Candidate Statement

By Javan Reid

My main interest in serving on the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District is to maintain and enhance the health of the Mad River and the quality of water delivered to our many communities. This is also the primary mission of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District.

Thirty years ago McKinleyville and Fieldbrook were very small communities and so it was understandable that we would not have much influence. But today the greater McKinleyville/Fieldbrook area has around 16,000 and is growing at the rate of about 600-800 annually. Within 5 years our population will exceed that of all other towns except Eureka. The McKinleyville/Fieldbrook area has not been significantly represented on the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Board. Presently the HBMWD's representative of District 2 (which includes all of the greater McKinleyville area) lives in Arcata. Because of the growth and importance of the McKinleyville Area I hope that the next District 2 representative will live in and be from McKinleyville.

I became interested in the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District while serving as the Chair of the McKinleyville Community Services District Board of Directors. As Chair of MCSD I represented the Board at the dedication of the new filtration plant. At that time I met many of the HBMWD staff and saw how the treatment systems worked and how the systems work together.

Also while Chair of MCSD the Board had to study and debate a proposal that was submitted to the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District by a Global Water Conglomerate from Europe with operations in Turkey and the Middle East. The Global Water Conglomerate wanted to buy the water out of the Mad River and Export it. Many people come to the presentation of the proposal and made many helpful and informative presentations. Because of the many concerns and issues presented by the people of McKinleyville and other Humboldt communities, the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Board was able to evaluate the proposal objectively and rationally and resist and oppose this kind of water export of the Mad River water. If I am elected the HBMWD Board I too will consistently and clearly resist and oppose any selling of water for export out of the County.

I am also interested in working closely with the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Coastal Commission, and the Department of Fish and Game, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife at HSU, to maintain and enhance the health and habitat of the Mad River and especially the estuary. When I was Chair of the McKinleyville Land Trust, with the guidance and support of the Coastal Commission, we were able to negotiate the purchase of the Mad River Estuary land and the Mad River Bluffs which overlook the mouth of the River and the Estuary. This was an important project for the enhancement of the Mad River and I hope to continue to be a positive force in enhancing and promoting the quality of the Mad River for all of Humboldt County.

An equally important concern of mine is the economic prosperity of Humboldt County. We continue to struggle in this time of economic uncertainty, but I know that the future is bright for us because we have the most important resource in the world for our prosperity and that resource is an abundance of high quality WATER. Water is our largest determinant of future prosperity. We are stewards of this most valuable resource. We will benefit from this resource in the near future. So I will do everything I can to make sure that our water remains in our County. I will do all I can to ensure that our water resources contribute to the economic development and economic prosperity of our people and to the health of our fisheries and environment.

In order to secure and promote good stewardship of our rivers and water, we need the best people working for the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. It appears that the HBMWD has excellent employees now. It is a concern of mine that the Board do all it can to continue to train its people and advance them in their careers. While serving on the MCSD Board it was a commitment of mine to support our employees and value their contributions. This will be my commitment to the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District employees as well. I will work to see that the HBMWD employees are equitably compensated and protected with supportive benefits. An employee who is compensated fairly is an employee who will do a good job and will stay with you. I believe that retaining employees and securing a low turnover of good staff is an optimal goal for the operation of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District. I will work for this goal.

Vote for Javan Reid Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District.