Having an actual race for the Santa Clara Valley Water District seat that represents South County is rather like a cool dip in a lake on a hot summer Gilroy day: refreshing. That the challenger is an expert in water engineering and a bit of a pot stirrer is, well, just what the doctor ordered.
Professor Ram Singh will tell you the truth: The Santa Clara Valley Water District is a bloated bureaucracy that is as inefficient and stubborn as a bureaucracy can become because the voters don’t understand it, and the subject of water resources, though supremely important, is as arcane as it gets. Everyone wants clean water, but nobody wants to learn about why and how our water district in Santa Clara County is buying expensive water and storing it in Bakersfield. Ram Singh will tell you that the board has become, essentially, a rubber stamp. Ram Singh will go over some amazing statistics:
The water district’s budget has gone from $49 million to $99 million in four years.
Water in Los Angeles County (and we know how much needs to be imported there) is cheaper than in Santa Clara County.
The price of water has tripled since his opponent, incumbent Rosemary Kamei, took office.
Nearly 30 percent of water district employees are support staff.
The employee benefits package stops just short of providing a fountain of youth.
Singh is ready, willing and able to talk about the insidious problems in the water district. He’s prepared to question expenditures, offer alternatives for wasteful projects, fight for the taxpayers and restore some sense of credibility to an organization that is out of control. And, truly, the rest of the water district board needs to hear it.
Singh understands his will likely be a lone voice – especially in the beginning. But he vows to fight the good fight and hopes that his presence on the board and his outspoken demeanor will inspire others to run for board seats and join him in his quest to right the water district ship.
It’s a valiant crusade. Voters should trust that he will do his homework, and do his best to represent their interests. Ram Singh is just what we need to represent District One on the water board. He earns our enthusiastic endorsement.
