Winner will help chart future of Paradise ridge
OROVILLE >> Henry Schleiger is challenging incumbent Doug Teeter for one of the most important elected positions charting the ridge’s future after the Camp Fire: District 5 county supervisor.
The two are vying for the opportunity to oversee key recovery-related grants and contracts, vote on long-term projects like a proposal for a Paradise-Chico intertie, and weigh in on longterm planning. The election will take place on March 3.
Challenger: ‘I’m not invested in the past’
Schleiger is pitching himself as a voice for political change after the destruction of the fire.
“Incumbency is not quite the asset that it might have been in the past,” he said. “A fresh look is what we need. I’m not invested in the past or a status quo.”
A newcomer to the political scene, he may be best known locally as a four-time Donkey Derby champion with his donkey Poppy. He was born in Pulga and grew up in Durham. He served in the Navy and worked in electricity in the Bay Area and Olympia, Washington, before returning to Butte County. A degree in geography and geographic information systems from Chico State led to a job providing wildland fire mapping and analysis.
He says his experience in fire led him to aggressively clear defensible space around his Magalia home, where he’s lived since 2015. That, along with the work of firefighters, contributed to the survival of the structure, he said.
Now, he’s making fire prevention one of his three key issues.
“I’m not talking about spending millions and millions of dollars to get our way out of this, I’m talking about creating an industry to get out of this,” he said. He suggested a local processing center for smaller trees. That’s not a new idea. What’s new, he said, is his “landscapescale” vision which incorporates traditional ecological knowledge and prescribed fire.
Another main issue for him is housing. As supervisor, he said, he’d push for more infill development over new development in wildfire-prone areas.
His third issue is planning and managing water resources. Ensuring Paradise Irrigation District’s future is a priority, he said, but he was cautious about supporting the intertie project with Chico as initially proposed.
“It does sound like it’s not very well thought out,” he said. “I’m not really sure why they’re pushing that so hard and why that seems like the only option. I don’t think it is.”
He calls himself a “consensus-builder” who could work with Chico representatives and criticized the deep-seated political divide between Chico and the rest of Butte County.
He has a little bit of government experience: Tami Ritter, a county supervisor from Chico, nominated him to the Butte County Planning Commission last year to represent District 3.
He’s not a resident of District 3, which is not a requirement for the appointment. But he said that Cohasset, which is in District 3, faces similar forest management and fire issues to Magalia and Paradise and that the appointment offered “double representation” for the ridge.
Incumbent: ‘I want to finish this’
Teeter, who is wrapping up his second term as Butte County supervisor, says he brings insider knowledge and statewide connections to the role. He wasn’t sure he would run for a third term, but decided he wanted to continue to help lead the recovery.
“When Paradise and Magalia rebuild, I think I’m the guy that has the direct knowledge of the kinds of problems my constituents are going to have,” he said.
He has deep roots in the area, graduating from Paradise High School and returning as a businessman after stints in the Bay Area and San Diego for school and a job. The fire took his home and six rental units. He has been clearing and rebuilding on his property himself, along with his father-in-law.
In this race, he said his two main priorities are public safety and a fiscally conservative budget. Other issues are guarding water resources, improving the economy and preserving access to public forests for recreation.
Specifically, Teeter has emerged as one of the staunchest supporters of studying a proposal to pipe water from PID to Chico. He said he’s also fighting for PID’s solvency through other means, like by connecting the utility with national businesses which may be interested in temporarily bottling the water.
“I feel like I’m really a connector, and that’s what the experience helps pave,” he said.
He’s also a leader in the Rural County Representatives of California, a lobbying group, and expects to run for chair next year. He’s most excited about one of the group’s initiatives to re-purpose old lumber mills into pellet manufacturing centers for export to Asian countries. The project, which is in very early stages, is led by the Golden State Natural Resources. Teeter is on its board.
“I think this is an awesome opportunity, and Butte County has a voice because of my experience,” he said. “I’ve worked on a lot of stuff over the years and gotten to the point, and that’s why I want to run again, where I want to finish this.”
Upcoming election
Voters will vote by mailin ballot. Candace Grubbs, Butte County Clerk-Recorder, is distributing a flyer with instructions for voters displaced by the Camp fire. Those who do not plan on rebuilding should change their addresses. Those who have not yet decided whether to return or move may continue to use the address at their fire-damaged property, but should provide a mailing address.
“Incumbency is not quite the asset that it might have been in the past. As fresh look is what we need. I’m not invested in the past or a status quo.”
— Henry Schleiger, candidate for Butte County Board of Supervisors, District 5