PD Editorial: Voters should re-elect David Rabbitt

When David Rabbitt of Petaluma was elected to represent Sonoma County's 2nd supervisorial district in 2010, there was no honeymoon. He took office in the middle of a economic meltdown marked by record foreclosures, tight budgets and high unemployment. As a result, he and his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors were left trying to balance between rising demand for safety-net services and dwindling resources, largely due to declining property tax revenue.

Rabbitt helped the county navigate these stormy waters with clear-eyed resolve and a emphasis on fiscal responsibility and accountability. We encourage voters to re-elect him when they cast their ballots in the June 3 primary.

Rabbitt, who is chairman of the board, has proven to be a calm and steady leader on a number of fronts. He particularly stands out for his leadership in three areas: pensions, potholes and clean power.

Along with Supervisor Shirlee Zane, Rabbitt co-chaired an ad hoc committee on the county's pension mess. The result was an honest analysis with recommendations that included setting a debt limit, raising retirement ages, prohibiting spiking and setting a goal of getting the county back to having retirement costs total no more than 10 percent of payroll. At the time, the county's annual contributions to public pensions had increased from $21 million to $97 million, equaling 19 percent of total compensation.

Many of the recommendations, similar to those later endorsed by Gov. Jerry Brown in his reform package, helped guide county leaders during contract negotiations with unions representing county workers. Rabbitt contends those negotiations led to concessions that will save the county $170 million over 10 years.

Rabbitt and Zane teamed up again in presenting a comprehensive, yet sobering report on the county's pothole problem. The bottom line: Less than 200 of the county's 1,382 miles of roads were getting the attention they needed. Since then, Rabbitt and the board more than doubled the amount of money earmarked for road repairs.

Finally, Rabbitt showed thoughtful guidance as the county analyzed whether and how to proceed with the plan for a community choice aggregation system, now known as Sonoma Clean Power. He was the only supervisor a year ago to vote against moving ahead with the plan, saying there were too many unanswered questions to warrant swift approval. As it turned out, many city officials shared his concern. Eventually, the process did slow down and the county ended up with a better system because of it.

Rabbitt's opponent in this race is Penngrove farmer John King, who also ran four years ago. King speaks with authority when it comes to the issue of water, particularly concerning the need to study and preserve groundwater. His frustrations date back to 1996 when his ranch well went dry, a fact he blamed on Rohnert Park's rampant development. He sued and successfully blocked a planned annexation by the city. King is also a true student of the county's general plan. But he cannot match the breadth of experience, knowledge and credibility that Rabbitt brings to the job.

The Press Democrat recommends David Rabbitt in the race for the 2nd District seat on the Board of Supervisors.