RIDGE CANDIDATES TAKE SIDES ON GROWTH, WATER, ECONOMY

PARADISE - Candidates for the Paradise Town Council and Paradise Irrigation
District board got a chance to sound off on a variety of issues before
about 100 ridge residents at Town Hall Wednesday night.

Council hopefuls Scott Lotter, Jerry Wilson, Larry Biegler, Lee Brown and
Sam Dresser said they would be voting no on Measure K - meaning they
support the continuation of a redevelopment agency in Paradise.

Virgil Hales declined to state how he would vote. Candidate Chris Herrera
was a no-show.

Dresser said he's researched RDAs in larger cities and said they do a lot
of good overall.

"They're run by people and people make mistakes, but you learn from them
and move on," he said.

Lotter noted that reforms in 1994 put tighter restrictions on RDA boards
and said schools and other tax-supported institutions are protected from
having their funding raided for infrastructure projects.

"People who understand redevelopment support it," Lotter said.

The candidates were less definitive on the economic impact a commercial
project proposed at the gateway to Paradise might have on the town.

Lotter said it's not prudent to judge the effect of the project until an
economic impact study is completed.

He said an RDA in Paradise would allow the town to be more choosy in
deciding what projects it allowed to annex in or be developed within the
current boundaries.

"We wouldn't have to take the first thing that comes to the door," he said.

On the other hand, Lotter observed, keeping out a development would be hard
if they were to meet all the requirements of the town.

Hales said the economic future of Paradise could be improved through the
development of a hemp and cannabis products industry on the ridge.

"There's a lot of money in it," he said.

The development of a permanent skate park in Paradise drew unanimous
support from the candidates.

Six candidates for the irrigation board - three incumbents and their
challengers - duked it out over subjects as diverse as water storage and
board relations with the PID staff.

None disagreed that making more water available was a top priority.
Challengers Barbara Blythe, Larry Duncan and Joe Frank leveled accusations
at incumbents Frank Caunt, Stan Zemansky and John Heinke that their efforts
to increase water supplies are too little, too late.

Frank said the PID has done nothing to tie up its entitlement to Lake
Oroville water, while other agencies have.

Blythe blasted her opponent, Zemansky, for creating a financial crisis in
the district by balancing its budget with reserves. She referred to the
board's budget mishandling as a "downward spiral to insolvency."

"I'm not looking forward to cleaning up the mess Mr. Zemansky has created,"
Blythe said in her opening statement.

Zemansky said he didn't expect an attack on his integrity. He then went on
to detail his 20-year experience as a volunteer on town committees, and his
professional credentials.

Caunt said he has no intention of stifling growth in the town, though he is
among directors trying to prevent annexation of the Katz project.

He said he was an early proponent of a plan developed by PID manager Ray
Auerbach to sell Katz fire hydrant water under contract. He said he backed
away from the plan when he learned it may lead to forced annexation.

Caunt said many of the improvements he has helped bring about in the
district have supported sensible growth. He said he fought with the state
to delay lowering water levels at Magalia Reservoir in 1994 until seismic
concerns could be addressed.

All of the candidates said they wouldn't sell water to other agencies in a
drought year. Duncan said he was disappointed that more hasn't been done to
prepare for drought.

"We may have to convince the state that the dam is OK," he said.
"Government decisions can be reversed if you know how to do it."

The three challengers said the board micromanages the PID staff and makes
it difficult for them to make critical decisions.

"We've never denied our manager anything he needed to do his job," Zemansky
said in response.