3 Candidates - 3 Things this Election Can Accomplish

By Russ Baggerly

Three of five directors on the board are up for election this year. These three seats represent the possibility for a new direction for the Casitas District. There are two new candidates and one incumbent running for re-election that can make a difference in this election! The new candidates are Russ Baggerly in Division 5, and Dan Nelson in Division 2. The incumbent is Pete Kaiser in Division 3.

There are three good reasons why your vote for these candidates in your District division is so important.

1. The integrity of the CMWD Board needs to be restored. A majority of the current Board has delayed the Robles Fish Passage facility and caused the loss of $750,000 in grant money. Also, Casitas' failure to actively cooperate in the planned Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration could jeopardize the entire project. This could leave the Districts taxpayers with a potentially huge financial burden if the current federally funded project is lost because of the District's opposition.
2. Confidence needs to be restored in Casitas' management. The Matilija Conduit (pipeline) has been prominently featured in the District's slick yearlong public relations campaign. This campaign has been long on expensive newsletters sent to its customers, but short on reliable facts. Recently, the State Water Board informed Casitas that they have been wrong about their water rights claims concerning the Matilija Conduit and storage in Matilija Dam. There are no water rights associated with the Matilija Conduit but the customers that have been served with water from Lake Casitas could continue to be served. Also, the dam does not store 7,000 acre-feet of water as claimed by Casitas in their August 2004 newsletter. In fact, the State Water Board indicated that storage has been reduced by accumulated sediment from 4,300 acre-feet to less than 500 acre-feet.
3. A positive and cooperative relationship needs to be re-established with local, state, and federal agencies. The District's relationship with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (owner of Casitas Dam), the County of Ventura (owner of Matilija Dam), and other regulatory agencies has been confrontational and unproductive.

This election can make a difference! Our communities deserve real leadership on critical water issues. This is why I am joining Pete Kaiser and Dan Nelson in the campaign for change as candidates for the Casitas Municipal Water District Board.