James Gore getting started on new role as county supervisor

Win or lose, it’s a task that every candidate for local political office faces after Election Day: gathering signs and posters spread around town and disassembling campaign headquarters.

James Gore was recovering from a cold as he went about that work in his downtown Windsor headquarters recently. But the newly elected 4th District Sonoma County supervisor still beamed.

“When I look at the signs and maps hanging on the wall, I’m reminded of our campaign and all the neighborhoods we circled, all the phone calls we made right up until election night,” Gore said. “I’m feeling really good - exhausted, but inspired.”

The 36-year-old father of two said he’s taking advantage of the breathing period before Jan. 6, when he’ll be sworn in as a supervisor.

“I’m just trying to thank everybody and spend some time hunkered down with my family,” Gore said. He will take over for Mike McGuire, who has already left county office to assume his new seat in the state Senate.

Gore has never before held elected office, and he faces a busy year ahead.

His fellow supervisors have slated a number of high-profile issues to come before the board next year, including tighter regulation of events at wineries outside city limits, fluoridation of county drinking water, raising pay for county-affiliated workers through a living wage ordinance, restrictions on vacation rentals, and new rules covering the cultivation and possession of medical marijuana plants.

Gore said he recognizes the scope of work ahead. He’s already getting started as the newest representative of the north county - including a district that stretches from northern Santa Rosa to the Mendocino County line, encompassing the cities of Healdsburg, Windsor and Cloverdale and the communities of Geyserville and Larkfield-Wikiup.

On Thursday, Gore announced the appointment of his two planning commissioners, a selection he said he considered a top priority.

Willie Lamberson, a ceramic tile contractor and member of the Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce, will represent the 4th District on the Board of Zoning Adjustments. Tom Gordon, a former probation officer and past president of the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association, will serve on the Planning Commission.

Gore also is planning a series of community meetings in the north county during his first 90 days in office, when he said he’ll ask his constituents to weigh in on issues coming before the Board of Supervisors, as well as their top concerns.

Gore said critical initiatives he’ll be taking on include implementation of new state groundwater laws, campaigning for a countywide sales tax for road repairs, and a county proposal to fund preschool for every child in the county.

“A lot of these things are going to be accomplished with incremental progress,” he said. “The biggest thing for me right now is to listen.”

Gore should focus on working with county department leaders and gathering input from community groups and members of the public, supervisors and political consultants said about the beginning of his tenure.

“The campaign is over,” said Supervisor Susan Gorin, who is set to take over as the board’s chairwoman beginning in January. “Now your education and work as a supervisor begins. Pace yourself, because the learning curve is steep.”

Paul Kelley, a four-term 4th District supervisor who left office in 2010 after 16 years, said for a new supervisor, there are surprises and hurdles.

“I remember being exhausted from the campaign and looking forward to the holidays,” Kelley said. “Another thing I really remember is taking the first six months in office to meet with every department head in the county and find out what their top two or three challenges were.”

Kelley, now 51, had advice for Gore: “You think you know your district because you spent so much time there during your campaign, but my experience is that it’s much bigger than you think.”

Kelley added, “Get out there and drive every road, and meet with as many people as you can.”

Petaluma political consultant Brian Sobel said Gore brings assets to the board, with his prior post as an assistant chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service and his fluency in Spanish.

“There’s really no substitute for experience in Washington, D.C.,” Sobel said. “He’ll be able to better leverage federal resources, and that’s a significant upside for the board.”

Having left Sonoma County nearly 20 years ago, Gore’s challenge in the race for supervisor was to establish his name and inform voters of his record, including a stint in the Peace Corps and years working for a Washington-based management and lobbying firm. The latter post and his subsequent work with the Natural Resource Conservation Service opened him to attacks from his opponent’s supporters, including allegations he had worked as a lobbyist and had mismanaged taxpayer money - claims Gore sought to refute in interviews and campaign mailers.

He has tried especially to burnish his record on land-use issues, pointing both to his family’s history in wine grape farming outside Cloverdale and his work in Washington securing money for North Coast salmon recovery.

Throughout the campaign and during candidate forums, Gore touted his ability to “speak Washington,” using his network at the capital to bring expertise and resources to Sonoma County.

“We have to look at all the resources and funding we can bring to the table, through federal and state agencies,” Gore said. “I have experience doing that work.”

Gore amassed $441,000 in campaign donations leading up to the election, significantly eclipsing donations to his opponent, longtime Windsor Councilwoman Deb Fudge, who raised $320,500.

Fudge’s core supporters vowed to work with Gore, who claimed a strong win in the runoff last month, earning 58.3 percent of the vote to Fudge’s 41.2 percent.

“It was a tough election,” said Lisa Maldonado, executive director of the North Bay Labor Council and a Fudge supporter. “But we’re looking forward to working with James on a living wage ordinance and project labor agreements.”

The Board of Supervisors last January approved a policy requiring project labor agreements - including union rules, benefits and oversight - on county construction projects of $10 million or more.

Gore said he supports that policy, as well as the idea of a living wage measure for local workers. He said, however, that he couldn’t back a specific ordinance for county-affiliated workers because of potential budget constraints.

“We need to continue to work on equity issues,” Gore said. “But I don’t think we should bite off more than we can chew right now.”

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.