Our View: Three people are running to represent South County on
the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board, and it’s about
time
It’s exciting news: Not one but two challengers have thrown their hats into the ring to compete with incumbent Rosemary Kamei for a seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors.
That’s not a slam against Kamei, but rather a cheer for the democratic process. Voters are much better served when there’s a real race in which issues are aired and positions explained. Because there’s historically been a lack of candidates for water district board seats, there’s been a lack of accountability to the voters.
But, with two challengers – Morgan Hill rancher John Baird and Morgan Hill retired engineer Terry Mahurin – all the candidates will be forced to address important questions in a contested race.
And there are plenty of key questions for the water district:
– Has the water district done its duty when it comes to forcing Olin to clean up the perchlorate plume snaking from Morgan Hill through San Martin and toward Gilroy?
– What pressure can the water district bring to bear to get the decades-delayed Llagas Creek flood protection project completed?
– How can the water district become more efficient in terms of the number of employees and compensation?
– How can directors become better stewards of the water district’s financial resources, both in terms of travel and meeting reimbursement?
– Does the water district staff hold too much sway on the water district board? Should directors take a more active role in questioning staff recommendations?
– Does the district manage its water resources adequately?
– Is South County water unfairly exported to North County customers? And the ancillary question, should South County customers pay anything at all for the imported North County water needs?
– What changes would each candidate make in response to a scathing management audit of the water district?
– Are the water district’s reserve funds still too high?
We’re sure residents can come up with many more questions. Make sure you follow this race, contact the candidates with your concerns and vote for the best candidate.
The best way to create a bloated, unresponsive government agency is to ignore it. Having contested races for water district seats is an important first step toward correcting that problem. Eliminating voter apathy completes the process.
Water district issues are not sexy. But having clean, fairly priced water and protection from floods is vital to our economy and quality of life. Demand those things by casting an informed vote on June 6.
