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Candidates Francis, DeBoer Battle For OID Division Five
GROVER FRANCIS
Grover Francis

The Oakdale Irrigation District race on the November ballot will feature two contested races – one in OID Division 2 that includes portions of both Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties and one in Division 5 – an area which includes a portion of rural Riverbank.

Voters in the Riverbank area included in the OID boundaries will choose between candidates Grover Francis and Brad DeBoer, seeking to fill the Division 5 post.

In a recent Q&A session with The News, both candidates were posed the same questions regarding the upcoming election and the business of OID.

Following are their responses.

 

Grover Francis

Oakdale Irrigation District

Division 5 Director Candidate

 

Question: Briefly outline your reasons for running for the OID Board

Answer: I care deeply about Oakdale and protecting our water resources for future generations. I want OID to make sound decisions that will benefit our entire community for the long term, but that has not been happening.

Our region’s groundwater – which provides Oakdale’s drinking water – is dwindling in supply and quality, in part because OID ships so much of our surface water to far-off buyers. We need our water to stay here to recharge our aquifers so our wells won’t go dry.

During the recent drought years, OID not only exported our river water to outsiders, but it pumped down our fresh underground water supply for irrigating. OID ran some of it pumps 24-hours-a-day.

For a public agency to do that was unjustifiable.

Our surface water should stay in our region to benefit our residents, irrigate our agricultural land, bolster our economy and replenish our groundwater supplies. Keeping that water here also will reduce groundwater pumping, which is key to maintaining a sustainable water supply.

As logical as that sounds, OID’s leaders have refused to listen to reason.

The district has used taxpayer money to file legal actions aimed at silencing its opponents. And despite repeatedly losing court decisions, OID continues to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars on futile appeals.

I want to help guide OID into a better community-oriented direction.

 

What are your specific qualifications for the post?

We need OID directors who will ask tough questions, demand complete answers and act in the best long-term interest of our entire community. That’s what I will do as a board member.

I have lived in the OID my entire life. I have farmed and ranched and raised my family here.  I know this community and understand its needs and challenges.

I served on OID’s board from 1998-2001, before the current administration took control. I am familiar with irrigation district operations and water systems.

I have not accepted campaign contributions from anyone, so I am not beholden to anyone. I am willing to listen and learn from everyone, and I will respect those with opposing views.

 

The board has been divisive over the last several months; what steps would you take to bring the focus back to a cohesive board focused on the district's business?

The OID is a public agency, and it should be run in a transparent way for the benefit of all our residents, landowners and taxpayers. Deals shouldn’t be made behind closed doors, cutting community members out of the decision-making process.

OID’s leaders keep cancelling their evening meetings (like they did again Oct. 17), which prevents public participation. People with jobs can’t attend middle-of-the-day OID meetings. I will fight to increase community access to OID discussions because government agencies should not operate in secret.

The OID must stop pursuing and threatening legal actions against community members with opposing views. I would vote to end OID’s vindictive and outrageously expensive Appellate Court case targeting OID Directors Gail Altieri and Linda Santos. Rather than wasting taxpayer money on attorney fees, I believe respectful discussions and reasonable compromise can resolve most disputes.

 

As water becomes even more of a precious resource, how do you feel the OID Board can safeguard the supply for not only its current customers but planning for the future supply for city residents as well?

While many city residents don’t realize it, Oakdale’s homeowners pay more than $1 million a year in property taxes to the OID. Oakdale residents get virtually nothing in return from the irrigation district.

Water that used to flow from the OID to city residential properties has been cut off. Instead of Oakdale residents benefitting from that water, OID has been selling it to far-off buyers for millions of dollars a year. City taxpayers have not been getting their fair share from the OID.

A complete accounting needs to be made public about how much city residents have contributed to the OID and how that money was spent. Public discussions – not secret deals – are needed to determine how much money OID should provide to the city and how that money should be allocated.

Oakdale residents deserve to benefit from their water rights, which may mean OID should resume supplying irrigation water for use inside the city. Or it may mean OID’s surface water should be used to enhance Oakdale drinking water supply. Or OID could help pay to bring high-quality drinking water from the South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s water treatment plant to Oakdale.

Whatever agreements ultimately are reached, they must be done in public after thorough community discussions and consideration of multiple options.

 

What do you think is the most misunderstood part of what OID does? How can you educate the public more on what a director’s role is?

The OID is not a business. It’s not supposed to be focused on maximizing profits for large landowners. It should not sell off our community’s assets – our surface water – so it can subsidize agribusinesses that want to pay artificially low irrigation rates.

OID directors must recognize this is a PUBLIC agency supported by taxpayer dollars, and it is obligated to act in the best long-term interest of our entire community. That is why directors are elected by the public, not appointed by big-money landowners.

Voters: This election is your chance to decide how the OID is run during the next four years.

 

Many people have asked for a nighttime meeting as opposed to daytime when the majority of working folks cannot attend - is this something you would support. If so, why - if not, why not?

OID Board of Director meetings absolutely should be held at times and in locations where the public can easily attend. At least one meeting a month should be held during evening hours.

Those evening agendas should be used for all of OID’s major public hearings, controversial policy discussions and important decisions. If there is going to be conflict about an item, that issue should be discussed during evening hours.

