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Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010.
Wilton resident challenges Supervisor Nottoli
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Photo courtesy to River Valley Times
Wilton resident Lovie Kirkland, who is running for Sacramento County Supervisor for the 5th District will face Supervisor Don Nottoli on June 8 in the California primary election.
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By Fran Soto
River Valley Times Staff
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Longtime Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli will face Wilton resident Lovie Kirkland in the June 8 California primary election. The winner of this race must receive over 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff in the November election. In this case, as only two candidates are running, one will be declared the winner on June 8.
Kirkland’s experience ranges from serving as a deputy clerk for the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to clerking meetings for the Sacramento County Water Agency, Sacramento Transportation Authority and Fair Oaks Community Planning Council.
Kirkland, the mother of four, describes herself as a "citizen activist" and is basing her campaign on the need for change. “I have worked in government service and seen wastefulness,” she said. “It is time to stand up and say enough is enough. Someone has to do it. It has to be done.”
Supervisor Nottoli is completing his fourth term as supervisor and has been with Sacramento County for 31 years, which includes working for former Supervisor Toby Johnson. “The 5th District covers over 700 square miles from Rancho Cordova to the Delta and is a very diverse district,” Nottoli said. “My approach has always been to apply common sense, listen to the people, be their advocate and work to understand the issues that face different parts of the district and different neighborhoods.”
Kirkland believes government needs to return to governance for the "people by the people" as well as observing sound fiscal principles. “I think we can negotiate contracts and contract out services to stimulate local business,” Kirkland said. “I am interested in having more sheriffs. After looking over the budget, it can be done by eliminating management positions.”
Kirkland sees the need to get more people on the front lines instead of staffing management positions. She stresses that she believes the county needs to become smaller with smarter government. “We are way too heavy on the state for funding,” she said. “We need to get rid of these mandates.”
In his 16 years as a supervisor, Nottoli has negotiated budgets in both prosperous and lean years as the board of supervisors strives to fund programs mandated by the state or through court rulings. “When you look at the structure of government, the reality is it’s a compounding of different factors,” Nottoli said. “Change can be brought about, but there is the expectation that people want good quality of life, good schools and safe communities. We have had prosperous times, but things have tightened up. We will see some efficiencies come out of this.”
Kirkland, who says she has lived 15 years off and on in Wilton, cites the recent Elk Grove Sphere of Influence (SOI) battle as an example of the changes needed. “The SOI was an absolute waste of resources and time. The fact of having the floodplain in the SOI is ludicrous,” Kirkland said. “It goes to show the waste of resources. We could be doing so many other things.”
Nottoli stressed that his goal during these tough economic conditions is to keep his priorities on public safety and public protection as well to create an environment where businesses can prosper. Nottoli attends many Wilton events and meetings. “I’m from a rural area myself and believe that government needs to be responsive but not too intrusive,” he said. “Even if there are fewer numbers of residents in an area, they need to be respected.”
Nottoli acknowledges the value of working together and said that it is a tremendous privilege to serve the Wilton community. “This is an exciting time to serve and listen to what people have to say,” he said.
For Kirkland, her goal is to make sure that her children will have a place like Wilton for their future and their families. “I believe we need to start from the ground up and revamp,” she said. “We need to look ahead.”
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