More Fireworks Ahead

The support of so many of our upcountry neighbors has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives here in Amador County. I am grateful for the friendship and kindness showed to me and my family over the last nine months of campaigning, which will far outweigh any election loss.

This was the closest and most interesting district election that anyone can remember, and we should all congratulate the two candidates that will move on to November. The final primary count showed Lynn Morgan (665) beating Ted Novelli (657) by 8 votes, and my 32% (603) turning out to be 54 votes short. In hindsight, it would have been easy enough for me to cozy up to at least one special interest group to have garnered 54 votes, but that was not the purpose of my campaign. The narrative was about representing one constituency: the residents of District 3, and offering them a stronger and truly independent voice on the Board of Supervisors. There are 603 upcountry individuals who took part in communicating this specific message and each one should take pride in having found the courage to vote freely, and not be pressured by outside interests.

Together, we were successful in shedding light on many upcountry issues such as fire hydrant repair, safer drinking water, lowering permit fees, transportation to medical services, updating the General Plan, and why a Dollar General does not fit in Buckhorn. Plus, we now have potential district resources in the further development of my new volunteer-based Pride & Beautification Committee and UpcountryInfo.com website.

As a footnote, I have always been supportive of the County leaders and their interests, but do not believe that they should continue their well-known history of unduly influencing district elections. When are voters going to get tired of those who do not live or vote in a district having so much influence over who gets to serve their local community? Many upcountry residents are beginning to question the appearance of having individuals and organizations going before the Board of Supervisors to have motions made and service contracts approved, while providing direct political support for these same elected officials. Residents are also concerned about the propriety of having fellow Supervisors making direct contributions to another Supervisor’s campaign. Many of us are questioning why these and other organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, Aces Waste Service, Volcano Telephone Company, Sheriff’s Department, Veterans’ Post, commercial real estate developers, and fireworks manufacturers are unable to remain politically neutral and find it necessary to extensively stump for incumbent Supervisors?

As much as I respect each of our County Supervisors and all of these organizations and community leaders, their influence clearly impacted this election. Furthermore, their outside involvement will continue to affect even a small number of votes that might be needed for any future candidate to overcome an incumbent Supervisor, which may be why an incumbent Supervisor has not been beaten in an election in Amador County in over 35 years!

Now the election is framed between Lynn Morgan and Ted Novelli, both of whom are allied with polar-opposite special interests. If you thought the primary was exciting, there are more fireworks ahead with Lynn Morgan’s campaign consultant Steve Wilinski’s political action committee, the Foothill Conservancy, and the Rate-Payers Alliance now having to battle against Ted Novelli and the Jackson establishment...

As a result, it will be difficult for me to endorse either candidate in this November election. I can only hope that the residents of District 3 will somehow benefit from the outcome.

As always,

Mike Spence

Words Do Make a Difference

Reading Ted Novelli's latest campaign mailer I could not help but notice that he took the liberty of borrowing my campaign slogan of "Stand Up for Local Businesses and Services," and turned it into "Standing up to Taxes and Fighting for Us."
His further use of my campaign colors and style print well, but by changing "Stand" to "Standing," Ted makes the election to be about him, and his use of the word "Us" implies everyone in the County not just the voters of our District.
It seems odd that Ted's only endorsement on this mailer is from Paul Mollinelli, Jr of Aces Waste Services, pictured below, someone who does not live or vote in our District. This only supports my criticism of Ted remaining preoccupied with special county interests, and why we should not let Jackson influence our local elections.

My campaign is about representing you, the voters of District 3.

Mike Spence

Fighting a Dollar General Store is not against Free Enterprise

May 26, 2014 - The recent positions taken by Supervisor Novelli and candidate Lynn Morgan as to why they will not oppose a Dollar General Store in Buckhorn have left residents scratching their heads. You can watch the video coverage of the Mace Meadow debate on UpcountryInfo.com, and see Ted Novelli describing his ideology based upon fighting “Communism and Socialism,” and see Lynn Morgan back-pedaling as fast as she can trying to make us think that creating new jobs is now more important than protecting our local businesses. I made the Dollar General Stores a central issue in my campaign and reject the positions taken by Ted and Lynn for the following reasons:

1) There were over 4,000 people who signed the petition to save the Payless IGA Market who do not consider themselves to be Socialists, and who are well aware that other Dollar General Stores are already having a negative impact on local jobs and business communities nationwide.

2) Ted Novelli would lead us to believe that instead of this issue being about wanting more County tax revenue, his position is based on his need to fight for “Free Enterprise.” Having conservative values myself, I reject this effort to confuse such an important principle. In my opinion, it is incorrect to say that Free Enterprise should be unlimited or unfettered. Such reasoning would lead us to falsely believe that we could put a toxic business next to homes or schools, or a Dollar General next to a vineyard in Plymouth, or have a strip club in Red Corral.

