Eureka voters got their first chance to evaluate candidates for 4th District Supervisor side-by-side Monday night in a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Healthy Humboldt Coalition. Focus centered mostly on the county General Plan Update.

A few things stand out:

Jeff Leonard likes to hear himself talk.  He made a point to tell the moderator to count on him always having a 30 second rebuttal.  Did he always use one?  No. But he got the chance to talk about how he can always burn up the clock with more blah blah blah.

Leonard touted his rhetoric about “putting Eureka on the map” — a non-issue that was settled in 1853 when Eureka won the spot as Humbolt County seat.  Incumbent Bonnie Neely further disposed of Jeff’s malarkey by pointing out that Eureka is represented by no less than three supervisors on the board — Mark Lovelace represents Harrison up to Harris on the East side, Jimmy Smith represents Cutten, and Bonnie represents Eureka proper.

All three said they support trails, though Virginia Bass recycled recent campaign line about keeping an open mind about a train she doesn’t believe will blow through Eureka any time soon.

Bass gave a nod to her developer base when she said she opposed Inclusionary Zoning, which was adopted by Supervisors last year.  She said the county needs to be “creative” when working with developers.  Leonard also opposes IZ, which Neely supported.

Both Leonard and Bass jumped at the chance to blame Bonnie for the slow progress of the General Plan Update. Yet somehow they’ve both missed numerous opportunities to show up to a county Planning Commission meeting and crack the whip and wave a magic wand.  Neely said the process has been slowed by the inclusion of new elements in the plan and public involvement, but said policies will be adopted this year.

When it comes to legalization of marijuana, Leonard is “not worried about it.”  Bass doesn’t want Humboldt to market the prized herb for tourism, and Neely suggested studies to determine how the county will be impacted.

Access Humboldt will upload the whole debate soon.  This post will be updated with a link.

The race for Humboldt County’s hotly contested 4th district supervisor seat will have its first battle tonight from 7 – 8:30 at the Wharfinger in Eureka.

The debate will be hosted by the Healthy Humboldt Coalition and the League of Women Voters and will focus on the General Plan Update.

Press Release below.

Forum on the General Plan Update
4th District Supervisor Race

The Healthy Humboldt Coalition and the League of Women Voters are co-sponsoring a candidates’ forum focused on the Humboldt County General Plan update. The General Plan is a blueprint for how and where the county will grow. The forum will be held on Monday, April 19th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka. Light refreshments will be provided.

The public is invited to come to the forum and ask questions on a broad range of issues covered in the General Plan, including land use, water resources, protecting agriculture and forest resource lands, trails and transportation, affordable housing and where future development should go. The forum will also be televised live on Access Humboldt, Channel 10 Channel 11.

Questions for the candidates about the General Plan can be submitted before or during the forum by phone at: (707) 633-8478 or by email at: info@healthyhumboldt.org.

The Board of Supervisors is the final decision-making body on the General Plan Update. The final draft of the General Plan Update is currently being heard by the Planning Commission and will be sent to the Supervisors for review and decision later this year. The Board serves as the legislative and executive body of County government.

“Given the importance of the General Plan to the future of our community, and the fact that the Supervisors will be making the final decisions on the Plan, we feel it is important for the voters to understand the candidates’ views on land use planning,” said Elizabeth Conner, Director of the Healthy Humboldt Coalition.

The candidates for the 4th District Supervisor seat are Virginia Bass, Jeff Leonard and Bonnie Neely.

Healthy Humboldt is a coalition of public interest groups working for a County General Plan that provides healthy housing and transportation choices while protecting our resource lands and watersheds. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

In the contentious race for 4th District Supervisor, Virginia Bass supporters accuse donors to Bonnie Neely’s campaign of buying favor from the longtime Supervisor and Coastal Commission Chairwoman. They claim Neely’s future votes are bought and paid for.

But a 2006 campaign disclosure from the Bass for Mayor campaign gives a peek into how Virginia operates (click to enlarge):

Following a donation of “office rent” to the campaign valued at $4,500, Bass appointed Kneeland resident Lee Ulansey to the Eureka Planning Commission.  The situation was fraught with weirdness, as we noted at the time:

One wonders what makes a “rural lifestyle” podium-pounder from Kneeland suitable for the Planning Commission in Eureka — the city where all hill folk will be rounded up and forced to live like rats in cages following the [county] General Plan Update, according to his supporters.

Ulansey owns a few properties in the rat’s-nest-by-the-bay, maybe that’s a sufficient qualification.

To make room for Ulansey, Bass pushed aside qualified commissioners who wanted to continue to serve, justifying the unusual move with an inarticulate defense about new blood.

Yet for other board appointments she followed normal procedure and re-appointed longtime members who wished to continue their positions.

The appointment was shot down when Bass failed to get a 4/5 vote required to approve an appointment from outside the city limits.

Ulansey’s name is written on the campaign statement form to replace Kramer Investments, which is crossed out.

In the current election cycle, Ulansey has donated $1500 to the Bass campaign.

So what can those developers slash HumCPR supporters expect from their generous monetary support to the Bass campaign if she wins?

Favors, apparently.

Mayor Kelly Schellong will give her second “State of the City” address during a town hall meeting at the Crescent Fire Protection District on Saturday.

The forum will also include a presentation from City Manager Rod Butler updating the progress of issues discussed at last year’s town hall meeting, and feature roundtable discussions about three projects, Front Street, Beachfront Park and the downtown area, that the city would like to move forward on in the coming years.

The event will be a chance for locals to hear information about the labor market in Del Norte County, gain insight about having a successful business, learn about a new local dairy and hear an update on economic development projects around the county.

Lunch made by Elk Valley Executive Caterers will be served in between all the business talk.