FACEOFF

A District 1 supervisor candidate forum last week revealed clear differences in how the candidates would represent an area that stretches from Midpines into Yosemite Valley and includes Wawona and Fish Camp.

The 90-minute forum at the Midpines Community Hall on April 22 was broadcast live on KRYZ 98.5 and was sponsored by the radio station and the Mariposa Gazette.

The three candidates — Lisa Edelheit, Stanley Bissmeyer and Adam McLane — staked out positions on such varied issues as wildfire response, fire insurance, road repairs, water rates, short term rentals, economic development, the Jerry Cox case and whether the county should recognize gay Pride.

There were clear points of distinction. Even when the candidates agreed on an issue, there were differences in their approach and thought process.

Lived experience

All three candidates said they would bring unique experience to the job of Mariposa County supervisor.

Edelheit, 63, has lived in Midpines for 38 years and is a former labor negotiator for the California Teachers Association. She began her career in labor advocating for concession employees in Yosemite National Park.

“I’m a hard worker and I listen to people as well,” she said.

McLane, 49, is the owner of The Farm at Worman Mill, a family owned farm in rural Ahwahnee. He lives is in Mariposa County.

He worked for 20 years in Christian ministry. He has also worked as a development director for a non-profit, and said he is well aware of how the state and federal system work as well as the private sector.

“I will make sure I am your eyes and ears,” he promised.

Bissmeyer, 69, has lived in Mariposa County for 50 years, working variously as a firefighter, in construction, as a school teacher and owner of an art gallery. He is active in his church and has been a youth counselor and pastor.

He said he has “nut and bolt changes to make,” and after two years sitting on a Grand Jury, “I know where the skeletons are buried.”

Economic development

The candidates were asked what they would do as supervisors to reverse the trend of businesses shutting their doors.

Bissmeyer said he was acutely aware of the challenges facing small business and obstacles created by the county.

“It’s no secret the building and planning department has been a dumpster fire over the years,” Bissmeyer said.

McLane said for small business owners, “permitting has become a big challenge.” He would like to see an online dashboard that would track permits.

Edelheit focused her comments on the decline in tourism dollars. “One problem is the lack of international travelers,” she said.

Edelheit said she supported low cost loans for small businesses.

The candidates were asked about the proposed Tarramor/KOA glamping resort and RV park in Midpines.

Bissmeyer called the project a “monstrosity.”

Edelheit said it was “too large,” although a smaller RV park would be “good for Mariposa.”

McLane pointed out the proposal hasn’t moved forward in three years. “I don’t even know if that’s a serious thing anymore,” he said.

McLane said Mariposa County needs to compete with Madera County which is offering a reduction in the transient occupancy tax (TOT) for some new projects.

“That is some of the economic game that is being played,” he said.

Bissmeyer said he would support a reduction in the TOT, because “we rely too much on it.” Edelheit said she would not support TOT breaks.

Not ‘Fair’ plan

The candidates were asked what actions they would take to make fire insurance affordable and accessible.

Edelheit said one of the reasons she’s running for supervisor is to reduce the wildfire threat. She called the FAIR Plan, California’s insurer of last resort, “anything but fair.”

She supports legislation that would make insurance companies consider individual properties and not just zip codes, more grants for the Fire Safe Council and “good neighbor” agreements with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service, who own large swaths of land in District 1.

McLane said other counties, like Madera County’s Fire Safe Council, have been more aggressive about winning large grants. He would like to see more buffer zones with federal land and an expansion of Firewise Communities.

Bissmeyer said while Firewise Communities are good idea, “it’s like a band aid on an amputation” that only reduces insurance by 5 percent.

Bissmeyer said he has a “strategic, bona fide, executable plan” to reduce fire insurance by 50 percent by improving the quality of fire protection services. His plan involves staffing eight currently empty fire stations with paid volunteer firefighters and reopening the Mt. Bullion Fire Camp.

Water rates

The candidates were asked about potential rate increases for four water and wastewater districts — including Yosemite West and Mariposa Pines in District 1 — that are looking at the potential for massive rate increases over the next five years.

“Honestly, what a mess,” said McLane. “This is what happens when you push things down the road.”

McLane said those communities are likely looking at some type of rate increase and may need to consider issuing bonds for capital improvements.

