More enter race for county supes seats

A little more than a week after prospective candidates began to pick up paperwork for an electoral bid, each Calaveras County race in the June 5 primary appears to be contested.

The most crowded field remains the Board of Supervisors District 2 race with the field of three who announced early last week, now joined by West Point business owner Bryce Randall, 54, and Thomas Swartz, 60, who has owned Club Paradiso and the California Street Cafe in Valley Springs.
  

They were preceded by Mokelumne Hill businessman and former supervisor Michael Dell’Orto, Mountain Ranch attorney Anita Paque and Rail Road Flat environmental activist Chris Wright in entering the fray.

Randall, who owns the West Point Trading Post, is concerned about the county’s budget.

“Going into more rough economic times, we need to control our spending,” he said.

Swartz could not be reached Thursday for comment. He has been a frequent writer of letters to the Board of Supervisors and county department heads on matters such as code enforcement and civil and criminal court cases.

District 2 Supervisor Steve Wilensky is retiring after finishing his second term at the end of this year.

There are two potential challengers to District 1 Supervisor Gary Tofanelli, of Valley Springs, who announced his re-election bid in November.

Cliff Edson, 55, of San Andreas, owner of Country Cliff’s Cafe in the county seat, is concerned about the environment for small businesses and the county’s overall economic situation.

“I can see the change in the business climate. A lot of it is from less tourism. A lot of it is from we just don’t have people around here who are working,” Edson said. “No industry. Things are kind of run down. I’d like to see things improve.”

Edson said he favors attracting “small, very selected industry” and promoting economic growth while preserving the county’s natural resource and historic buildings and character.

He serves on the San Andreas Parks and Recreation District board and the Calaveras County Parks and Recreation Commission. Edson said he is supportive of a community college campus easing the impact of “brain drain” on the county and hosting town hall meetings to gain community input on its outlook for the future.

Joe Kelly, 65, a resident of the Angels Camp area, is a frequent visitor and speaker at supervisors’ and other public meetings.

A retired rancher and automotive machine shop owner, Kelly said he wears the badge of “career attendee,” as one speaker referred to local gadflies at the board’s last meeting.

“I’m a career attendee to meetings of career politicians,” Kelly said.

He is a frequent critic of what he believes may be ethical and Brown Act violations and wants to attract industry and commercial activity to the county and the infrastructure to support it. 

Kelly ran unsuccessfully for San Luis Obispo County supervisor in 1996 and briefly entered the Calaveras County assessor’s race in 2010 before he withdrew. He said he has participated and been a watchdog of government for 30 years and will run if he gets the required signatures to become a candidate.

“If I don’t get the signatures, then I won’t,” Kelly said.

In District 4, seven-term Supervisor Tom Tryon, of Angels Camp, will be pitted against his former board colleague Russ Thomas, of Copperopolis, who lives in the restructured jurisdiction that follows Highway 4 from the western county line to Vallecito.   

Thomas addressed Tryon’s Tuesday announcement of a re-election campaign in a prepared statement sent Wednesday to media outlets.

“It came as no surprise to me that Mr. Tryon has made the decision to run for an unprecedented eighth term. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss publically with Tom the issues that affect the 4th District and Calaveras County, particularly in today’s challenging environment,” Thomas said. “Calaveras County is economically far behind our neighboring counties of Tuolumne and Amador. I believe that the explanation can be found by examining decades of bad decisions and the lack of forward-looking county leadership.”

“I would ask the voters of District 4 to consider that after 28 years of representation and over $1,000,000 salary and benefits paid to Mr. Tryon, if they are satisfied with his performance,” Thomas added. “I am here to offer myself to the 4th district as a fresh but experienced alternative.”

Tryon is the second-longest serving supervisor in California behind Michael Antonovich in Los Angeles County, who has served since 1980.  Thomas lost his District 5 re-election bid in 2010 to Rancho Calaveras educator Darren Spellman.

In the race for district attorney, appointed incumbent Barbara Yook faces a challenge from Rancho Calaveras attorney David Singer.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, Calaveras County Taxpayers Association President Al Segalla said the organization will provide a forum for candidates to make brief statements at its Jan. 27 luncheon. The event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at the Murphys Hotel on Main Street in downtown Murphys.

Contact Sean Janssen at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 890-7741.