[Lara Loewen] (Kevin Loewen, Candidate, County Supervisor, 1st Supervisorial District)
People have asked about possible conflicts between the role of General Manager and County Supervisor, and because I value transparency and open communication, it’s important to me discuss this with you. Both the County & Community Services District (the District) are their own political subdivisions. They both have publicly elected governing boards, and most of their own destiny lies in their own hands. Why would I say most? Well, that’s because the County is bound to the State in many ways (so is the District), and the District is bound to the County in many ways. Taking this a step further, I wouldn’t be holding two public offices because one role is elected and one is an employment position. I’ll provide more response to this below, but do know that I’ve reached out to the FPPC and here is the best link for interested persons http://www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/public-officials-and-employees-rules-/conflict-of-interest/holding-two-positions.html
Conflicts
Let’s dive right in and take a closer look at possible conflicts. The most obvious is land acquisition and/or other matters that fall into the realm of Closed Session business (e.g., negotiations of an AB8 tax rate; or litigation against the other agency). After the District purchased Bass Lake, I’ll tell you, there’s not much land left to buy from the County. I sure hope we aren’t going to find a reason to litigate against each other. Recent history shows, if you take a closer look at the Closed Session outlay of both agencies, the County and District have had very little overlapping business in respect to overall business of the County.
Several Candidates running for County Supervisor may have to work through possible conflicts that could come their way, so the next step would be asking whether those business item conflicts are mission critical to having that one voice – that one Board Supervisor’s vote. Whenever and wherever there are conflicts, I intend to seek guidance from legal counsel and make sure to acknowledge potential conflicts, resolve those conflicts, or responsibly recuse from entering a conflict. Now that we’ve established that there are some possible areas of conflict for many candidates including myself, I’d like to shine light on the benefits gained through becoming County Supervisor.
Benefits
I have a vast knowledge of government workings and quite a lot of experience in working with El Dorado County through my District position – the District that makes up nearly 50,000 of the total County residency (about 25%). Another benefit to voters is that I believe I would have the least amount of learning curve issues if I am voted in as County Supervisor. I will provide sound representation of the most populated area of the County, El Dorado Hills, and the additional representation of some of our most rural areas, along with the values of that population. In fact, while I spend a lot of time in El Dorado Hills, I’m committed to rural values – I love living way out here off of lower Sly Park Road. One additional benefit I’d like to mention is through my time with the District, I’ve built solid relationships with other agencies in the County (e.g., EID, LAFCO, other park districts, EDH Fire District) and many non-agency groups.
When looking at the big picture, yes there could be possible conflicts, and that could be true for many candidates who are running, although when you start to see what I’m capable of achieving for you. The benefits to voting for me as your County Supervisor are far greater than any potential conflicted item of business. I wake up ready to pour my heart into my work. I’m leaving everything I’ve got on the table because listening and being the voice of the people to stand up for what’s right, energizes me, and that allows me to accomplish more than most. To find out the finer details of the many benefits of the right vote - A Vote for Kevin Loewen - you should really look at my website kevinloewen.com, my FB page, and everything else I've been doing with/for the community. And... Vote Ben Paulsen too! He really cuts through the nonsense and gets down to business!!
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