Ledger-Dispatch

By Bethany A. Monk (bmonk@ledger-dispatch.com) =

About 30 residents attended the an = all-candidates=20 forum Monday at the County Administration Center.

Photo by: Bethany A.=20 Monk
Most seats in the audience were empty, = but=20 community members who attended the all-candidates forum Monday night had = no=20 problem coming up with questions for the candidates who responded to the = Amador=20 Child Care Council's invitation to attend the event.

Candidates = in=20 attendance included U.S. Representative candidates for District 3, Dr. = Bill=20 Durston (Democrat), D.A. "Art" Tuma (Libertarian) and Dina Padilla = (Peace and=20 Freedom); candidates for Assembly District 10, Alyson Huber (Democrat) = and=20 Janice Bonser (Libertarian); Jackson City Council candidates, incumbents = Wayne=20 Garibaldi and Al Nunes, former city council member Marilyn Lewis and = Jackson=20 resident Judy Jebian; and Michael Vasquez, candidate for Amador City=20 Council.

Fewer than 30 community members attended the two-hour = forum,=20 which was moderated by Amador Ledger Dispatch publisher Jack Mitchell, = who asked=20 questions from both the council and members in the audience. Questions = focused=20 on growth, funding for children's programs, economic issues and other=20 topics.

"Small, rural counties are often not allocated funding = that's=20 available to the state for various services," Mitchell said, when = addressing=20 assembly and congressional candidates. "What would you do to ensure that = Amador=20 County is not left out for funding available to other larger=20 counties?"

"That is the challenge for the rural counties ... to = maintain=20 a rural atmosphere. ... I think we need to place a value on preserving = open=20 space," Durston said. "I'd be happy to work with the people of the rural = counties to make sure you get the federal funding to make sure you have = enough=20 funds for education, for health ... I understand the challenges of a = rural=20 county."

Tuma told the audience that with a "Libertarian in = Congress, you=20 won't see new legislation taking your freedoms away from = you."

"Unlike=20 the Republicans and Democrats, Libertarians would give you some tax = relief so=20 that your money doesn't go to Washington and then come back to you = maybe," Tuma=20 said. "We would not impose development restrictions on you like = Republicans and=20 Democrats might. In other words, you would be freer in your choices in = how to=20 develop your property, and freer in how you protect the environment with = your=20 property. And you can make investments with your own money and not = depend on=20 government to give you some kind of pension if you ever live that=20 long."

"Some of the greatest concerns I have is that you continue = to have=20 doctors in Amador County who care for aging populations; that you = continue to=20 have schools that can perform and help educate kids for high paying = jobs," Huber=20 said. "One of the problems we have here is that there are not enough = high paying=20 jobs in Amador County and the average person has to commute 45 minutes = each way=20 for work outside of the county. So you have fewer people that will be = staying in=20 their communities, so as a state legislator, I'd like to see more high = paying=20 jobs come to Amador County because I think that's going to help you to = have the=20 kind of economy you need.

"There's no reason why we can't be on = the=20 cutting edge of green technology and agricultural innovations," Huber=20 concluded.

Padilla called herself an advocate for smart growth = and Bonser=20 said she would strike down Assembly Bill 32, California's major = initiative for=20 reducing greenhouse gases.

Candidates voiced mixed opinions when = Mitchell=20 asked what they would do to "help us develop a full-scale community = college=20 campus" in Amador County.

"Absolutely nothing," Tuma said. = "Education is=20 not one of the authorized delegated powers enumerated in the U.S. = Constitution.=20 There might be a point of confusion here. I think we've been addressed = as=20 senatorial candidates. We are congressional candidates down here and the = state=20 of California is a government organization that does provide for = government=20 schools, including community colleges."

Padilla said she would = propose=20 legislation to increase funding. "We still need to build buildings and = provide=20 teachers to teach our children, and there's nothing more fundamental to = this=20 country to this state than education."

Durston echoed Padilla, = saying=20 that "a good public education system is the cornerstone for a well = functioning=20 democracy." He also said that the No Child Left Behind Act should "be = either=20 repealed or vastly overhauled."

Bonser said that because she's a=20 proponent of private school education, she would encourage more business = by=20 slashing taxes. "I would especially slash regulations that inhibit us = from=20 having clean burning fuel."

"I am a big believer in community = colleges,"=20 said Huber, who went to San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton = before=20 transferring to California State University, Chico, Cornell University = and then=20 to law school in San Francisco. "That's how I got the opportunity = available to=20 me. I started at the community college level because I was not a = college-bound=20 student. ... One of the solutions that has worked pretty well in other = rural=20 parts south of here is to have more high-speed Internet access so people = can=20 take online classes," Huber added.

Vasquez, running for Amador = City=20 Council, said he was a proponent of going green, when Mitchell asked him = how=20 Amador City should work with other jurisdictions, cities and the county = on=20 regional planning to prepare for future growth in the area. Going green = is=20 "something that can stimulate the economy," Vasquez said.

Also at = the=20 local level, Jackson City Council candidates were asked how they would = work=20 toward rebuilding the economic base in Jackson in the wake of the = departure of=20 Safeway, Prospect Motors and other businesses.

Jackson is in a = point of=20 transition, Garibaldi said, noting that the city needs to appeal to = tourists and=20 locals in order to survive. He said he wasn't sure if the downtown area = would=20 ever go back to being the center of commerce for the community. Revenue = sharing=20 should go into an overall vision, he said, adding that there are a = number of=20 components to the issue.

Nunes, a self-proclaimed "farm kid," = said "we do=20 need growth, but not a lot. I'm not anti-growth. ... We need a lot of = commercial=20 growth."

Lewis commented on subdivisions, saying that she feels = they=20 don't produce jobs for people.

"Growth will happen, change will = happen,"=20 Jebian said. There are problems with large development proposals, "as we = have=20 seen in the past few years," she added. "Residential services cost = more."

Bethany A. = Monk