In the Oct. 21 opinion section, I received a lot of publicity both for and against my run for Amador Water Agency board. One thing that jumped right out at me was the fact that the people who are supporting me are locals, and the non-supporters live outside the county. In my opinion, that says it all. Who do you think cares more about Amador residents - locals or out-of-towners?
Out-of-towners Jim Abercrombie and Heinz Hamman both try to pin the $9 million added expense of the Amador Transmission Pipeline on those who brought them to court over the environmental document. They say the expense was the fault of those people because they delayed the project.
This is absurd. The Amador Water Agency lost the suit -- the court said the public was correct: the environmental document was inadequate. When the creeks dried this summer, the AWA "experts" who claimed the creeks would flow year round were proven wrong. Hamman's AWA board, with its "cooperative working relationship," approved an inaccurate document and the costs of the oversights are still coming to light.
For example, Jackson may have to upgrade their wastewater treatment because there is little or no creek water to dilute their effluent in dry months. If you live in Jackson, the real cost of the pipeline may be an additional $10 million to $20 million. Mr. Hamman, were you thinking of your constituents when you ignored the public who warned about the dry creeks? Mr. Abercrombie, how about you?
I just can't fathom how Abercrombie and Hamman can look us in the eye and say it was not their own unwillingness to listen and work with the public that cost the ratepayers the $9 million. Had they taken the time to be sure that the issues surrounding the pipeline project were mitigated, the huge court delays and rewriting of the environmental report would not have been necessary. Remember, the court ruled against AWA.
The people of Amador County own the water agency. I believe the voters know better than to believe the anonymous hit pieces and arguments from out-of-towners who have been proven wrong. The residents can see through all these election games, and will elect the candidate with the best skills for the job and the best record of fighting for their interests. Before you vote, ask yourself if you're happy with the way the Amador Water Agency is being run. If not, then it's time to elect a new board who will do what is best for Amador County residents - not what's best for out-of-towners.