LAKE COUNTY — Clearlake Oaks resident Jim Steele has decided to run for Lake County Supervisor in District 3.
Steele has a science and business background that “will serve the county well on many levels,” he stated in a release announcing his candidacy.
As a young biologist, one of Steele”s early jobs was studying Clear Lake, and moved to Lake County in 2002 after a 30-year career with the State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Currently, Steele is president of the Lake County Search and Rescue Association, serves on a technical advisory committee that is analyzing information from satellite imagery to find solutions to the problems plaguing Clear Lake and has served on the Clearlake Oaks Water District Board, he stated. Steele also writes a regular column in the Record-Bee about the lake and has a science show focusing on Clear Lake twice a month on KPFZ 88.1 FM.
In declaring his candidacy for the District 3 Supervisor position that will become vacant at the end of 2014, Steele said the main reason he decided to run for Lake County Supervisor is the lake.
“Clearlake is the underpinning of our economy and essential to our quality of life. It is an ecological treasure with an abundance of wildlife and physical attributes that make Lake County a perfect place to live and visit,” he said. “I know I can help guide the decisions necessary to restore Clear Lake to its natural vitality. I have already begun meeting with groups and I look forward to continuing discussions with the community about the issues of importance to them including the potential hitch listing, affordable drinking water and more.”
Steele has worked in the private and public sectors, he stated. In the private sector, Steele has owned three businesses (tax and business consultant, martial arts dojo and water rights consultant) and still consults on a selective basis, assisting farmers, landowners and others with water rights and permitting issues. As a former consultant to the county, Steele conducted experiments with the University of Nevada to develop a method that stops quagga mussels should they infect the lake.
In the public sector, Steele has worked as a biologist and ecologist.
He led restoration projects on endangered species, coastal streams and fish populations, protection programs for old growth forests and investigated difficult water pollution problems. Steele was also policy advisor and liaison to the Board of Forestry and the Water Resources Control Board and served two governors as technical advisor on environmental issues.
To find out more about Jim, his goals and how he will approach solving the difficult problems facing Lake County, go to the his website, www.jimsteeleforsupervisor.com and click on the issues and reforms page.
