This is my first term as Supervisor.   My colleagues on this Board are either long term Del Norte residents, long term Supervisors, or both.

One of the most common comments I hear from long term residents is the phrase “good ‘ol boy network.”   People tell me that for many years, decisions affecting the future of the county are made out of sight, behind closed doors, by long term political insiders.

I’m not sure how long one has to live here to be part of the good ‘ol boy network, but I am sure District 1 is not part of it.  I promised my constituents that my actions and my decisions would be made in the open, except for items which are clearly delegated to closed session.

This brings me to the Board of Supervisors committee assignments.  District 1 Supervisor Roger Gitlin has made considerable effort to learn about the county’s needs in transportation, city/county relations, and healthcare.  But I am not on any of the three committees related to those issues.  District 1 Supervisor would also like to be part of one of the three committees  which interface with local Native American tribes.  But I am not on any of those committees either.

I would like to poll my fellow Supervisors and see if anyone would be willing to allow me to serve on one of more of those six committees.  I understand this may not be the traditional process by which committee assignments are made on this Board, but in the spirit of transparency, I would like input from my colleagues.

Roger Gitlin

Supervisor District 1

Crescent City, Calif.