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Sonoma County, a diverse county of over one million acres is famed for its agriculture industry and recreation boasting a booming economy and a unique lifestyle for its citizens described by the famed Luther Burbank as the chosen spot of all the earth. Sonoma County is the place

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to live, work and play as we move into the 21st century. Led by the forward looking philosophy of its governing bodies. Sonoma County's 340,000 residents are a harmonious, successful blend of ethnic and economic backgrounds. We invite you to take a closer look at Sonoma County in

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the nineties with your host Rich McGlinchey, How you doing everybody welcome to another edition of Sonoma County in the 90s. You know, the job of county supervisor is sought after by an awful lot of people and in most cases when they are elected to that office,

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they find out it's a man or woman killer because they spend an awful lot of hours on the job. And we're gonna talk to the dean of the Cinema County Board of Supervisors by that. I mean he's in his 13th year of service and he will

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be up for reelection in about three years and the way he goes now I imagine he'll just keep on forever. But then we'll ask him about that later. Um nick you have been elected four times. Right? So you are in your fourth term and you've got

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about what about 3.5 more years ago over three years ago. Um Well, first of all, before we get into the questions about your job and things you're interested in, however, enjoyed you were a very successful businessman and you were in the chicken product business and I

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know you dealt with the airlines and you would have a very successful business and you decided to get out of that and get into local politics. Have you found it satisfying? Yeah, it's, it's, it's a lot of fun. Rich. I work hard at it. But uh,

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and it's, it's very frustrating at times dealing with other agencies and of course state and federal governments and people like, you know, I'm just kidding. But no, it's rewarding. And I've always enjoyed working with people so, and trying to solve problems. So it works out just

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fine. It fits my needs very well. Well, another thing you should be commended on. In fact, I think most of the board does this so I'll make the commendation to everybody. People established office hours in your district. I know you're there are certain times so you're,

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your constituents can actually come to you at a more closer locale than coming all the way down to santa rosa. And when do you do that? I usually have that on Wednesdays. My office in Cloverdale is open and I go up there on Wednesday morning and

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then I work my way back to santa rosa and so it fits the need I think very well and of course I'm Available seven days a week and Saturday Sundays and holidays at times wherever and whenever there's a problem I'm there. And for those of you

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who are seeking the first district seat right now, you might listen carefully to what Nick tells you about The job and the hours that requires. I happen to know, I've known Nick personally for many years. I happen to know that he and the other supervisors spend

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about 70 hours a week on the job. They're not getting rich on it, I assure you. But they do spend about 70 hours on the job and they're dealing with a lot of tough issues. Now, one of the things that's been very much in the news

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the last few years is the general plan and we just revised it recently. How is the general plan? Working the plan is working fine. You know, the first time around it was kind of hard for people to accept a general plan. But this last time around,

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we really focused on the farming community and rather than to preserve ag land, we tried to help the farmer and that's really worked out well. The plan pushes for city center growth that works well. And it it's a known fact that houses and agriculture don't mix.

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So we want the open space and we want the greenery out there, so we have to protect that. But still we have to help the farming community and it's worked out very well, what you're trying to do is intensify the already urban area and leave open

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space between communities, correct? Yeah, that's a great idea. We've learned with other counties throughout the state that have grown awful fast and just don't have community separators and don't have any open space left. I graduated from Tennessee State University many years ago and it wasn't quite

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so bad then, but san Jose got carried away by granny. I understand they once had a pretty good general plan, but they granted 200,000 variances in the course of 20 years and that kind of almost paved over, aren't they? Sure. And I think without a general

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plan to start with that, that can happen very easily. And that's the downside of not having a general plan. You have a general plan, some people are unhappy with that, but on the other hand, we don't have a san Jose and we won't have and that's

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that's that's something that people can look forward. I mean, that's people really look forward to that. They have seen that and they really don't want that up here. And you people are saying that we don't get it the winter specific plan in relation to the general

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plan. How does that work? Well, that's, that's a focused part of the general plan and we we did a new plan a few years ago and we did an urban plan, knowing that someday Windsor is going to incorporate as you know, this year is a time

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when the voters have an opportunity to take another look at that. I don't know what's going to happen at this point. It looks awful close as far as the reading at this point, but it is an urban community and it's going to be the next city,

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whether as I say, if it's this year or in the future, but uh, I think that that's taken a lot of pressure off other areas throughout Sonoma County, especially in the farming communities and they do have the services for that type of development. So it's worked

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out pretty well. It didn't go a little faster than than what I expected and I think a lot of other people, but the city of santa rosa had a little problem with their sewer system and the economy was just right. And the way it all worked

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out, a lot of people look towards Windsor and they did do a little more development than I had thought they would do in a couple of years timeframe. So, but now the economy has cooled and, and things have cooled down and it's back under control again.

