Our community

To the Editor:

A few years ago, our county was in big trouble. Our budget was out of control. Each year, we had multi-million-dollar deficits and reserve funds were gone. We had built an expensive juvenile detention center that was nearly empty. Our economic development program was corrupt and created no significant economic development. We had the Rim Fire in 2013, but did nothing to cut brush, improve the fire safety of our roads, or address the skyrocketing cost of fire insurance. Finally, just before reelection, our former supervisors began taking action.

Before being elected, County Supervisor Ryan Campbell led our Tree Mortality Program and successfully won grants to remove our dead pine trees. Ryan's work brought $5 million into our county, which paid for the entire program, including his salary.

Ryan has been chairman of our Board of Supervisors since January and has brought in new grant money for fire safety, road repairs, and broadband deployment. The old board told us, “Learn to live with rough or even gravel roads.” Now, we have money to fix them. The old board had no money to replace our aging fleet of fire engines. Now, we're able to buy a new fire engine each year.

Our old board allowed their newly built juvenile detention center to remain nearly empty. Its high costs were a large drain on our budget. Our new board partnered with other counties, encouraged them to use our center for their juvenile detainees, and pay the costs.

There's much more to do. Towns like Murphys are attracting lots of tourists; Sonora is not. We need to reinvigorate our arts and crafts and create a live music scene that gets people here. After COVID, our kids will need afterschool programs that include art, music and athletics.

Thank you to our current board for their solid work.

Marvin Keshner

Sonora