My question to Lynda:

3) Lack of Experience. There's are building opinion that although you seem good and smart, you have no track record and experience, making it inappropriate for you to begin public service at the Supervisor level. I don't know what you say about this, but it is definitely holding back support
Lynda's Reply:

There are plenty of examples of people who went straight into politics with little political experience, and did an excellent job. At the end of the day, as someone once told me, "politics isn't rocket science." (A small business owner in Forestville said that to me early in the primary, and it's a phrase that has stuck with me.) Being an effective public servant and leader means working hard, working with people, relating to stakeholders, and being able to read, understand, edit and draft policy, and oversee budgets. It means being strong but sympathetic, holding onto your values while being open to new perspectives and new ideas.

Of the last four Supervisors in West County, I believe Mike Reilly was the only one to have held elected office prior to being elected, and he was on school board. (Is that essential training for Supervisor, which primarily oversees land use? I honestly don't think that having served on school board would have made me a significantly more informed Supervisorial candidate than I am now.) Interestingly, I was told by a friend of his that Ernie Carpenter ran for Supervisor because he was upset with a land use decision down the street. So, like me, he saw something going wrong and had the idealism and fire in his belly to want to roll up his sleeves and fix it. Virginia Strom-Martin ran for State Assembly as a lifelong schoolteacher -- and won, and served the maximum number of terms, and was honored for her work on children's issues, conservation, and health.

It has never before been a prerequisite to have held elected office, let alone to have had a 20 year political career, prior to running for Supervisor. Asserting that only previous political experience has value will keep our political system in the hands of career politicians and prohibit an influx of new perspectives and ideas. The status quo has interest in keeping the status quo; this is why the DCC was smitten with Hillary, and not Bernie. I believe it's important for citizens to step forward and serve the public -- and then return to the community, and go back to being farmers, teachers, doctors, etc. Citizens can bring new perspectives to our political system, and new energy, and a boldness and braveness that might not come from those who are more of an established part of the political framework.

That said, clearly one needs to have the skill sets and knowledge base to be an effective Supervisor. Some areas of experience that I consider relevant:

*Intimate familiarity with the level of government to which you are seeking a seat. I covered County government for 5 years as a journalist, and sat through countless Supervisors, BZA, and Planning Commission meetings, so I'm very familiar with County level government.

*The experience living in unincorporated Sonoma County and owning a business outside of city limits -- I actually think this is quite relevant to the position, as it brings with it the essential experience of interacting with County departments as a citizen trying to comply with County rules and regulations. (Not to mention having those essential unincorporated Sonoma County experiences... like the time the lemon tree root grew into your septic line and toilet water backwash started coming up in your shower.)

*The experience of mobilizing County residents for a common cause.

*A policy background -- both academic and policy advocacy.

*Scientific understanding of the natural resources that Supervisors are tasked with protecting.

Is mine a perfect resume for Supervisor? Absolutely not. Is anybody's? Doubtful. County Government is completely different from pretty much any other form of government. It's very different from City Council. It's very different from State. In some ways, it's one of the most impossible tasks you can imagine -- to be the primary representation for a community that includes Roseland and The Sea Ranch, redwoods and dairies, coastline and River, cities and untrammeled countryside. Which is why, in my mind, we need to work to reinvent local government... to create greater participation and transparency, and empower our unincorporated communities to have greater self-determination and direction.