"Measure H" Joe Loomis
This information is provided by the candidate

Contrary to statements by opponent Dave Lewis, the purpose of Measure H was to save the Fire Department from collapse by replacing about $330,000 per year that the State of California was taking out of our budget and giving to the schools.

Measure H was not a mandate for us to go on a spending spree.

As a Board we are aware of the concern of the citizens over rising taxes. We have kept a close watch over the budget while insuring that the mission of the fire service is properly funded. For the first time in the history of our fire department, we have enough surplus from the last fiscal year to avoid having to borrow money to get through the initial period of the next fiscal year.

We are currently saving up money to buy a new fire truck and to have contingency funds for other emergencies as they arise. Opponent Dave Lewis says that as long as he is paying taxes to the Fire District, he expects the District to spend all the money it has in its checking acount. This is obvious mis-guided and reckless thinking. Measure H raised the benefit assessment portion of our real estate tax bills from $65 per household to $177 per household and can be increased to as much as $250 per household. We intend to reduce the tax to below $177 while increasing services. Dave Lewis apparently is headed to increasing the tax to the maximum of $250 per household. This is ludicrous.

Dave Lewis says the current Board has wasted money by, among other things, paying our Interim Fire Chief $24,000. We were able to acquire the services of a highly experienced Interim Fire Chief at less than half of what it cost to have the former chief. Paying a salary to an Interim Chief is not a waste of money. In his candidates's statement, Dave Lewis says we are paying the Half Moon Bay Fire District the same amount it would cost to have our own fire chief. Not true. We are paying less than half of what it would cost to have our own fire chief and we are getting the services of 3 chief officers, their staff, and a training office in return. Dave Lewis has not attended very many Board meetings and he does have a clear idea of what we are doing.

The issue concerning the former chief's contract was aired at public meetings. The contract was out of proportion with our tiny community and was entered into under dubious circumstances. I also had other major flaws. We offered to renegotiate the contract to bring more in line with our small town budget and correct other flaws. The former chief declined. We had no choice but to terminate the contract. To keep that contract in place would have cost far more than it cost to terminate it. We have already made up the cost of terminating the contract. There has never been a morale problem in our fire department. What has been touted by Dave Lewis as a morale problem is really a power struggle. There is a struggle between a small group of firefighters and the Board over who is to control the District - - the small group of firefighters or the representatives of the people. The people must know what is behind this morale smokescreen. Dave Lewis does not represent the interests of the people. He represents the interests of the small group of firefighters who would like to control the District. The historical and legal purpose of the Board of Directors is to represent the citizen taxpayers. The firefighters are well taken care of and well represented by their Teamster's Union.

If the voters are to make an intelligent choice at the polls, they must be provided correct information by the candidates. My opponent Dave Lewis, in his zeal to get elected, continues to mislead the public. For example, in the Sample Voter's pamphlet he says that the current Board is paying the HMB Fire District to provide management services what it would cost to have our own Fire Chief. Not true. We are paying less than half of what it would cost to have our own Fire Chief and we are receiving more service. In his smartvoter web page Dave Lewis claims the current board wastes money. He provides the following erroneous chart to opine that we have wasted $213,774.73 of the taxpayers money:

FIREFIGHTERS OVERTIME: We had one firefighter get injured and two leave to go to a larger District. Thus we were short handed. We had to bring men in on overtime to backfill for the absent personnel until we could go through the lengthy screening process to hire additional firefighters. The screening process takes time. Dave Lewis should know this because he applied for the job as firefighter among a field of about 36 candidates. In any event, in calculating the net cost of overtime, you must first determine the gross overtime paid and then subtract from it the cost the District would incur if it had to pay a full time employee salary and benefits in order to avoid the overtime pay. Simple arithmetic indicates that this is about a wash. That is, the cost for overtime is about the same as the cost to hire a new employee so the net cost to the District is about the same either way.

In conclusion, I have advised Dave Lewis on more than one occasion to provide the voters with the facts but he persists in publishing misinformation.

The current board is hard-working and dedicated to public service. If the public has any questions about Dave Lewis' allegations, please call me at 650-728-5277 or e-mail: lawyer@coastside.net.

Thank you. Joe Loomis Director, Pt. Montara Fire Protection District

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