The Michelin family will be adding another member to our family. Thanks to all of you who have wished us well - we are very excited. The support of my husband Brett has been a big part in my ability balance work and family, and it is because of our commitment to our children that I decided to run for the Board of Supervisors.  This is not our first child, four years ago we added Ashley to our family and it was the best thing to happen to us.

Brett and I are committed to raising our family in El Dorado County and with an open seat on the Board of Supervisors, I believe now is the time to find a leader who will represent the voters on the board and make sure business is done is an open and transparent manner with the needs of family at the forefront. I want my children to grow up in an El Dorado County that has a bright future.

With a potential fiscal crisis on the horizon we will need to make tough decisions.  Because of my experience and my willingness to look at issues from a different perspective, I know I am the best candidate to make sure the needs of the Second District are represented.

This is our home; we are committed to making the future better for our children and for all of our neighbors in El Dorado County.

We have, and will continue to have, traffic safety problems due to building urban population growth on a rural road network configuration. What will you do to address these problems?

This is a tough question to answer because my first response would be we need to make a larger investment in infrastructure, but given the county budget situation that will be difficult to do. First, we need to ask ourselves how we got into this mess. I am a big believer that government has a responsibility to make sure when any new development project is approved that the infrastructure has to go in first, unfortunately in the past, specifically in the 90’s when a number of major projects were approved, that did not happen. That said, what I would do to address this problem is ask the County Transportation Department to submit to the board a list of improvements and rank them in order of importance. I would then hold a series of town hall meetings throughout the district (and would also encourage my colleagues to do the same) asking for public input on what projects we need to address. I would then try to find the funding to make that happen. I would ask our State Representatives for help in securing funding out of the State budget and work with our Confessional Representatives to see if we can secure funding at the Federal level.

I was reading the Mountain Democrat the other day and there was an article on the front page that bothered me. The headline read “Supes seeing red over ink mistake.” Evidently, the county neglected to renew the contract for additional toner and the county is literally “running out of ink.” What bothered me is how this happened in the first place. Who is in charge of making sure supply contracts are in order and the county has what it needs to run efficiently?

We have much bigger issues to deal with in this county – economic development, transportation, public safety, ect. yet instead of focusing on these important issues the board is dealing with ink toner.

I wonder who is in charge at the county. In my opinion county government is a business  that runs on tax payer money – my money and your money. I think it should run like a business with accountability so that things like this don’t continue to happen.

I am not running for office to worry about making sure there is enough toner at the county, I am running because I want to make sure our roads are improved,  we  feel safe wherever we live in the county and we are all working together to make our quality of life better. Being a supervisor is not easy, but I know with my experience I can bring the skills to county government that are desperately needed to make sure we not only have enough toner, but we are focused on the issues that all of us in the county think are important.

Today I had the opportunity to meet some great ladies from El Dorado Hills and talk to them about the issues they are concerned about.  The number one issue was Mather Airport and what can be done to change the proposed flight path over El Dorado Hills.  As someone who experiences this personally, I think there is a lot we can do.  As your Supervisor, I will do whatever it takes to protect our quality of life.  Whether it is joining the lawsuit with the City of Folsom, meeting with the powers at be in Sacramento County or helping organize our friends and neighbors to fight this issue, I will do it.

We also talked at length about transportation and development issues in El Dorado Hills.  It was a great discussion and I look forward to having more of these throughout the second district.

If you would like to be added to my e-mail distribution list or would like me to come to your community send me an e-mail at Rachel@rachelmichelin.com and I would be happy to add your name or talk to you and your neighbors.

Tomorrow I am meeting the county and community members from Pollock Pines to see how we can work together to address some of the issues facing that community.  I will write more on that after the meeting.

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to have coffee with Betty January.  If you have not met Betty, you should.  Her commitment to the community is so strong that she is a true inspiration. 

If you didn’t already know, Betty and her group were behind the opening the El Dorado Hills Library.  When you hear the story of how the library came to be and the work that was put into making it a reality it really inspires you to want to do your part to make our community a little better.  Now that the library is a success, Betty is on to better things and I know that whatever project she takes on will only enhance El Dorado Hills and El Dorado County.

I was truly honored when Betty endorsed me for County Supervisor.  I know her opinion matters to a number of people in the community and I appreciate her vote of confidence. 

I was reading the Mountain Democrat last night about the budget problems the county is facing. It is going to a long budget process as the county deals with the budget deficit facing the State. The current board is going to have some difficult decisions to make once the final numbers are revealed.

I was impressed with Supervisor Jack Sweeney and that he is forgoing his planned trip to Washington DC in order for the county to conserve money. I hope the other members of the board will also consider the budget situation the county is in when they are faced with the same decision.

Because of my experience of running a nonprofit, I know first had how important it is to spend money prudently. As your supervisor, I will work hard to make sure we cut government waste and spend taxpayer money in the most efficient way.

On Sunday, November 11th from 3-5 pm, I am hosting my campaign kick off event at Sartory Coffee House in El Dorado Hills (3907 Park Drive, #110).  I am looking forward to meeting you and hearing your ideas about how we can make El Dorado County better.  I believe it is very important that all voices are heard when it comes to making public policy in El Dorado County.  I hope you will stop by my first of many district events.  If you can't make it, please feel free to call or e-mail me -- I am very interested in hearing what you have to say.

I’ve just returned home after attending the Town Hall Meeting on Public Safety in El Dorado Hills which provided a great opportunity for those in attendance to hear issues that are of concern to many in our community.  I was struck by two things: 1) We are very lucky we live in a community where public safety concerns are dominated by the need for traffic control and bike lanes instead of high violent crime rates and street gangs, and 2) That the public deserves this kind of forum to present our leaders with the issues that are of concern to us more often.

As for the first, I believe it is a testament to the men and women who are on the front lines protecting us.  Whether they wear the uniform of a deputy sheriff, fire department, CHP, or the suit of a deputy district attorney, all deserve credit for keeping this community safe.  Public safety is the primary responsibility of local government. It is the job of a County Supervisor to ensure each entity involved in providing public safety services has the resources necessary to accomplish their missions.

The second point I left with is that the public is starved for more opportunities to address our leaders in public.  It is the responsibility of an elected official to search out and provide forums for communication for the people they serve.  That is why as Chair of the El Dorado County Economic Development Committee (EDAC) I insisted that community forums be held throughout the county.  Forums such as tonight and those held by the EDAC offer a clear line of communication that is essential for county government to stay on track with the needs in the community.  When I am elected Supervisor I pledge to hold consistent and regularly scheduled community meetings so I am better able to respond and address issues early instead of waiting to react once they become a problem.

I sincerely appreciate the time each person, both panelists and those in the audience took attend the public safety town hall and look forward to participating in addressing each of the issues raised.

Thanks for visiting my blog! In the future you will be able check in here to get campaign updates and learn about important issues within the community that affect you.