Candidates for Sonoma County's 4th District supervisor's seat squared off Tuesday in Healdsburg, in their last major public forum leading up to the June 3 primary, taking a few jabs at each other and enlivening what until now has been a generally subdued contest.
Longtime Windsor Councilwoman Deb Fudge, in particular, pushed back at a couple of her rivals.
"I'm tired of people painting me in a corner I don't belong in," she said in response to the characterization by candidate Keith Rhinehart that she is an ultra-liberal, what he called part of a faction of "environmental extremists holding us hostage" by using the state environmental quality act to stop projects.
Fudge said she casts her own independent votes and also rebuffed candidate James Gore when he said he snagged the endorsements of a majority of the Windsor Town Council because he was seen as "collaborative," implying that Fudge is not.
Fudge said she didn't agree on certain issues with her Town Council colleagues but said "most of us are still friends."
"I'll throw a pie back in your face, Mr. Gore, but that didn't mean anything at all," she said of his comment.
Tuesday's event at the Raven Performing Arts Theater, attended by more than 150 people, touched on a range of topics, from escalating employee pension costs, gravel mining on the Russian River, use of wastewater for irrigating vineyards, and how to give a more active voice politically to the Latino community.
The candidates are seeking to replace outgoing Supervisor Mike McGuire, who is running for state Senate. If none of the candidates gets a majority of the votes in June, the two top vote-getters will go head-to-head in a runoff in the November election.
Pension costs were a dominant topic again Tuesday, particularly with candidate Ken Churchill, who said pensions for county employees have gone from costing $25 million a year in 2002 to $117 million last year. They are scheduled to rise to more than $200 million annually by 2020, he said.
He spoke of the need to lower the average $122,000 salary and benefits package of county employees by 12 percent, saying it would help restore road maintenance programs.
Fudge, he said, won't be able to alter pensions because "she will be in the pockets of unions."
Fudge characterized the issue differently, speaking of the need to "keep pensions funded."
Churchill also made an oblique reference to Gore as the "real estate, development, corporate interest candidate," as reflected by his endorsements and contributions.
Gore, a former appointee in the Obama administration's Department of Agriculture, said he has an impeccable background. "You will find someone who works hard, brings people together and gets things done," he said.
The candidates were generally in favor of using reclaimed water to irrigate vineyards, which Healdsburg is proposing, although they cautioned on the need not to affect groundwater in Dry Creek Valley.
Candidate Pete Foppiano, a former Healdsburg mayor, said he supports using the recycled water for agriculture.
"Water is more precious than gold in California in the 21st century," he said. "We need to be proactive, not reactive."
When it came to reaching out Latinos, Gore a former Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia said in Spanish, "If you want to include them, you have to reach them."
Churchill said there are no easy answers, adding "a lot are hiding because immigration (policies) need to be fixed."
Rhinehart, a part-time teacher, referenced the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy who told investigators he mistook the boy's BB gun for an assault rifle. The killing sparked protests that involved many from the Latino community.
Rhinehart said a civilian law enforcement review board is needed with subpoena and disciplinary powers.
Candidates sought to broaden their appeal to voters in closing statements.
Churchill sought to dispel the notion that he is a single-issue candidate by focusing on pensions. He said his 37 years running his own companies, including solar and environmental consulting companies, gave him an understanding of renewable energy, energy conservation programs and environmental regulations.
Foppiano, a former Healdsburg mayor who served on the City Council from 1984 to 1996, said he played a key role in revitalizing the downtown and building key infrastructure and public buildings from City Hall to the fire and police stations
Tuesday's forum was sponsored by the Dry Creek Valley Association and Winegrowers of Dry Creek.
You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com.
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