Much has been said and all candidates for the District 4 opening have had opportunities to present themselves in forums and other venues.

Voting ballot in hand, I have done my homework and made my decision in favor of the candidate best able to step into the job on day one — Brad Rasmussen.

Brad ranks highest in the categories of problem solving, knowledge and leadership capacity because he has the demonstrated experience needed to take District 4 and the county in a positive direction. As affable, and well-intended as the other candidates seem, none match Brad’s qualifications to lead at the highest levels of local government.

To this point, Brad presents the only tangible knowledge and understanding of how a government budget actually works. This is important because budget setting is a fundamental aspect of leadership and budget decisions can make or break us. Anyone unfamiliar with budget sources, purposes and limitations will be lost.

While other candidates claim budget experience — Brad is the only candidate that can claim experience managing a complex multimillion-dollar government budget and that has made difficult decisions, including cutting budgets in bad times and finding creative ways to deal with employee turnover and staff shortages.

Homelessness is a hot button issue in District 4 and throughout the county. All the candidates agree it’s a problem needing action. But I saw no evidence to indicate another candidate had hands-on experience dealing with the problems of the unhoused.

By recognizing that policing was not a solution, Brad partnered with a nonprofit agency to include professionals in police responses, thus ensuring problems of drug dependencies and mental health were properly assessed and referred to appropriate treatment and services.

As an experienced problem solver — Brad organized a public awareness forum on the high use and impact of drugs such as fentanyl, another rapidly growing and destructive issue our County faces. Until hearing him speak, I didn’t realize the county ranks No. 3 in the state for opioid mortality.

To this point, Brad collaborated with school officials and arranged to bring the forum into our local schools to reach impressionable youth and raise awareness of the extreme danger opioids pose.

In his current job as a police chief, Brad understands better than all the other candidates combined what it takes to manage emergencies and what it means to be on call 24/7.
Demonstrated leadership experience is invaluable at the highest levels of government. With its vast history of catastrophic disasters, our county needs a person well qualified in incident response and management — including obtaining state and federal resources and making timely emergency declarations that assure funding for losses is available to individuals and businesses.

In other matters — like land use, groundwater management, fire prevention, the hitch and the peculiarities of a county district with a city inside its boundaries — again, Brad shines. As a member of the city of Lakeport’s management team he’s had a bird’s eye view of how making proper land use decisions benefits our quality of living as well as helping to grow our economy.

A testament to his character, abilities, and his willingness to dig deep to find solutions to problems facing the district and the entire county, it is no surprise to see the long and diverse list of endorsements Brad has received. From the Realtors Association to the police union and SEIU local 2015 to the long-time and former Lake County Chamber CEO, the former editor of the Record-Bee, and the former District 3 supervisor — to literally countless small businesses, individuals and highly qualified professionals — it is clear why Brad is their choice.

While it is true and admirable to see all the candidates take the time to get up to speed on the job requirements — it will take more than ideas and rehearsed answers to prepared questions to effectively do the job for the people of Lake County.

Brad has worked closely with county officials and staff as well as agencies in and outside of the county for years — his commitment to public service is unquestionable and if elected, his transition will be smooth.

As one knowledgeable person said — the job is not what most candidates understand. He is supporting Brad.

I ask for your vote for Brad Rasmussen for our next District 4 supervisor.

Gregory D. Scott is a retired Cal Fire assistant chief. He lives in Lakeport, California.