Candidate for
Board of Supervisors; County of Mendocino; Supervisorial District 2

My family came to California by wagon train in 1857 and settled in Potter Valley the next year. They moved into Ukiah in 1880. As a fifth generation resident of Ukiah, I care deeply about the future of our community.

Whether we grew up in Ukiah or moved here for reasons of employment, family or retirement, most of us value the sense of community and small town quality of life that we still enjoy.

Some of you may have been students of my mother, Virginia McCowen, who taught English at Pomolita School. Others may have known my father, Hale "Bob" McCowen, a local attorney who later served as justice court judge.

When I was a kid, it seemed like I couldn't go anywhere without people asking "Are you Bob and Virginia's son?" As I grew up I came to value the weaving together of family and community relationships. Many old and new residents alike value our small town character.

As a kid I picked prunes and pears, which was common for local junior high and high school kids. I also did yard work. After school and on weekends my friends and I would walk all over, venturing out Low Gap Road or down to the River. We took it for granted that it was safe to play in the creeks and river.

I graduated from Ukiah High School then attended Chico State University where I graduated with a BA in English. I worked part time as an instructor at Butte Community College while taking post graduate classes in history.

I have over thirty years of self-employed work experience, first as a gardener/landscaper, then as a housepainter and finally as a hands on property manager. I bought older properties in need of repair. The way to make it pencil out was to do all the management and as much of the repair and maintenance work as I could.

In the past twenty-five years I have served on the Board of Directors of several local non-profit organizations. Since 2007 I have served on the Board of Directors of the Ukiah Senior Center. I have also served on the Board of Directors of the Alex Rorabaugh Cultural and Recreation Center, the Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op and the Mendocino Environmental Center. These experiences not only deepened my understanding of local issues but also gave me invaluable experience in working with others.

I served on the Grand Jury, four years on the Ukiah City Council, a year on the City Planning Commission and nearly eight years on the County Planning Commission. I have served on the Mendocino Council of Governments and currently serve on the Local Agency Formation Commission.

I also attend, on a time available basis, a large number of non-profit and government meetings to become better informed on the issues and to advocate for specific policies or actions.

Over the years I have painted out graffiti in the greater Ukiah area on a volunteer basis. I continue to be a regular participant in volunteer creek, river and community clean-ups, and often do clean-up work on my own.