It”s been some time now since this column dealt with local issues. About 16 months ago I raised the issue of too many local school districts, with far too many administrators and trustees, all of which divert rapidly shrinking resources from classrooms and children. The Board of Supervisors declined to exercise their power to expedite the process, instead creating a Consolidation Task Force to study the matter. Predictably, this was the death knell of the issue.
Change is never easy, welcome or without controversy even when blatantly needed. It takes a certain amount of political courage and a willingness to do the right thing even if it means you might not get re-elected. Neither of the candidates now running for Lake County County Superintendent has come out in favor of consolidation.
During my time as a trustee of my local school board I had the opportunity to get to know both candidates. I am endorsing Judy Luchsinger because I respect her integrity, intelligence and dedication to this community. She is vibrant, sincere and anxious to help our children in these dire times. Many readers will be surprised by this as they expected me to lean the other way, but recently I wrote that I”m not ashamed to admit some of my best friends are Republicans and it wasn”t a joke. Judy is amongst them.
Regarding the race for district attorney, it seems that a series of questionable decisions regarding high-profile cases have cost Lake County both respect and large sums of money we could ill afford. The image of our county has suffered serious blows when we really needed something to improve that image. The job involves not only being a good prosecutor, but also demands good judgment in knowing which cases would be better off settled out of court, which charges should ultimately be brought in each case and at the same time being a good manager of your staff.
In speaking with folks in all walks of life, from sitting judges to regular folks who never before have bothered to get involved in these matters, it”s obvious the current district attorney has lost the confidence of many Lake County residents. Having known Doug Rhoades for some time now, I believe he is the right choice to restore that lost confidence. He is bright, witty, pays attention to detail and seems to balance a serious side with a sense of humor, just right for managing a department full of varied personalities. He has a long history and deep roots here as well.
The race for sheriff has some similarities to the district attorney”s in that the current sheriff has suffered some serious embarrassments regarding high-profile staff blunders that he claims to have been unaware of. It”s hard for some of us to understand how someone under his command could be taking lessons to become a helicopter pilot while on duty without his knowledge. A larger issue might be why our staff would use scarce county funds to rent a helicopter to look for pot in the national forest while we are suffering from an epidemic of meth, which is so much more destructive to our community. Why divert staff to the national forest, even if grant money is available, when the federal government should be responsible for policing their own jurisdiction? Our staff should stay on county land and focus on meth, which is a far greater threat. We pay them to protect us here, not to perform enforcement on federal lands.
I don”t know any of the candidates for sheriff, personally, but both challengers are impressive in reading and listening to what they have to say. A friend, whose judgment I respect supports Jack Baxter. To be honest, I am concerned about starting a new career at his advanced age, which I believe to be a legitimate issue. This leaves me with Francisco Rivero, who has put himself at some risk to run against his boss, which shows courage. He knows this community and understands the threat that meth represents to us all and so he has my support.
My views do not represent the views of the Record-Bee or of any other members of the staff.
Lowell Grant is a weekly columnist for the Record-Bee. E-mail him at c21vintage@aol.com.
