HWD Candidate Q&A - Misleading and Dishonest, Politics as usual

Election time is wonderful. It is the only time each year when people can pretty much say whatever they want in order to get elected regardless of the accuracy or honesty in what is said. Truth and integrity fly right out the window and get replaced with tall tales and self indulgent descriptions of qualifications and experience.

The East County Magazine blog-site recently posted a "Voter guide" where Kern and Scalzitti responded to several questions. http://eastcountymagazine.org/node/11321, http://eastcountymagazine.org/node/11503. While I commend each candidate for wanting to serve the public, I question the tactics and dishonesty in their responses.

Kern states several times that employees have golden benefits but fails to include the small fact that she herself has the same benefits as a member of Teamsters 2010. Kern also states that employees do not pay into the pension fund. This statement is a completely untrue. Employees do pay into the pension fund and have been paying into the fund. It sounds better for her if she says they don't.

Kern proceeds to discuss the unfairness of the tiered rate structure and how it unfairly penalizes high water users because they have a few fruit trees to water. This rate structure is made to promote conservation. High water users should pay more if they choose to use more. In fact, the rate structure does not compensate for pumping charges required for those users who live on hilltops.  Those users pay the same unit price as everyone else, but the additional energy required to get the water to them is paid for by everyone (sounds like a deal to me). Additionally, Kern states that she would subsidize those groups on fixed incomes and with disabilities. While this is a generous notion, it is completely illegal which is why it does not exist in the current rate structure. Mysteriously missing from her response, is the fact that HWD has one of the lowest rates in the County.

Kern writes that the Board should listen to the rate payers and that the current Board has completely dismissed them. I guess in her view, if 100 or so rate payers protest the rate structure but 40,000 plus do not protest then the Board should listen to the few over the many. This is just not how it works in our political system. The majority rule. As an active member of the Democratic Party in San Diego I can see where she might see otherwise. Kern follows with allowing cell towers on District property for additional revenue. This was done in the past and was emphatically asked to be removed by ratepayers who lived close to these installations. The Board listened and had them removed. 

Kern continues on to describe furloughs and closing the District on alternating days to save money. 85% of the energy used by the District is used in the treatment, pumping, and distribution of the water. It can't be turned off every other Friday to save money or you won't have water.

Kern states the District does not have a strategic plan but has sat through Board meetings where the Districts strategic plan was approved. Did she just forget about that. The District has a very detailed strategic plan that projects 5, 10, 15, 20 years out and is tied directly to 5 year rate projections so funding is available for the identified projects in the plan. Again, it sounds better for her if she says that that one does not exist even though it does.

These are just some of the examples from her responses that demonstrate the willingness to be dishonest and outright misrepresent the issues. 

Scalzitti falls into a whole new category of playing the election game. Scalzitti has run for the HWD Board three times for three different Divisions. He has lost twice and won once, which was overturned by the State of CA for lying about his eligibility to run for the Board. He was removed from office and ordered to repay the ratepayers the money he made while on the Board. None of this is stated in his response. I guess he forgot.

Scalzitti has mastered the art of reinventing himself for each election. The first time he was a barber and that gave him insight to the community while talking to people in his chair. The second time he was a realtor and that gave him some kind of insight to the community. This time he claims to be CEO of a water business and a ranch owner which gives him in depth knowledge of the water industry and rate structures. Well, I am not too sure that owning two water trucks and spraying water on the dirt for dust control has anything to do with what the District does on a daily basis and how that helps him understand District operations, but it sure sounds good.

As far as his responses to the Q&A, Scalzitti basically regurgitates the same things Kern states in her responses with the same inaccuracies and misguidance. Scalzitti does state that money could be saved by merging with another water district because it would reduce staffing. While this statement is factually incorrect, I was curious why he did not add that he is closely supported by current and past Board members of neighboring agencies. Dan McMillan and Augie Scalzitti serve or have served on the Board of Padre Dam. Why would Augie and Dan be interested in Helix business as representatives of another Board? Do they not have their own issues to manage? Why is Joel not forthcoming and state his affiliations? Again, with politics something always lingers in the background if you look close enough. 

Politics seem to always come down to who can make the other person look worse, but shouldn't truth play some hand in that. There is something to be said for the existing Board members who have only commented on their own record and not ventured in to the realm of character assassination and misguidance. I think those are the qualities I want representing my interests on the Board.