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You know, one of the things I should have mentioned when we first introduced you, uh, nick is the supervisor for the fourth district, which is probably the largest geographical district in our county and it covers the central into the central and then the north and certainly

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the northeast part of the county goes quite a ways over bordered by the fifth district, which is another large district going on over to the coast. But I think your district is probably the largest geographically, isn't it? Yes, it is. It's roughly 38% Geographically. Population wise

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we're all within 5% high and low. Well you're, what we call it. Redistricting has to take place every 10 years and try to move the boundaries around so you balance it in population right. Each of you are supposed to have about the same about you. Okay.

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Nick, what's your opinion on winter inc Well, yeah, that's that's a hard question. Rich through the board. I appointed a municipal advisory committee and they took a look at the total picture of incorporation, the type of government, the parks and recreation roads, police services, all the

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different services that they would have to provide. And of course look at the taxing structure at the same time and the reports all indicate that it's very possible. And I feel that now is the time. I think that when you look at my district and and

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I have the airport which is always controversial. Of course I have all the gravel industry. I have warm springs, dam, have the largest geothermal field in the world. I have a major portion of the Russian river for water supply, recreation and I have a good a

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portion of the agricultural crime ag lands, probably 70% and then I have Windsor and it takes it takes a lot of time And I think it's time when they need somebody full time managing the city of Windsor or the community of Windsor. And so I think

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that it is feasible. I think that the opportunity is there now to provide a better level of service and I think they have to take advantage of that and the first three or four years it's, it's very lean. But again, you know, when you look at

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the revenues and you look at the expenditures, it can balance out and work out and over a 54 or five year period. Like I said, it'll be lean, then I think they'll start going the other direction nick if Windsor incorporates or when it incorporates and it

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surely will, what will that mean to the county? Will that the county be better off or worse off physically well, physically, physically we will lose. But yeah, I think when, when you look at the community and in a growing community they deserve a better level of

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service and what they have now and the county is not designed to provide an urban level of service that simple. They're gonna be better off. What do you see as the benefits of incorporation for Windsor? Well, you know, they can direct direct their own growth patterns.

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They can direct and establish their own level of services. Police services. That's one of the major issues is police services and uh, your other basic services that follow, uh, whether it be roads, recreation. We, we've done a good job with parks and recreation. We've opened four

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new parks this year alone and in that particular area and we really, really needed them and we need more. But nevertheless, we've, we've had about six new parks in the last couple of years. And with all the other services that people do need their, their their

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and their hands on and they can answer to the community directly. And it's much better. The acquisition and the development of park sites is a very desirable thing for any area because it guarantees a certain open space probably in the best possible area. Right? You have

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nick a Spa City park named after you. Keyser keyser or whatever it is. Park over there. Another new park on the other outside of Windsor these all guarantee that future residents and future people who live in Sonoma County will really have a nice place to go,

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to walk to rest, to play games. What have you. And, and that's forward thinking on your part. Well, and what we've done rich as we were talking earlier and you know, we've tried to make our new parks very safe. And most of them are all located

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where we have two side streets so that uh, they're wide open and so that you can feel that you can go to the park or send your kids to the park and and they're gonna be safe because they can be watched and, and you don't have

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to worry about somebody driving up and or into the park, we do have one park that it's about a quarter of a mile off the road and I think that's very unsafe and for a family and Children to be playing there during the day or in

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the evening is not a good idea. So we, we've made some major changes in that direction and I think it's worked out well, many of the parks, the larger parks in the county to have walking, hiking, horse trails and that sort of thing, which which enhance

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their stature. There's no doubt about it. There's a new plan afoot to make a long run across the county and which, which may eventually come to fruition may be a great idea, has certain problems, alternatives being offered and all that. But in essence, um, if, if

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brought to fruition with good judgment can be a real asset to the people. As I mentioned to you, we were talking once before, it's certain problems or anything like that. But, but these things, that's what, that's what the public should do then is point out, okay,

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these are the problems. Now let's see if we can find an alternative to kill a good idea. But let's make it the best we possibly can. Your parks up there are just beautiful. The purpose of the, and then with the new schools we have, we have

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a joint venture with a new schools that will be the playground areas will be parks in the afternoon when school is out and on weekends during the summer months they will be used for public purposes more so than they have been in the past. So it's

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it's a good you also have another great recreational area. Memorial Beach. I mean I don't know what other ones are on beyond Memorial Beach has been there for a long time, many, many years. That really draws a lot of people in summer. I've seen 13,000 people

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on the beach and one afternoon I don't know is that there's a tremendous number of people. It's not a good number to have on the beach. It's just a little too crowded but nevertheless they had function there and water it'll all be gone. Um nick we're

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going to pause here for a moment and we're gonna go back and talk more about you. The fourth district and some of the things that lie ahead. Ladies and gentlemen, nick, fourth district supervisor for Sonoma County. And I will return after this pause. You'll be seeing

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more of these along the highways. Now use them when your car breaks down. Think safety first pull off the highway well off the highway then simply pick up the receiver, it automatically dials the CHP dispatch center. So don't try to call for a pizza or something.

