Water rights

EDITOR: I doubt that Mendocino Town has ever seen, in its 150+ year history, nine people run for a seat to an elective office. It is happening this year. TheMendocino City Community Service District has four vacancies on its five-member board. There is really only one issue that has generated such civic interest: Water rights!

Dowe the year-round residents and voters of our townwant to eliminate the GroundWaterManagement Services provided by MCCSD? I believe thismonitoring benefits all of us in this age of drought and climate change.

In April, Mr. Steven Gomes, a property owner in the district — but a resident of Ukiah — changed his voter registration to his property’s address inMendocino; thus, he became eligible to run for an MCCSD board seat.

Mr. Gomes does not believe that the district should continue to have control of ground water monitoring and usage although the courts disagreed with him. His recent suit against the district over this issue cost the

MCCSD approximately $200,000 in legal fees, a cost to the community and you, the voter.

I am asking for your help in keeping the community’s Ground Water Management Services available for the benefit of all of us. Please vote for candidates who support fiscal responsibility, ground water conservation, and reliable services that ensure our ability to be good neighbors. Please vote for Christina Aranguren, Dennak Murphy, Maggie O’Rourke and Jim Sullivan. See their candidate information at: https://tinyurl.com/y3awvams Thank you.

— Harold Hauck, MCCSDBoard

President, Mendocino