Democrat Candidate Forum Draws Large Crowd
The Nevada City Veterans Hall was packed Tuesday night to hear Democratic candidates Terry Lamphier and Fran Cole roll out their platforms for a seat on the Board of
Supervisors. Lamphier is running for his second term as Supervisor of District Three; Fran Cole is vying for the seat currently held by Hank Weston in District Four.
Lamphier outlined one of the principle duties of the Board of Supervisors is to oversee the management of our $180M annual operating budget. Nearly one third of our annual
budget is general fund, or “discretionary” money, of which the bulk goes to the sheriff’s department
As Vice-Chair of the Mental Health Committee, Lamphier is proud of the statewide recognition our County has received for its innovative programs. “Identifying and getting help
for people with mental disorders is a matter of public safety,” stated Lamphier. “It is in all of our interests to see they get the help they need to function in society.”
Lamphier claimed the local economy is his primary focus. “I’m for the Mom & Pop stores that give our County its unique identity and a decent living. I certainly don’t want to see
low paying big box stores put our local retailers out of business,” he declared.
When asked about taxes, Lamphier responded, “It’s not about how much money you pay in taxes, it’s what you get as a ‘return on your investment’ - and of course everyone
has his or her own idea of what taxes should be spent on. I’m proud of the fact County government continues to be fiscally responsible and has had no need to ask for a tax
increase. “
Fran Cole is running for Supervisor based on the need for diversity on the Board and her strong business background.
“Women have a disproportionate voice in government,” stated Cole. We represent 50% of the population, but we do not have a single representative on the Board.”
Cole and her family moved to Grass Valley in 1999 and she wasted no time becoming a active community member. Fran was the former President of the Bear Yuba Land
Trust, is the current Chair of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition, and has been a volunteer at Sammie’s Friends since its inception. These activities reflect her
mantra of personal responsibility and giving back to her community.
Fran served as a business and financial services attorney for over twenty years. “I developed executive and risk management skills, practiced in the area of municipal finance,
and negotiated major contracts for businesses,” she stated when asked her qualifications for the job.
Cole outlined her priorities as economic development, fire fuel-load reduction, and protecting our most valuable natural resource, our watershed. “Roughly sixty percent of
California’s water comes from our Sierra Nevada Mountains, yet we are only receive 2% of the money the state gets from water sales,” she declared. ”I will use my skills to
negotiate a better deal for us.” Missed opportunities for grants and funding are another reason Cole decided to enter the race for Supervisor. Because Nevada County has not
developed a climate control plan, the opportunity to claim a portion of the $850M that the State allocated for sustainable communities was missed.
When asked about the move to change Nevada County into a Charter County, Cole responded, “As a risk control manger, I am against the concept of creating a Charter County
because it would create a lack of diversification in our investments which I view as a unwise position. Beyond that, I believe the costs of amending our County Charter would be
prohibitive.”
Lamphier supports the concept of moving money from Wall Street to invest in Main Street and asked proponents to provide more information on California counties that are or
have recently become chartered, with an assessment of pluses and minuses.
Both candidates were asked what could be done to create good jobs in Nevada County. Fran responded, “As a mother, I believe the greatest export from our County should not
be our children. I think the best way to attract manufacturing businesses to our area is to interest their families in enjoying our laid-back lifestyle. It’s what sets us apart from
other communities.”
Supervisor Lamphier affirmed his commitment to steer the County’s economic development direction towards developing environmentally and economically sustainable decent
paying jobs. “I think investing in our community with projects such as small biomass energy plants that utilize wood waste instead of open burning are win-win propositions. In
the case of a biomass energy facility, if done right it would reduce greenhouse gases and fire danger while creating good paying local jobs and decentralizing energy production.
The evening ended on a “high” note. When asked what was the biggest mistake he felt the Board had made recently, Lamphier responded to gales of laughter that he thought
the Board has wasted a lot of money by their refusal to mediate with Americans for Safe Access over the Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance the Board passed 4 - 1 (Lamphier was
the sole dissenter). “I think we all realize that an ordinance is necessary, but I feel the process was rushed and we ended up with a flawed measure. It doesn’t cost anything to
talk with each other, but refusing to mediate has already resulted in a lawsuit and now we might face the expense of a Special Election.”