Murrison announces 2010 Assembly run

The race for the District 3 seat on the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors is set to be blown wide open following incumbent Teri Murrison’s announcement Monday that she is running for the Legislature’s 25th District Assembly seat.

State law prohibits Murrison, 53, a Republican, from running for both seats. Murrison plans to finish out her current term, her first on the board.
 

  Both seats are up for re-election in 2010.

The Assembly seat in question will also be without an incumbent, as Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, announced plans last month to run for the seat of State Sen. Dave Cogdill, who isn’t seeking reelection.

Murrison, of Tuolumne, said her desire to see more leaders with local-governmental experience in Sacramento, coupled with the opportunity Berryhill’s move brings, played into her decision to run for the Assembly.

The 25th Assembly District includes all of Calaveras, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, and parts of Madera and Stanislaus counties.

Murrison thinks she has a good chance in the race even though most of the Assembly district’s voters are in the Central Valley.

“We’ll be at an advantage,” she said. “They (the valley candidates) are going to split the vote, so there will be an opportunity to advance.”

But, she added, that’s only if foothill voters stick behind foothill candidates, a field that, so far, includes only Murrison.

Murrison said she’s heard of a handful of other Republican candidates — all from the valley — with plans to enter the race. Among them are Modesto City Councilwoman Kristin Olsen and former Modesto City Councilwoman Janice Keating.

The candidates have yet to officially file. The filing period runs from Feb. 16 to March 12.    Murrison said the Legislature is rife with political conflict, with the recent stalled budgets as a prime example. She hopes to change that.

“I have a background in negotiation and conflict resolution,” she said. “It’s critical to turn California around; we’re in a precarious situation right now. It’s critical that the Legislature begin to work together.”

Murrison said her leadership style will also benefit constituents.

“I’ve demonstrated that I listen to the people that I serve,” she said. “I work hard, and I am committed to their welfare.”

During her time on the Board of Supervisors, particularly since she became chairwoman a year ago, Murrison has focused on land-use issues.

Recently, she has earned both praise and criticism for pointing out what she sees as the lack of federal consideration of local interests — largely industries like logging, and national forest access for fishermen and ATV and horseback riders — when it comes to the formulation of land-use plans on federal lands.

Murrison is currently in the midst of helping develop a land-use policy (see separate story) that she hopes will usher in a new era of consultation between federal agency officials and supervisors.
 

She points to environmental restrictions on federal lands as being harmful to the local economy.