LAKE COUNTY— Filing for candidacy on June 30, Dennis Holtzinger announced his campaign for District 5 Supervisor in the upcoming election on March 5.
Holtzinger has lived in Lake County full time for the past nine years and is currently retired after owning several different businesses throughout his life. Also having served in the Navy Seabees doing naval construction from 1972-1977, Holzinger feels he will bring a plethora of both business and management skills that will help him coordinate with the rest of the board and other departments while his construction background gives him an inside perspective on local infrastructure. Overall Holtzinger believes the approach he brings to the board of supervisors is that of a “Can do attitude, an attitude where we can accomplish things.” According to Holtzinger, this would ignite much needed conversations including the conservation of important cultural and historical sites “to ensure preservation of our tribal and cultural history.”
Having visited for many years prior to making Kelseyville his permanent home, Holtzinger believes in restoring Lake County to its former touristic glory experienced in the 1970s by reintroducing competitive water sports like boat racing and water skiing and expanding the traditional Clear Lake Splash In event held annually in Lakeport. Holtzinger also suggests easing regulations for wineries, or even developing a tram up Mt. Konocti to regain the interest of travelers. Holtzinger noted, “We need to be proactive in helping the tourism industry thrive.” He explained the lack of family friendly entertainment and the need for developing community projects stating, “The human aspect is being ignored here.”
The main issues Holtzinger hopes to address for District 5 are road maintenance and fire safety. Road maintenance, though extremely costly, is beyond necessary for District 5 and long overdue according to Holtzinger. “I know the total cost to fix it all is well over $30 million, but we have to start with the basics like chip sealing,” he said. Living near the Black Forest he is reminded daily of the potential fire risk sharing “I see cut trees, drying out, becoming tinder for a future fire. Those need to be addressed.” His way to do just that would involve working with the state as much as possible to alleviate the risk of wildfire. Holtzinger stated “We don’t want to tempt fate. We will work with code enforcement to clean everything.” On that same note Holtzinger explained his intentions on working with the state to prioritize clean water, “All life here begins in the lake, we need it to survive,” he stated.
When it comes to the nationwide issue of staffing in both recruiting and retention Holtzinger shared, “Any kind of blanket statement here would be premature.” As there needs to be intensive budgetary review and research into what programs neighboring counties have been successful with. Yet in Holtzinger’s opinion this ties into the need for more economic development suggesting the utilization of vacant county land and abandoned property to increase county revenue and create a higher budget for salaries.
Holtzinger would appreciate the opportunity to serve on the board and hopes that new members “Will agree that growth is necessary to bring positive change to the county.” For more information on Holtzinger and his campaign for District 5 Supervisor can be found by contacting holtzingerfordistrict5@gmail.com with a FaceBook page coming soon.
