Bill Smallman, a civil engineer and a member of the Lompico County Water District Board of Directors, has announced he will run to be the next representative of the 5th District on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Smallman, a 20-year Lompico resident, is an estimator in the construction industry. He has 25 years experience in public works construction, including water mains, pump stations and the like. He has a special affinity for water-related issues.
“I got into politics when the Lompico Headwaters were being threatened by logging,” Smallman said.
He said became friends with some of the anti-logging advocates, namely Kevin Collins and Mary Jo Walker, and helped work on the campaign to save the headwaters. The headwaters were eventually purchased by the Sempervirens Fund and are protected from logging.
“I feel like I will be the strongest candidate in terms of the environment,” Smallman said.
Smallman said he is part of the Lompico Water Conservancy, Sempervirens Fund and is involved with the Santa Cruz County Land Trust. He said he recently joined the Valley Women’s Club and plans to join the club’s environmental committee.
Smallman was elected to the Lompico County Water District in 2008 — he ran because he was concerned about the headwaters and felt his experience in the water-related construction industry would serve the community well. The district has recently bounced back from the brink of bankruptcy after directors fired the district’s general manager.
Smallman said he would like to see the Lompico district merge with the larger San Lorenzo Valley Water District, an option under discussion following Lompico’s financial crisis.
Smallman has not served as board president and noted that becoming supervisor would be a learning experience.
“It would be a big jump for me,” he said.
Smallman said, if he had been in the position, he would have tried to immediately put a stop to the former Felton Meadows housing project, and is “anti-sprawl.” He feels that the San Lorenzo Valley does not need high-density development.
Another goal as supervisor, he said, would be to maintain solvency.
“I want to make sure the county remains fiscally sound,” Smallman said.
In terms of representing Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley, Smallman thinks it would come naturally.
“I love Scotts Valley, and I love the San Lorenzo Valley,” he said. “I would treat them equally. I spend a lot of time in both.”
Smallman is against the current redistricting proposal that splits Scotts Valley between two supervisorial districts.
“It’s obvious to me there is some gerrymandering,” Smallman said. “In my opinion, it seems crazy.”
Smallman, who will likely seek an endorsement from the Democratic Party in Santa Cruz, said he is just starting his campaign, but plans to be in the race for the long-term.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” Smallman said.
The June 2012 election will determine who is the area’s next county supervisor. Boulder Creek’s Eric Hammer and Scotts Valley mayor Dene Bustichi have also entered the race.
