You Aren’t Doing Anything Tomorrow Night Anyway, Admit It.
Do you have a half-hour on December 16 at 6 p.m. Pacific?
Great. How do you feel about one more Zoom? Not great. I get it. But this is how you campaign in 2020. And I am officially asking for your support for my candidacy as part of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District Board of Directors.
What do you do:
Log into this Zoom by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16. I — and four other candidates — will be interviewed live. Following the interviews, you will have a chance to submit a comment with your support.
To join the meeting click the link below, or type it into your web browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88140812184
Webinar ID: 881 4081 2184
Review the meeting agenda here: https://www.slvwd.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif1176/f/agendas/specialbod_meeting_agenda_12.16.20.pdf
Background:
There’s a vacancy on our Water District Board and I am seeking an appointment. If appointed, I commit to run for reelection in 2022. I will work to earn your vote, just as I hope to earn your support for this appointment.
Why Jayme:
The Board’s stated goal with this appointment is balance. Today the Board is compromised of scientists, business people, and long-term community activists. My background as industry spokesperson, government relations leader, and community advocate for San Jose Water’s thousands of acres of managed watershed and more than a million customers offers me a unique insight into both the needs of our Water District and its customers.
But I can bring my deep civic engagement, government relations background, and direct experience in the source to tap, the business of maintaining, treating, delivering, and overseeing the operational work of water delivery and consumption. That insight can help the Board and the District navigate the challenges ahead as it considers further work to recover from the CZU Lightning Complex Fires, continue to assimilate newer water properties into its system, recover federal emergency management funds, and consider future rate changes and capital infrastructure investments.
Thanks to my past work as Director of Customer Service and Communications I can provide a link to the ratepayer, community outreach and organization advocacy, and insight into the water service distribution industry as an employee and industry spokesperson.
Issues:
Watershed Environmental Protection — Our first responsibility as community leaders is stewardship. Ensuring our community is kept safe and healthy for our kids and their kids are the fundamental responsibilities of any democratic institution. While I believe the delivery of safe, high quality water is our first priority, the watershed from which it’s drawn must also be protected from unnecessary chemical or environmental impacts. I believe the issue of glyphosate is closed for discussion in our watershed.
Financial Responsibility — In a zero-growth environment, rates and costs need to be carefully managed because most water systems pay for capital improvements through newly developed connections. That model won’t work in our Valley. So we need to live within our means while seeking creative ways to obtain state and federal capital to make the improvements our system will need to be operational for generations to come.
Expanding Public Participation — The Board should seek fresh voices from different backgrounds if it hopes to bring in new participants. I add a perspective to the Board that offers public agency governance insight, a connection to local state and federal leadership, and a deep understanding of the water industry. But more than that I’ve lived in Ben Lomond for 15 years. I’m involved with parents at SLV High School, soccer clubs, theater groups, and book clubs — and I can be a bridge to these new perspectives.
Governance — I believe a Board’s job is to provide oversight, to strengthen the work of staff, and create bridges to the community, other civic institutions, and regional, state, and the federal government. I believe in full transparency and adherence to the Brown Act and all forms of good government that invites constituents into the process and gives everyone a voice.
