Ken Lundie's Candidate Response to Questions Posted by the Pacifica Tribune

By Ken S. Lundie

1) Explain why the Harbor District is important to Pacifica and its voters and why you deserve a seat on the board. 2) What are two major issues facing the Harbor District and how do you plan to deal with them?

I am a Firefighter by trade with 25 years experience. For the last 16 years I have been stationed at San Francisco International Airport Division 4 and my permanent position is Fire Boat Pilot.

I own a Commercial Salmon Vessel berthed at Pillar Point Harbor and am a member of both Moss Landing and Half Moon Bay Fisherman's Associations.

I am President (and acting Treasurer) of Coastside Preservation and Recreation Inc., a non-profit Land Trust that owns and maintains the Moss Beach Children's Park and is currently involved with the acquisition and preservation of lands for Open Space for possible extension of the California Coastal Trail.

I was recently appointed to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. I hold the Diving Seat and am the sole Representative from San Mateo County to the M.B.N.M.S.

1) Most Pacifica voters don't really understand why they are even asked to vote on the San Mateo Harbor District. Please explain why the Harbor District is important to Pacifica and its voters and why you deserve a seat on the board.

The San Mateo Harbor District is a Public Agency whose five Commissioners are elected in Couty-wide General Elections.

The Commercial Fishing Fleet based at Pillar Point supply Pacifica residents with the fresh seafood they consume. Party Boats are available for day trips and seasonal Whale Watching excursions are a popular diversion. The six-lane launch ramp allows Pacificans who trailer their craft to launch for sport or pleasure. Some folks from Pacifica dock or moor their boats year round at Princeton; Case in point, Maxine Gonsalves (former Mayor of Pacifica) and husband, George, dock their boat just down the pier from mine.

Pillar Point Harbor is the only safe haven for vessels, both commercial and sport, between San Francisco and Santa Cruz and a good percentage of these craft are probably owned by residents of Linda Mar, Rockaway Beach, and Pacifica.

I believe I am deserving of a Seat on the S.M.C. Harbor Commission because I'm a Sakeholder and unlike my opponents, have consistently attended Commission Meetings (on both sides of the hill) for over two years. I live one mile from Pillar Point Harbor and work one mile from Oyster Point Marina, the other District operated Facility in South San Francisco. I am thoroughly familiar with the issues and problems facing the Harbor District and am contuinually thinking of ways to improve its financial position without negatively impacitng User Groups or the Taxpayers of San Mateo County.

2) What are two major issues facing the Harbor District and how do you plan to deal with them?

There are a series of issues that the Harbor Commission will have to deal with, some being unique to a particular location, like Aquaculture at Pillar Point Harbor and others such as financial debt that transcend geographiccal boundaries and are common to the District as a whole.

As to Aquaculture, or the "farming" of red abalone, I have not taken an official position either pro or con. What I have done is express concerns regarding this activity. The proposed project which received Commission approval in January of 1997 has many legitimate, and as yet, unanswered questions. The three areas that need to be addressed are:

a. Why wasn't a Full Environmental Impact Report required for this project instead of simply a Negative Declaration?

b. Why would the "Growers," who have a vested financial interest in the success (or failure) of this venture, be allowed to monitor their own operations?

c. How much kelp will it take to feed 2.25 million abalone and where is this resource to come from when no such expansive kelp beds exist locally that are capable of sustaining an operation of this size?

Having done extensive research in the field of abalone Aquaculture, I not only know what questions to ask but I'm not afraid to ask them.

As to issue number two, Finances, this will no doubt be the most difficult and complicated subject that will come before the Commission. There are no overnight cures or quick fixes that can miraculously bring the District out of its current $17 million deficit. To improve the financial health of the Harbor District will require new and innovative thinking that includes a blend of wise investments, fiscal restraint and a long-term vision and strategy involving appropriate development of District owned Real Estate and assets.

To identify and specifically address each facet of this complex problem would require more space than permitted. It will suffice to say that I have been working on realistic solutions to these problems, some of which can be discussed by contacting me personally at (650) 728-5656 for my ideas.

My goal in November is not merely to caputrue a Seat on the Commission but rather to garner more votes than anyone has ever received in the history of running for this Office. Armed with a "mandate" from the Voters, I can begin the process of attempting to restore openess and accountability to a Harbor District that of late has operated less like a Public Agency than an Exclusive, Exculsionary, Private Club.