Healy is best choice for supervisor

<p>Local voters will soon choose among four candidates in the June primary election to replace Mike Kerns as the south county's representative on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.</p><p>Kerns is retiring after serving capably as the 2nd District supervisor for nearly 12 years. Vying to succeed him are three members of the Petaluma City Council — Mayor Pamela Torliatt and Council members Mike Healy and David Rabbitt — and Penngrove rancher/accountant John King.</p><p>The person who is ultimately elected to the five-member Board of Supervisors will be charged with overseeing a continually shrinking $440 million annual budget covering a host of public services, including law enforcement, road construction and repair, land use planning, health and human service programs, open space and agricultural preservation, regional parks and water supply. All county services are shrinking in the face of declining tax revenues, and tough decisions will be required to make the best use of scarce resources. </p><p>Such decisions affect all of the county's nearly half million residents, so it's vital that Kerns' replacement be experienced and knowledgeable on a wide range of government issues, demonstrate sound judgment, be able to work effectively with di-verse constituents and possess the skills to find solutions to complicated problems. </p><p>The Argus-Courier be-lieves that Mike Healy is the most qualified candidate to represent the south county on the Board of Supervisors.</p><p>With 10 years of judicious service on the Petaluma City Council and degrees in economics, engineering and law, Healy's experience, skills and intelligence would best serve the needs of south county residents.</p><p>An inveterate pragmatist, Healy has consistently demonstrated solid leadership and consensus-building skills. He has extensive knowledge of local government issues and, being a bit of a policy wonk, is not afraid to dig into the details when it's required. A skilled negotiator, Healy has often demonstrated resourcefulness in developing solutions to complex problems. He is an independent and innovative thinker who has often been a voice of moderation and reason on the council where he has worked successfully to forge agreements on complex issues. </p><p>Healy has been a leader in the fight to stop a proposed mega-casino from being built in Rohnert Park — a proposal that would have long-lasting negative impacts on the entire county. Four years ago, he crafted and championed an advisory measure on a similar casino proposal in Petaluma that earned nearly 80 percent of the vote in opposition. </p><p>He was instrumental in bringing together a theater operator and a developer to make a downtown movie theater in Petaluma a reality. When politics threatened to derail a longstanding plan to build a cross-town connector and interchange at Rainier Avenue, Healy spearheaded an advisory measure in 2004 that earned overwhelming voter approval, thus clarifying strong public support of the project for all elected officials, who have since been forced to work towards it completion. He later authored a floodplain-building moratorium that was able to get the necessary 6-1 super-majority vote.</p><p>Healy served on the Sonoma County Transportation Authority for six years, where he worked effectively to see that Petaluma got its fair share of transportation dollars and planning attention. As demonstrated by his cogent and substantive responses to questions on a myriad of issues on local government, Healy is very well informed on the complexities of subjects such as water, transportation, land use and public finance. </p><p>Unlike many politicians, Healy has assiduously avoided becoming aligned with any specific political factions, choosing instead to re-main independent and open to considering divergent viewpoints, while seeking balance wherever possible. </p><p>The other three candidates each have strong support from different segments of the community and each would bring their own attributes and skills to the county post. </p><p>We are especially impressed with Petaluma Councilmember David Rabbitt, an architect, who is completing his first term on the council. Rabbitt has demonstrated a thoughtful and pragmatic approach to governance marked by carefully listening to diverse constituent concerns and working hard to forge consensus when appropriate. He is a straightforward, commonsensical representative with a strong record of community involve-ment and volunteerism. </p><p>Torliatt, a part-time bookkeeper and former commercial leasing agent, is the most experienced candidate, having served in Petaluma city government as a planning commissioner, City Council member and mayor. While we recognize and applaud Torliatt's many years of public service, we're bothered by her tendency to listen too heavily to one set of constituents, as well as her history of making questionable political decisions that were not in the best interests of her broader constituency. </p><p>King is best known for having filed a successful lawsuit against the city of Rohnert Park over groundwater use. He is well-versed on water issues, but has no experience as an elected public servant.</p><p>We encourage voters to read the candidates' complete answers to the Argus-Courier's questionnaire on the issues facing county supervisors. You'll find them online by clicking the Elect-ion 2010 Coverage tab on petaluma360.com. We think you'll find, as we did, that Healy's answers are the most substantive and sensible.</p><p>Healy's exemplary service on the Petaluma City Council has positioned him to be an active, productive supervisor — a voice of moderation who would keep the best interests of all of the people in mind when making decisions. </p><p>The Argus-Courier recommends Mike Healy for the 2nd District seat on the Board of Supervisors.</p>