Letter: Recall election would cost ratepayers

EDITOR,
There is a movement afoot to recall four of the five members of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District Board of Directors. What happens if this recall is successful? With only one remaining member, most financial activity of the district will stop. The board decides what expenses are paid, such as salaries, monthly bills, etc. Directors work for a pittance, but staff will not work for free.  
Customers get water pumped to their homes, using lots of electricity and manpower. When a pipe breaks we will be out of luck, no one is going to make repairs. So for the two months it takes for a special election, things will be very sketchy. Let’s hope there are no major earthquakes or storms to wreak havoc with the system or storage tanks. Forget about fire-fighting needs.
A regular election costs SLVWD around $30,000. A special election can top $100,000. Who will pay this cost? We ratepayers, of course. After all, we get the benefits of this clean, potable water delivered to our homes, we should pay for that service. You don’t expect to get propane gas or firewood delivered to your house for free.
This short-sighted expensive recall movement could severely endanger our community. Think twice!
Julie Hendriks, Boulder Creek