How To Fill Sonoma County Potholes

By Joanne Bouldt Sanders

We have the money to provide basic services without raising taxes.

Our next Supervisor needs to have a track record balancing the competing needs of government services without sacrificing the most fundamental job of government serving its citizens, i.e., "filling the darn potholes."

Compare my track record with any other candidate running for 1st District Supervisor.

I have been on the Sonoma City Council for eight years and road maintenance is our top priority. Our success running an efficient city is collaboration among Council Members and City staff to deliver basic services for our citizens.

The City Council in Santa Rosa has been overseeing the handing out of raises, charging for parking and closing City Hall. In stark contrast, the City of Sonoma has enhanced traffic safety, eliminated graffiti, repaved many roads, and reduced pension costs. We have had no layoffs, no furloughs, and no tax increases. Instead of pay raises, we have maintained our roads and filled potholes.

Any candidate can tell you we need to repair our roads. But do they have the knowledge, experience and skills to answer the major questions of where to find the money? The County is broke and the primary solution being discussed is another tax to fix the roads. This is Measure M. We have been here before: DÉjÀ vu.

As your next Supervisor, one of my first actions will be to encourage my colleagues to make it a number one priority to ensure our management gets our fiscal house in order before we ask for citizens to pay more taxes! Our taxpayer dollars pay hefty salaries to County management and many of the administrative department heads. The Board of Supervisors needs to direct these well paid professionals to research, detail and present options other than new taxes on us to address our deteriorating roads. Both of these are serious threats to our safety as citizens.

A prudent first step will be to carefully review and consider reducing management and administrative salaries and pension costs across the board. Every dime saved can be put to work in the general fund toward services for citizens and filling the darn potholes is a beginning!

Effective leaders know how to prioritize. They know how to collaborate with fellow elected officials to provide direction to staff to return our priorities to basic services we need. This is especially true in hard times when revenue is scarce. My track record in public service, as the Mayor of Sonoma and on the City Council, demonstrates proven success at how to be an effective leader.

I am running for County Supervisor because it is crucial to elect a leader with knowledge and experience representing all aspects of local government and someone who has a track record of prudent fiscal management. The Press Democrat editorial last Sunday echoed this sentiment.

My sincere belief is that I am that candidate. If you agree, show your support by writing a letter to the editor and please visit my website and Facebook pages to join my passionate supporters.