Key positions remain unfilled across County after uncontested elections
By Charles Douglas
Humboldt Sentinel
Special districts across Humboldt County are looking for volunteers to guide their ongoing governance.
Though several local races attracted the turnout of anywhere from a fifth to more than half of registered voters in various communities, voters in many special districts lacked not only choices on the ballot, but even a single volunteer willing to serve.
The problem is especially acute in Southern Humboldt, where 9 positions on the boards of six special districts went without anyone filing to fill them in the 2011 election round.
“I realize there’s a little homework to do there…particularly in my district,” Second District Supervisor Clif Clendenen said.
Oddly, the attached report provided to Supervisors also listed the Ferndale Fire Protection District as part of Clendenen’s jurisdiction — Ferndale itself is firmly within the First District represented by Jimmy Smith.
In certifying the appointment of 51 local residents who filed to run for offices for which they had no competitors, the Board of Supervisors last week acknowledged their dedication to serve in many unsung positions.
Most notably, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District saw the defacto re-election of fisheries biologist Pat Higgins to a second four-year term from the northerly Fifth District, along with the automatic succession of Aaron Newman in the First District and Phillip Dale in the Second District to fill seats held by retiring commissioners Ronnie Pellegrini and Roy Curless, respectively.
At the behest of Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich, 24 other applicants whose names were forwarded by 14 various community services, fire, water and conservation districts were also appointed.
“Being a boardmember at this point in time in our current economic situation means that you are the ones, they are the ones who have taken the responsibility of making very difficult decisions for their communities,” Crnich said.
She also noted that some of the very small districts save a significant portion of their equally tiny budgets by not having to pay her office to run their election.
Most rudderless at present is the aforementioned Ferndale Fire, where three of the five seats are going unfilled, the same situation faced by the Alderpoint County Water District. Telegraph Ridge Fire Protection is missing two directors, with other Southern Humboldt communities represented by Briceland Community Services District, Redway Community Services District, Myers Flat Fire Protection District and Garberville Sanitary District all have an empty seat on their boards.
On the other side of the county in the Fifth District, the Blue Lake Fire Protection District and the Big Lagoon Community Services District are each short a director, as is the Kneeland Fire Protection District in the center of the county.
Congratulations! An incredible story that deserves much more outing!
What are the 51 names?
What does “defacto” mean here? Was Higgins appointed or did he win unopposed?
What is “automatic succession”?
According to the U.S. Census, about half of eligible voters register. Thus, official turnout percentages of 20% are actually closer to 10%, in effect, the winner was elected by 5.0001% of eligible voters!
This big picture-context is always censored, I guess it’s just too uncomfortable in a nation exporting “representative democracy” backed by 750 foreign military bases.
Ronnie and Roy didn’t file for re-election to their Harbor District seats, and their (presumably handpicked) successors were the only ones to file in each district, just as Higgins was the only one to file in the Fifth District. No challengers, no election on the ballot.
Too bad.