some of the more innovative approaches to address Placer’s housing crisis, including the decision to cap the number of licensed vacation rentals in the Tahoe Basin. But Placer needs innovative solutions to retain the local workforce.

Despite acknowledging the presence of extremist ideologies in the area, none of the three candidates was willing to publicly denounce them. Placer County has seen a proliferation of white supremacy and extremism during the pandemic, and it’s disturbing that none of the candidates expressly denounced these dangerous notions.

Throughout the county, mask mandates and COVID vaccines have become controversial topics, and elected officials have allowed personal beliefs to endanger public health. Whereas both Landon and Joiner vehemently oppose public health mandates, Alvord rightly looks to experts for guidance.

Alvord is the best candidate to steer Placer County toward a future in which all residents are valued. Based on strong relationships with Placer’s faith-based, political and business communities, his balanced approach to leadership can benefit every resident of the district.

This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.