Letter: Cal Am ad a reminder of the need for local water control

Editor,
I am baffled by the No on Measure O ad featuring one of my fellow Felton residents asserting that water rates have increased by 60 percent in our town.
After reviewing our financial records for the last 10 years, I determined that in 2013, we actually paid 44 percent less than we did in 2007, the year our water bill peaked.
Even with the cost of the purchase — which has been reduced due to the refinancing of the underlying bond — we are still spending much less than we did in 2007.
Are there some issues with the San Lorenzo Valley Water District’s management? Yes, but we can vote its directors out of office, an option we did not have under Cal Am’s ownership.
Is the town of Felton better off without Cal Am? Definitely!
I, for one, remember the bad old days of life under Cal Am: ever-escalating rates, shoddy repair efforts that turned Highway 9 into a bumpy adventure, and misleading propaganda about the supposed horrible consequences of our town taking control of our water.
Would I vote for public ownership again? Absolutely!
I will always be proud that our town looked corporate water in the eye … and won.
Toni Jeffrey, Felton