Tom Lynch, Efren Carrillo's appointee to the Sonoma County Planning Commission, has announced his candidacy for Efren's seat on the Board Of Supervisors, joining Noreen Evans, Lynda Hopkins, Marion Chase and Tim Sergent.
His announcement on his website:
Our treasured quality of life, our children’s future, is at stake in this election.
That’s why I’m running for Sonoma County’s Fifth District Supervisor. I need strong support from you and your friends & families to help change the current system. I’m a concerned citizen and parent, and for over thirty years I have demonstrated strong leadership in protecting the environment, developing jobs, supporting the arts, and advocating for improved government services. We need broader levels of engagement so that we can work together openly and honestly to solve problems with sustainable solutions.
Sonoma County must reinvent itself, become a convener, enlist and involve our community, leverage resources for public safety and road repair, and restore cuts to nonprofits, volunteer and faith based organizations. We need future contributors to direct more resources into education and less into incarceration. Our housing crisis requires supervised homeless camps, incentives to create rentals, and small second dwelling units in underutilized owner occupied homes. To expedite projects, the Permit & Resource Management Department needs more staff and to provide reduced fees.
I will personally opt out of the Sonoma County Employee Retirement Association system, and work toward fair pensions for all generations. As Fifth District Planning Commissioner and former member of the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, I have worked to protect diverse communities, improve health services & schools, and develop affordable housing and infrastructure with fiscally responsible and affordable solutions.
Thank you for your support.
Tom's a good guy. I know some of you will dismiss him out of hand for being appointed by Efren, but I don't think that's warranted. His signature issue is county employee pension reform. It's not a sexy issue, as say potholes or winery event centers, but it's important as it puts a big strain on the county budget, which affects all county spending.
The Sonoma West Times and News did a good article on him here. Interestingly, The PD hasn't published one yet.