Routine board actions – the ones without conflict – should be steered toward the daytime meeting agendas. Few community members have the opportunity to attend those meetings, so that’s the time to deal with non-contentious issues.

The OID board also should consider meeting in the Oakdale City Council Chambers, where the meeting can be broadcast live online and recorded for future viewing.

The chambers also can seat far more people than the OID’s meeting room, which is so small that community members too often are forced to stand out in the hallway.

 

Any additional message to voters?

I am not accepting campaign contributions, so I do not have money to spend on expensive mailers, radio ads, robo calls, “fake news” websites or other slick forms of electioneering.

I am grateful to have a dedicated group of community members who have been volunteering their time to walk voter precincts with me. Ours is an honest grassroots effort to benefit our region, our families and our farmers now and for generations to come.

Please visit my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/GroverFrancis4OID or email me at GroverFrancis4OID@gmail.com.

 

 

Brad DeBoer

Oakdale Irrigation District

Division 5 Director Candidate

 

Question: Briefly outline your reasons for running for the OID Board

Answer: I began attending OID board meetings over a year ago and I found the issues to be very interesting. When it was announced that Gary Osmundson would resign because he was moving, I spoke with my wife and we agreed that I would run to serve the 5th division. I believe we have a good irrigation district but we face challenges from those who want our water. The state, outside the district interests and groundwater sustainability requirements will all want to lay claim to our water. We must be wise and innovative to make the best use of the water we have. I would like to be part of making the OID even better and helping with these challenges.

 

What are your specific qualifications for the post?

I was a small business owner for over 34 years. My business partner and I grew our landscape contracting company from just the two of us, to 30 employees in five departments. I understand business and working with people. At the same time, my wife and I have farmed almonds for the last 22 years. I have been a certified arborist, a certified irrigation auditor, licensed pesticide applicator, and a California certified nurseryman. Not all of these certifications will directly help my skills as a director, but they demonstrate that I have an ability to learn and apply new knowledge. My business and farming knowledge gives me a broad range of experience that I believe will help me to be a good director.

 

The board has been divisive over the last several months; what steps would you take to bring the focus back to a cohesive board focused on the district’s business?

I believe that I am a fresh voice and bring a fresh perspective to the meetings. I have no personal relationships with anyone on the board and I have no personal stake in any of the divisive issues. I am totally against the lawsuit and would like to find another way to resolve these issues. I think that all board members need to work hard at being respectful, being responsible, and working together, even when there may be varying opinions on what is best. As a business owner I learned to work on conflict resolution whether it was with employees or customers. I bring these skills to benefit the board.

 

As water becomes even more of a precious resource, how do you feel the OID Board can safeguard the supply for not only its current customers but planning for the future supply for city residents as well?

All of our local irrigation districts face the same questions. How much water will the State take from us? How much water will be needed to reach groundwater sustainability, and how much of that water will come from OID? We have been blessed with good water rights, but they must be defended. I am committed to doing that. We must fight the state’s attempt to take our pre 1914 water rights. We must not annex any new acres into the OID until we know the outcome of the above issues. I support the board’s current efforts to develop a water resources plan to help farmers outside of the district know when we can help them with a surface supply of water. We must help the City of Oakdale when they are ready to use OID water to help as a surface supply for treatment as domestic water or maybe as groundwater recharge. These are big challenges in areas that are new to everyone, so things must be planned well.

 

What do you think is the most misunderstood part of what OID does? How can you educate the public more on what a director’s role is?

There is no doubt that water sales are the most misunderstood part of what OID does. I have been to every door in my division in the City of Oakdale and that issue is on the majority of most people’s minds. When I have been able to explain that OID only sells water after all district needs are met and that any water left in Melones on October 1st is lost to the Federal Bureau of Reclamation then every person has told me “then we should sell it instead of getting nothing for it.” Once they understand it is use it or lose it, there are no more objections to selling excess water. Water sales will not last forever. When the state ends up getting some of our water and groundwater sustainability takes more water, and we provide water to those adjacent to the district, then the chances of having water to sell will be very slim. But, for the time being this allows for the modernization and improvement of the district and those things help conserve water making even more available in the future.

 

Many people have asked for a nighttime meeting as opposed to daytime when the majority of working folks cannot attend - is this something you would support. If so, why - if not, why not?

Currently the board meets the first Tuesday morning and third Tuesday evening. I would support continuing this schedule. It is important to do our best to meet the needs of all our constituents.

 

Any additional message to voters?

I am thankful for the OID. During the five years of drought farmers received a full supply of water. MID and TID could not provide that. The District has over 60 million dollars in the bank! The District has completed over 70 million dollars in improvements in the last 12 -13 years. If the current management is retained we are expected to be debt free by 2022. I do not believe any other district in our area can claim those accomplishments. Our district is strong on water and on finances but we do have some issues that need to be worked on. I believe that the board can work together if each member will put aside past offenses and work for the benefit of the OID and its constituents. This will take hard work and a lot of pride will need to be swallowed, but I believe it can be done.

 

 

Vote by mail ballots have already been delivered to voters in many cases and for those that choose to go to the polls, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.