By The Editor, Donna Westfall and Staff of Crescent City Times.com – April 30, 2022

DISTRICT 3:

Joe “Hank” Akin

This one is a no brainer. We’ve had nearly 8 years of encumbentChris Howard and our town’s situation doesn’t seem any better than when he first took that seat. He speaks very well, but doesn’t deliver. Recently at the American Legion Hall in Gasquet at a Meet and Greet he spoke about returning to a “resource” based economy like resurrecting the lumber industry is ever going to happen. It doesn’t matter how many different boards you sit on or agency meetings you attend, our State has chosen to make it difficult to impossible to do business. Too many regulations. Costs too high. So our lumber is going out of the state to be milled.

One other thing, a few years ago the BOS voted for term limits. Three terms and then you’re done. But Chris Howard exempted himself from term limits. Why? Even if he wins this election, he can go on and on and on. Didn’t they create terms limits just so we wouldn’t have situations like a Martha McClure in office ad nauseum?

Frank Magarino

Frank Magarino has sat on the Del Norte County School Board for nearly 8 years and he knows that the $25 million school bond Citizens Oversight Committee (COC) is not operating independtly. He’s been told on more than one occasion that Chair Steve Lyons is incompetent. He’s been informed that the COC group is not doing what they were set-up to do which is be the watch-dog for taxpayers money. They have been rubber-stamping for 12 years. But if you listened to him Saturday in Gasquet, everything is coming up roses. He also speaks well, but doesn’t deliver.

One more thing and even more important than the COC. He knows our public school children are performing dismally academically, but that too is shoved by the wayside and instead he spoke about the great things they did for the students during the Pandemic. Well, public school students performed horrible before, during and now after the Pandemic. Why are we spending $48 million dollars a year for bad performance? And why have so many children left the public school system?

On the plus side, he recently sold his business and has retired. He ran a courier service for FedEx and started with 40 employees in the 1990’s. He doesn’t know where that figure came from citing over 200 employees on the Paycheck Protection Program. It would be best if Magarino opened his books so people of the public were assured of those figures.

Both Howard and Magarino think keeping the Measure R 1% Sales Tax is good for our County. They boasted about the $975,000 given to the Sheriff’s Department with the anticipation that money will attract and retain good officers. That’ remains to be seen. When will government ever learn that throwing money at a problem doesn’t solve it? Or learn that bigger government doesn’t mean better government.

Joe “Hank” Akin is a former Army Vet, retired government employee from Pelican Bay State Prison. These days he is a volunteer for a number of organization:

DN Search and Rescue, POST – Certified Reserve Deputy, Neighbors Helping Neighbors; assisting property owners with disputes eliminating the need for government involvement.

This is what makes him different from the other two:

1.) Making our town an Enterprise Free Zone. Here’s why. We’re already overtaxed. Our local businesses cannot compete with sales tax free Brookings, Oregon.

2.) Repealing the 1% County Sales Tax – Measure R.

3.) Figure out ways to reclaim property from the State and Federal Government because 80% of our land is controlled by the Feds, State and tax exempt land trusts.

Hank has no problem with taxes. He understands the need for taxes. He also understands that we’re taxed to death and more taxes should be a last resort. That makes him stand out heads and heels above the other two.

WE ENDORSE JOE “HANK” AKIN FOR DISTRICT 3.