What Do You Think The County's Priorities Should Be?

By Joanne Bouldt Sanders

My track record in local government is unparalleled to any other candidate in this race.

Of course there is. That way is prioritization.

Rather than hand out raises to management as Santa Rosa City Council members recently did, the City of Sonoma held the line on pay increases and reduced our pension costs. Doing this allows us to focus on the priorities of running a successful historical destination city. During the past several years, we cut back on non-essential spending and made basic city services a priority.

As a result we have: Continued regular road maintenance (9.4% of our total budget is spent on road maintenance) Hired a mechanic for the Fire Department to achieve efficiencies Hired a full-time traffic safety officer Created a proactive graffiti removal program to discourage gang tagging Established a commercial composting program Added bicycle lanes Repaired sidewalks Provided a historic preservation easement at the Community Center Made ADA upgrades to local parks Upgraded playground equipment Performed a $2.3 million dollar library renovation Installed clean energy upgrades to our police station Eliminated a neighborhood lighting and assessment district that saved every homeowner in that district approximately $365 per year

We managed to provide these important services while insuring: No furloughs + City Hall is open during business hours No layoffs - We've retained our trained and experienced City staff

Sonoma has the same challenges as other cities: declining sales tax revenue, state raids on local funds, unfunded state and federal mandates and most recently, the demise of redevelopment. Yet we managed to maintain basic City services. During flush times, we set aside money to lessen the blow of a fiscal downturn. Unlike the City of Santa Rosa, we have not forced our employees to take unpaid days off nor have we lavished raises on our managers.

In most household budgets, money is spent on basic needs like food, shelter, healthcare and clothing; and the list goes down in terms of priorities. If there is money left after all the family needs are met, we might think about a vacation. On the other hand, if there's no extra money, there is no vacation. Government budgeting can be approached in the same fashion. In the City of Sonoma, we make budget decisions based on available revenue. We focus on the priorities of our citizens.

Difficult times demand creative solutions, not bureaucratic reflex responses. Elect me as your next County Supervisor and I will make basic services a priority, just as we have in the City of Sonoma. I am proud of our track record, and my ability to provide the leadership to adapt our government to meet our needs without raising taxes.

What do you think the priorities are for Sonoma County? Call me or send me a message me to share your views, or visit my Facebook page to let others know your opinion. If you vote absentee, you may be receiving your ballot in less than a week. I respectfully ask you to mark me down on your ballot. Remember, prioritization starts with our elected officials.