Nobody ever prevented the market’s owner from selling his business, and residents are not now preventing a land owner from selling a property. We know that our General Plan zoning regulations are outdated, and the importance of zoning is not being undermined when it is determined that certain projects might not be acceptable for an area, such as in the way that the County stopped the Gold Rush project and is now saying no to more auto stores. Fighting the newly proposed Dollar General Store in Buckhorn is not about ideology or jobs, it is about fire safety and the inadequate water pressure on Meadow Vista Drive, and the encroachment problem that large delivery trucks will have on neighborhood homes and roads.

3) Residents have a legal right to determine the “look & feel” of their community, and come forward if they believe a project does not fit in the area. This is exactly what they have already done with the 2011 General Plan Action Committee, GPAC, effort to draft a ten year plan for Pioneer to be added to the County’s newly proposed General Plan update. The GPAC ten year plan clearly states that residents “do not want a big box store to anchor a shopping center in Buckhorn town center.” At that time, no one realized that Supervisor Novelli would be in favor of building these huge stores both in Pine Grove and in Buckhorn. I agree that government should not be picking winners and losers or telling businesses what to do, but also should not force residents to accept such unsuitable and unwanted projects that alter the “look & feel” of the community. If necessary, District 3 residents should be allowed to sign a request to put a referendum on the ballot to let the voters decide.

4) Lynn Morgan represents herself as the person who saved the Payless Market from the Family Dollar Store, but is now singing a new tune. Lynn is now saying that the Dollar Store is “not really big box,” knowing that the definition of big Box is 10,000 square feet and that the Dollar General has purposefully designed their stores to be 9,500 square feet. People may not know why “household wage” jobs have become more important to Lynn than saving meat and vegetables.

During the Ledger Dispatch Forum, Lynn revealed her connection with the political action group led by Steve Wilensky in Calaveras County, who was still the President of the SEIU Union up until just recently. When you add this out-of county influence to her involvement with groups like the Foothill Conservancy and the Rate-Payer Alliance, her activist reform agenda becomes clear.

This election should be about having a Stronger Voice for Upcountry, and not be confused with ideology or furthering the agendas of minority interest groups. I am not associated with any such groups, and stand by every word that I have spoken and written over the last nine months. We have a choice in this election, and I am confident that voters will understand the differences between the candidates and begin to put their own interests first.

Truly yours,

Mike Spence

Mike Spence Election Night Party - Tues June 3

The Real Story

I have always enjoyed listening to Gary Dorall spin an old yarn, and his recent article in the Ledger about “Finding Ted” was great storytelling. Although after nine months of campaigning for Supervisor, I was hoping that people would eventually stop making excuses for two-term incumbent Ted Novelli, and fabricating stories and labels to disparage his challengers, like this latest attack by Gary Dorall depicting me as a “fast talking car salesman.” Campaigning is already difficult and costly enough, without having to deal with such mean-spirited slurs being directed toward those of us who come forward to do our civic duty. I do realize that it goes both ways, and as a challenger I admit to having been critical of Ted’s pre-occupation with all things Jackson, but have never engaged in personal name-calling, and do not even know the three people who wrote the “Where’s Ted” articles. I did know a few of the car sales people at Prospect Motors and wish they were still around to give Gary a call. Those were good jobs and good people.

I certainly agree with Gary that Ted is “not a talker” and that he is overly busy taking care of “county” business, and whatever it was that Ted did when Family Dollar tried to take over the Payless IGA Market was definitely silent and behind the scenes. However, Mr. Dorall’s story about of how Ted battled “Chicago tactics and implied threats” in order to protect an owner’s legal rights, as well as his harsh assessment of Lynn Morgan over-inflating her role in “saving the market” is no longer relevant. The real story now is that incumbent Supervisor Ted Novelli just revealed publicly at the Mace Meadow Forum that he will support the new construction of Dollar General Stores in both Buckhorn and Pine Grove! Hopefully, the thousands of residents who signed the petition during the Payless Market crisis will be voicing their interests through their votes in this election.

Mike Spence

Pioneer

"Rock the Vote for Mike" - Sat May 3

Solar Powered Kid from Pioneer Takes First Place in Nevada Governor's Cup

What a night it was with collegiate teams and business leaders from throughout the country packed into the Grand Ballroom at the Atlantis Hotel.  Waiting to hear the final results of months of business plan competitions, hoping to catch a glimpse of what might be the next great idea worth funding. The First Place winner was a senior from Sierra Nevada College, my son Alden, with his new Solar Powered Innovations company.  My wife, Kevan, leapt from her chair to take this picture with her cell phone, and was so

overwhelmed with pride that she was unable to speak for over an hour. Should I be asking my son for a campaign contribution?

Mike Spence