Bissmeyer said county government is “specifically at fault” because it is responsible for supplying workers for the water treatment facilities. He said he would not forgive the $1 million the county has loaned to three of the water systems.

Edelheit said, “I don’t think there’s an easy answer.”

“It is terrible they’ve gone so long without a rate increase,” she said. The situation is complicated, she said, because the utilities cannot apply for grants unless they show two years of being sustainable.

Road repairs

On the question of declining road infrastructure, McLane suggested the county needs more economic development.

“We have to get serious about how we create new revenue in this county,” McLane said. He suggested the county’s declining population makes it difficult to support basic services.

Edelheit said she believes an additional $6 million may be needed to maintain county roads. She also criticized state grants that require bike paths and sidewalks.

“That doesn’t work with many of our communities. We just need roads,” she said.

Bissmeyer said the public works department has sustained repeated cuts and there is a need to restructure the budget. “There’s no money for the road department to achieve any of its goals,” he said.

County performance

Asked to evaluate the performance of Mariposa County government, Edelheit said, “I don’t think it’s running as well as it could.”

She still hears stories of nepotism and favoritism, she said.

She believes the county is paying too much for consultants who write reports that aren’t relevant for a rural county.

There is also a chronic problem in maintaining staff with advanced degrees.

“We have a broken system when it comes to retaining competent and trained staff,” she said.

McLane said he believes “county government is working well,” but acknowledged a generational shift in leadership.

“There’s been a giant transition of leadership, as older managers held on for a few more years,” he said.

Department heads are looking for “a clear vision of where we are going.” Without that, McLane said, things can be a “hot mess.”

Bissmeyer said county government is not working well, and noted deteriorating roads and indebted utility districts.

“When we went to strong CEO model the board lost touch with the bureaucracy they are supposed to manage,” Bissmeyer said.

Pride recognition

The sharpest disagreement between the candidates came when they were asked whether they would support a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month.

Edelheit was unequivocal in her support and said it was an important message for the community to send that everyone is welcomed.

McLane said while he is personally supportive, it is difficult to get people to go along with something they don’t support.

His 20 years in Christian ministry taught him to bring other people along, he said.

“Trying to force them to do something they’re not ready to do doesn’t lead to a good outcome,” he said.

Bissmeyer said, “I personally wouldn’t vote for that.”

He said there is a limit to how far government should go on social issues. As a Christian, he said, “I love the gay community.”

But in a February 2023 Facebook post, Bissmeyer struck a far less accommodating tone.

Speaking about a June LGBT Pride event, he wrote, “This event has one purpose and it is not to be ‘family friendly.’ Its purpose is to groom our community and especially our youth to adopt and endorse a deviant lifestyle.”

“I don’t see any difference in the grooming they’re doing now with this event and the parades the Nazis put on in their communities, grooming them with patriotism and nobody stood against them,” he wrote three years ago.

Bissmeyer said his Facebook post and statement as a candidate are not irreconcilable or contradictory.

“We should not allow any group to groom our children,” he said.

“I am not going to legislate morality from the supervisor’s chamber, but I think our society has strong moral views, which are called Christian views,” Bissmeyer said.

Edelheit said she found Bissmeyer’s Facebook post “horrifying.”

McLane said his late daughter identified as trans, and they were raised in a Christian home.

“It’s shocking to compare someone expressing themselves to Nazi Germany. As a parent it makes me angry,” McLane said.

Final thoughts

In closing remarks, Edelheit said District 1, with Yosemite and the Merced River, is unique in Mariposa County.

“It’s the biggest geographically, it has the most lodging and is the most dependent on community service districts,” she said.

She said her 40 years of collective bargaining experience brings with it the perspective of employees.

McLane said he would bring a “pragmatic and personal style of leadership” to the supervisor position.

“I want a future where my own son could come back and raise a family if he chooses,” he said.

Bissmeyer said he loves the county and he loves the people.

“I don’t care your political side, or whether you’re a farmer, artist or business person,” he said.

Bissmeyer said he has the ability to collaborate, talk to people and broach hard subjects.

The complete District 1 Supervisor Candidate Forum is available to stream on KRYZRadio.org.

The candidates are running to replace Supervisor Rosemarie Smallcombe who is not running for reelection.

The California Direct Primary Election will be held June 2. The top two vote getters in District 1 will head to the general election in November, unless a candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote and is declared the winner.

Ballots will be mailed to registered voters May 4.