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Next be very patient patient patient complicated switching system and it might take a few minutes to get through and finally stay with your vehicle until help arrives. Remember this stuff, You could be quizzed boxes, She'll be all right. The windows are rolled down and we'll only

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be gone a few minutes. They'll be fine in the wild cats know how to fend for themselves. Every day in Sonoma County, precious life becomes the target of neglect, abuse or accident. Fortunately there are people working to stop the silent suffering of animals, but they can't

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do it alone. They need your help find out what you can do call the Humane Society of Sonoma County. I do it. Everybody welcome back to this edition of Sonoma County in the nineties were talking to nick s posse, the supervisor for the fourth district. We're

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talking about his district and the things that are taking place up there right at the moment. We're talking a little about Windsor which is in the process of incorporating now nick the Windsor infrastructure improvements in the next year. What do you look for their, Well, we

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have over a three year period, we have about $14 million in road work that has to be done and plan for now. If we can get the engineering and and get some of the problems associated with the development of those reconstruction projects. I think we'll be

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in pretty good shape. Uh, it's going to take a lot of coordinating and and of course we're working on replacing some bridges now and, and we're gonna be doing the downtown probably very shortly. We'll do start doing the underground work for the work so that we

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will have the infrastructure ready for the road widening and the whole works for downtown. So it's just a basically, it's a, it's a plan that we've been working on and scheduling is a little bit tough. We've got to jump through the hoops with all the state

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and federal laws ourselves. So it, it has bogged us down a little bit. Uh, we've designed some on and off ramps at a rattle lane so that we could relieve some of the congestion that is in downtown Windsor in that one particular off ramp, but we

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run into some wildflowers and its causes quite a quite a little problem. So we moved now we're moving the on ramp down north or I should say north about 1000 ft, but we've had to go back and do some more engineering now and take a look

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at the whole project again. And the thing of it is it costs you a lot of money to do that. When we said this question answered that question, I ask you that question when we go, we said infrastructure and you mentioned the amount of 14 million

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maybe for the public's sake. What do we mean by infrastructure? We're talking about, we're talking about roads that we need to provide. Okay, cleaning up. We talked about parts a little while ago and that's a good subject and I think people don't like to hear about

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him and I like to talk about him too and find out what's new, how many new parks developed in the fourth district recently in the last few years, In the last couple three years we've had at least a half a dozen and I think that's that's,

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I've always pushed parks on the highway. Yeah, that's on Shiloh in an old Redwood highway. Then we have in Lakewood shopping center we have one in that particular area. We have one by the crosswords, Crossroads, Cross creek I guess it is development that's down by kevin's.

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Then on the west side of Windsor we have a couple over in that area. It's been, it's moved along quite well. Those things really, I'll go back and repeat myself. But those things really are an asset. They'll be there quote quote forever, although they tell me

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forever shorter than it used to be. But they'll be there for a long, long time anyway. Right. And we have one at Mark West now that's coming on now we're just, we're just working on that. In fact, I just got another park commitment on a new

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park about a week ago That will be just up the road. Then we did put in also the regional park at Shiloh Ranch, there's about 850 acres in that particular park and that is a beauty. It's a tough walk. I walked it. People love that. It's

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great for, it's got some horse trails. Absolutely great Step two step quickly to something else that's very important to us. What's the future of agriculture in Sonoma County is dry creek area. That is one of the finest growing areas in the world along with alexander Valley,

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was going to ask you there along that, maybe take both of them. Dry Creek area, alexander Valley, What do you, They're very unique and I've been very protective of those areas so that there has been no development take place there. And over the years there hasn't

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been any subdivisions and it's been just strictly agricultural activities going on. And it's, I think that's what the community wants and I surely support that because I think that we need to help agriculture to make sure it is a viable situation and as long as it's

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viable, we'll have open space and we'll have a beautiful county. I hear something about a new open space district. What are we talking about here? Well, the voters last year approved the agriculture and open space preservation district and what that does, it gives us the opportunity.

