Monterey water district's swing vote
Winner will fill spot vacated by Alvin Edwards, now a city councilman
Jim Johnson
Monterey Herald
04/19/2011
Everything from the future of desalination to public ownership could be in the balance in this month's contest to fill a vacancy on the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District's board of directors.
With the exodus of Alvin Edwards from the water board following his election to the Seaside City Council, either longtime Seaside Councilman Tom Mancini or community volunteer Brenda Lewis could wield enormous influence on the district's involvement in crucial issues, which include the future of a regional seawater desalination project, possible public purchase of the local water system, the state-ordered cutback in pumping from the Carmel River, and rising water costs.
That's because the seven-member water board's six current directors are generally considered to be split on many issues, leaving Seaside-area voters deciding who will represent the potential swing vote.
Mancini and Lewis are vying to represent Division 1 on the water district board, which mainly encompasses the city of Seaside. The winner will serve out Edwards' term, which runs through December 2013.
Notably, Mancini is seeking to replace the man — Edwards — who beat him for a spot on the Seaside council. Edwards did that with with the help of the Citizens for Transparency in Government organization, which includes Lewis. Edwards is endorsing Lewis while former Seaside mayor Ralph Rubio, who was ousted by Felix Bachofner with the help of the same organization, has endorsed Mancini.
Ballots for the all-mail special election went out on April 4, and the deadline for submitting them is May 3 at 8 p.m., though county elections officials recommend ballots returned by mail be sent by April 28. Ballots can also be dropped off at the county Elections Department, or Seaside and Marina city halls.
The deadline to register to vote in the election was Monday.
Assistant Registrar of Voters Claudio Valenzuela said 1,182 ballots had been submitted by Friday afternoon, about 15 percent of the 7,993 ballots sent to registered voters in Division 1.
Based on their supporters, the battle between Mancini and Lewis would appear to be between pro-growth and slow-growth forces. Mancini touts endorsements from the Monterey County Association of Realtors, the local property owners and hospitality associations, the county business political action committee and several labor groups, including the area building and construction trades union, among others.
Lewis is endorsed by Supervisor Jane Parker, Marina mayor Bruce Delgado, the Monterey County Democratic Party, Citizens for Public Water and activist George Riley, and Kay Cline of Sustainable Seaside.
Mancini and Lewis are attempting to distance themselves from those labels and insist they would be an independent, practical voice for common-sense solutions to water issues. Both said they support finding new ways to recharge the Seaside groundwater basin, a more involved role for the district in the desalination project, and public ownership of the water system — though Mancini said he wants to review the financial implications first, while Lewis said she wants to see the district "take a more active role" in the effort. And they both lauded the water board's recent cooperation on establishing strategic goals.
Mancini said it was the first time he'd heard of the water board working together on new water sources, which he called a welcome change and one he would work to promote if he is elected, while Lewis said she'd work to get the board to focus more on its shared goals rather than its differences if she earns the nod.
Mancini, a 72-year-old retired military officer and municipal administrator, said he's most concerned about fulfilling the water district's mission to augment the area's water supply. That, he said, will help provide jobs, aid small business expansion, and allow basic home remodeling, as well as avoid the devastating impact of the state-ordered cutbacks. He said he will also call for the district to review its policies to see if they "benefit the public."
But he argued that the water board should play no role in determining growth, whether promoting or deterring it.
"Growth isn't an issue; growth is not the responsibility of the water district," he said. "It's not a political issue, it's a water issue. I don't look at it as a growth issue but an economic issue."
