LAKE COUNTY ? Three seats on the Lake County Board of Supervisors will go before voters in the June 3, 2008 Primary election for districts 1, 4 and 5. District 1 includes the communities of Middletown, Hidden Valley, Cobb, Lower Lake and a portion of the City of Clearlake.
Statements from each of the six candidates regarding the race and priorities follow, in alphabetical order by last name.
Jim Comstock was born in Lake County and is a rancher in Middletown. He handles life insurance, mutual funds and annuities for a living. He is serving his fifth consecutive term on the Middletown Unified School District Board, and has been its president for six years. Comstock said his election campaign is going well.
“I”ve spread my message, and gotten very, very positive response from those I”ve come in contact with and found lots of support,” Comstock said.
“We”re exporting our number one asset ? our youth ? because there are not business opportunities for them to come back to, and I want to provide business opportunities here so kids can come back here if they want to,” Comstock said.
Don Dornbush ran for Dist. 1 Supervisor four years ago, and said in a previous interview that after talking to his supporters he has decided to run again. Dornbush sits on Habitat for Humanity”s board of directors, the Cobb Little League board and the Hidden Valley Lake Homeowners Association”s board of directors, and has lived in the county for 20 years.
“I”ve talked to probably 3,000 people. I”m doing it the grassroots way ? it shows that you”re going to put the effort into the job. Especially in a local race, it”s important to get out and hear what on people”s minds,” Dornbush said.
“I”m running because first, I”ve been involved in the community for 20 yrs. I think I would be a strong voice for this dist, and I think I have a lot of good ideas to create better governance and do better with our dollars,” Dornbush said.
Scott Fergusson owns a cutlery shop near the intersection of highways 175 and 29, and has lived in Hidden Valley Lake”s gated community for the past eight years. Fergusson said he”s been involved with the Middletown Area Business Association, sits as a director on the Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH) advisory board and was in the U.S. Marines for 10 years.
“The campaign is going very well. If you look at my Web site at the endorsements, 90 percent of the local business in Middletown is endorsing me. Every other week or so I talk to everybody to see how it”s going,” Fergusson said.
“I want to get the local population involved in the decision-making. I think a lot of people are unaware of some of the building and projects that are going on here. If you keep people in the loop and give them a voice in what”s going on in the community, it helps everyone. What I”d like to do is every two or three months hold a local town hall meeting to keep people updated,” Fergusson said.
Susanne La Faver is a six-year Middletown resident. She holds a Masters in public administration and teaches public relations for graduate business students online for Golden Gate University. She has been involved in Middletown”s senior center and library, South Lake Fire Safe Council and Hidden Valley Lake Safety and Security Committee.
“I have found that when I walk the district, fall in love with the district ? I fall in love with the people who live in District 1. I knock on doors, meet people, have conversations, and I leave feeling I will do anything for these people,” La Faver said.
“I have a passionate desire for the success of the District 1 citizens. That”s what drives me. Traditionally, Lake County has not had a good reputation of being a player. I had a great experience Monday lobbying for two bills against the state budget cuts, as they are currently devised. Lake County needs to be player, and its citizens need to have their voices heard in Sacramento,” La Faver said.
Joey Luiz grew up in Lower Lake. He is in his second year as the sales manager at Shannon Ridge Winery in Clearlake Oaks. Including his employment with Shannon Ridge Winery, Luiz said he has been involved in Lake County”s wine industry since 2002. He served as a member of the Clearlake BMX/Skate Park Community Committee, who worked with his employer to transport materials for skate park repairs earlier this year.
“I”ve had a lot of support. I did not do a fundraiser because a lot of people just wanted to contribute,” Luiz said.
“I want to bring a young, new perspective to the board of supervisors. I think I have the skills to apply to bring a lot of dollars into the county. I”ve been involved in getting activities for youth, which are deprived of anything to do here, and I want to work on stimulating the economic tide so people enjoy spending money in the county co, and bring more people here with that same intent,” Luiz said.
Robert MacIntyre has been a fire fighter for 26 years, 11 of those in Lake County. He sits on the board of directors for the South Lake County Fire Protection District, where his second four-year term is almost up. MacIntyre could not be contacted for an update on his campaign as the Record-Bee was going to press Friday night.
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