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And not only did they vote that in, they also voted in a quarter of a sales tax to fund the district and what that will give us, it will give us the opportunity to tie up community separators by the easements, I should say. Uh, and and

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really preserve some open space for future generations. I think it's the greatest thing that ever happened because I think people want that and at the same time they were willing to fund it and that's what's really unique and that will really give us the opportunity. We

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have a committee advisory board that will look over every issue that comes forward and make a recommendation to our board and I think it'll work really well and the money is going to be there. That's the main thing. I know you've, you've traveled in europe with

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the spa city, italian heritage. You must have been back to the homeland once Anyway, Germany though is, is a land as I understand that I haven't been there, but as I understand that they have their separators like five miles separators between the communities period and there's

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no way you can put anything in those separators. I mean, it's almost life long. The development is what you're trying to do intensifies within the urban areas. That leaves the outside areas alone. That's sensible, isn't it? Yes, it is. Now up until this date, of course

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it was expected that the property owner to conform to that kind of a procedure and that I felt was never fair and I think now it gives us the opportunity to buy those development rights and compensate them somewhat for that favor. And in exchange we'll have,

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I think a great county. It's just a great trade off. Let's take what you just said about this open space district, which I agree with you is a great idea. But let's explain why what are the benefits to the Sonoma County residents? Well, it guarantees that

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they will have open space in the future and that we will have our community separators will be able to guarantee that in the future for future generations. So we're not going to be a santa's a well, you know, something that maybe we should talk about here

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is you and I mean, I know you were born here. I came here when I was 10. So I've been over here 50 years. This has been, I go along with Burbank, one of the chosen spots of all the world as far as agriculture, beauty and

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crops and everything else. Uh, we haven't done too badly In view of the growth in California and the growth everywhere. We haven't done too badly in allowing growth to help our economy, but in preventing it where it would do the most damage. And I commend you

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for your 13 years on the board and the people that have served with you in, in adhering to that, I think the public voted well, I think you know what we tried to do riches is we realize that growth is going to continue and when you

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look at The fact that there's 60-70,000 people a month a month coming into California. We do have to prepare. And I say that because Sonoma County is a very desirable place to live second year anyway. We've tried to do that with Windsor is go ahead. We

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knew that Windsor was going to develop in that manner over the years and it would be better now to planet as an urban community so that, that would take the pressure off of the rural areas and it's worked, it's worked and there's a lot of people

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that don't like to see the growth and I don't like to see that much of it either. But on the other hand, if we don't move ahead and plan on our own, we'll either have a regional agency or the state of California telling us what we're

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going to have to do. And I think that if it gets to that point when they start taking away our land use, decision making will fight on our hands. We really have two things I want to catch here. We're having a budget shortfall this year in

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some areas due to the domestic states in basically. But what are the funding problems in Sonoma County and how are they affecting us right now? Well, the human services rich is always an area that has to suffer on the shortfalls, we've over matched what the state

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mandates and what the state has given us as far as revenues are concerned by well over a million dollars, probably closer to two million, we can't continue to do that right out of our general fund and our reserves. But you know, we've been able to do

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this and overmatched for the last couple three years, even though the state is short of this considerably and I think we still have been able to provide a pretty good level of service and I'm really happy with that and still be in good shape financially. We're

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in excellent shape. There's other counties out there that just on the verge of bankruptcy and we're not that way. You know, I think let's go back two years. You've been on the board back to 78 and in the years Leonard was our administrator and administrator of

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all those people on the board making policy. I think that and I want to tell people this publicly. I think the county owes the boards that have passed through these last 12, 13, 14 years a handshake a clap a an award if you will for having

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been fiscally responsible. We are not up the proverbial fiscal creek because of the fact that they have made a lot of hard decisions that weren't easy for them. Many of them were things they favored, but they haven't put the money there because we didn't have it

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and I wish the heavens, the state and the federal government would follow that philosophy. Well there are services out there that people do need. Oh yeah. You know, everybody has a feeling that are not everybody, but some people have the feeling that there's always somebody out

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there trying to rip us off. And that's probably true. But there are a lot of people that need help. And I think that we should take care of those people. And we've been able to do that in the past. And I think that we've been very,

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very cautious on picking and choosing the plans and so that we don't overlap and we don't duplicate services and it gives us a lot more services for the dollars we spend. And at the same time I think that's what people really want. And so we we've

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been I think very frugal at times. But anyway, it's it's been fun. Thank you for being here. I think the spa city clan of which one of your sisters was, My schoolmate has offered a lot to the county they come from and has has always had

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its best interests at heart. And I think you proved that nick and you got your opponents and people who don't agree with you naturally. That's human nature. But I think your direction has been good and I think you've done a good job. Shake your hands because

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I congratulate ladies and gentlemen, my guest has been nick, fourth district supervisor for Sonoma County. Uh nick and I go back so many years. I don't want to mention it. I'll be back next week with another edition of Sonoma County in the nineties until then, Good

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night, good luck, Good health to each and every one of you.