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Vol. I
No. 9 Progressive Emerges to Challenge
Neely, Flemming Primary Colors '06 EUREKA – Trumpeting a call for “middle class judgement” of county finances and economic development, Samoa mill worker Richard Marks has thrown his hat into the ring for County Supervisor, a position he previously ran for in 1998.
The likelihood of a fall runoff for Fourth District Supervisor became much greater with the entrance of Marks into what was previously perceived as a two-woman race between incumbent Bonnie Neely and former Eureka Mayor Nancy Flemming. If none of these candidates captures a majority of votes in the June 6 primary, the top two candidates will advance to the Nov. 7 runoff. “I think it’s time for change, Neely’s been in office for 20 years and I don’t think it’s a career office,” he said. “I think it is one that should be turned over every few terms.” Even though Marks is a decades-long employee at the Samoa pulp mill now owned by Evergreen, a subsidiary of Lee and Mann Paper Company, that relationship didn’t stop him from calling for some different business practices by the company, such as the construction of a container facility. He made similar comments about the local timber industry, calling for an end to the practice of exporting raw logs in favor of value-added timber products. “Why aren’t we creating finished products in Humboldt County?” Marks asked. In addition to living wage jobs via re-industrialization, Marks staked his opposition to wasteful spending and redevelopment, citing fiscal impacts on rural services such as the Fairhaven Fire Protection District. He also called for more public input into the proposed Marina Center development of the Balloon Tract by Rob and Cherie Arkley’s Security National, Inc, which would include a 114,700 square foot Home Depot outlet. “That is 34 acres of prime waterfront…I’m not so sure that the Security National project is what we necessarily need,” Marks stated in response to a question from the Humboldt Sentinel. “I would not want it to be retail there, I’d like to see light industrial.” He may not have the political experience boasted by his opponents, but Marks pointed to a string of union victories as an organizer with the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers. Though these experiences have rendered him friendly to the concept of limiting the influence of corporate contributions in elections, he declined to back Measure T, which would prohibit the involvement of most corporations in county elections while granting an exemption for unions. “I don’t know if [Measure T] is worth everybody’s time,” Marks said. A partisan advantage? Although he calls for “No Partisan Politics!” in his initial campaign flyer, Marks clearly draws a sharp line between himself and the two Republican women, Neely and Flemming. The logo on the flyer’s front cover features a donkey with a ‘budget cutter’ chain saw. “The Democrats outnumber the Republicans quite heavily in Humboldt County,” he said. Marks admitted to facing an uphill battle to keep up with the prolific fundraising records of his opponents, although he declined to match Flemming’s pledge to limit all contributions to her campaign to $500. “Obviously I’ll be running a grassroots campaign,” he said. “Most of the fundraising is going to be done by local Democrats, friends and family.” While Marks hasn’t set up an office yet for his campaign for the Fourth District, which covers Samoa, Fairhaven and most of Eureka, his mailing address is P.O. Box 184, Samoa, CA 95564. He can be reached at 445-3432 or at samoafog@aol.com. Charles Douglas is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Humboldt Sentinel. He can be reached at editor@humboldtsentinel.com. |
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Copyright © 2005-06, Humboldt Sentinel. All rights reserved. |
“I
see more of a lack of living-wage jobs in Humboldt County than I did eight
years ago,” he told a group of supporters in front of the county
courthouse on Wednesday. “I don’t want to see any more retail,
I’ve seen enough! I think we can do better for Humboldt County.”