LAKE COUNTY >> In the middle of his fourth term as District 5 Supervisor, Rob Brown has announced he will not be seeking re-election in 2016 for the position.
“As a supporter of limited government, I believe that four terms of service is enough,” Brown stated.
“I think it’s time for someone else to step in and introduce some new ideas and energy,” he continued. “An elected official can stay too long.”
Brown said he held no regrets looking back over his past 14 years on the Board of Supervisors (BOS), but expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the county and his district, which includes Kelseyville, the Clear Lake Riverias, Buckingham, Loch Lomond and Cobb.
“You always want to do the right thing as you’re making decisions that affect people’s lives,” Brown reflected. “I haven’t been able to please everyone, but I always did what I thought was right.”
Brown listed a handful of projects he was proud to have helped the county accomplish, including purchasing Mt. Konocti, funding the Kelseyville Senior Center, securing financial support to improve Cobb School and “delivering more road repaving and repairs for District 5 than all other Lake County districts combined.”
While counties tend to focus on senior centers as their pet projects, Brown said he was glad to have seen this county be proactive in prioritizing youth projects as well.
He lists the skate park plans for Kelseyville, a wrestling room at Kelseyville High and the Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center, where molested or abused children can be interviewed outside a court room, as projects he was proud to be a part of. For each of those projects, Brown said he’s found ways to preserve taxpayer dollars and use other resources.
Brown said his life-long residency in Lake County, his experience serving on the Kelseyville Unified School District’s board and his business as a bail bondsman all helped shape a perspective that added to the board’s understanding of its work.
In particular, he said his 25 years of work in his bail bonds business benefited the county’s relationship with its law enforcement agencies.
“I know what they do. I know them personally. So I was able to be a voice for law enforcement on the board,” he explained.
After 14 years as District 5’s supervisor, Brown is well acquainted with his service area. Over those years, he’s watched the district turn acres of vacant brush land into high-quality vineyards.
Although the Redevelopment Agency has since been disbanded, Brown is proud his district did without those funds unlike the north shore.
“We didn’t rely on redevelopment dollars, but the north shore always benefited from it,” Brown said. “I don’t think they’re better off than Kelseyville who’s been able to do most of that on their own.”
The reason, he said, boils down to the incentive.
“When people have to pay for it on their own, there’s an incentive to make it work. If the government pays for it and it doesn’t work, people will say ‘oh well’ and walk away,” he explained.
The challenges District 5 faces are the same as those the entire county must face, Brown believes. Road and lake quality will always be an issue, while maintaining a good relationship with the geothermal operators at Calpine “will be critical for future boards.”
Aside from public safety at the top of the list, it’s as hard to prioritize the county’s issues as it is to pick which kid to play on a baseball team; “someone’s always going to be unhappy,” Brown said.
For his last two years, Brown said he plans to focus on getting prospective buyers into Konocti Harbor, road projects and trying to get county revenues up so it can give its staff raises.
In two years time, Brown will step down from the board to focus on his bonds business and family.
“I had the perfect life the day I stepped into office and I’ll get back to it when I’m gone,” he said. “I’m sure public service isn’t going to be off my list. I’m going to stay involved some way or another.”
In the meantime, a few people have popped their hands up to suggest a run for the seat, Brown said.
“I don’t think we need an activist on the board. We need people that can demonstrate their leadership and who are articulate,” he said. “Somebody with broad life experience and with a young family whose trying to maintain this place as a home for their family and future grandkids is honorable, I think.”
His advice to his successor?
“Don’t forget where you came from; I think being an elected official gives you perks that may make a person think they deserve it but they don’t.”
