Two local residents face Three-Term Incumbent for Water District
Seat
Two local residents face Three-Term Incumbent for Water District Seat
n By Matt King Staff Writer
Morgan Hill – For the first time since 1994, South County’s seat on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors is being contested.
Three-term incumbent Rosemary Kamei is being challenged by fellow Morgan Hill resident Terry Mahurin, a retired engineer who thinks the district is wasteful and overcharges for water, especially in South County.
“I think I’m better suited to represent rate payers than is Rosemary,” Mahurin said. “I understand why the rates are where they are and what is driving the rates.”
According to information on the county registrar’s Web site, Morgan Hill rancher Johne Baird, formerly of the Santa Clara County Open Space District, is also on the ballot. Baird could not be reached for comment.
The district charges South County users a wholesale rate of $215 an acre-foot, which is enough water for two families for a year. North County residents pay $430 an acre-foot. In 1987, South County water cost $22 an acre-foot.
Mahurin believes the district relies too much on water imported through the Central Valley Water Project. He thinks South County could rely on groundwater and reserves stored in Anderson Reservoir in Morgan Hill.
“I just assume we use Anderson water and not pay the high price for [imported] water,” he said.
Mahurin, who has never held or campaigned for political office, conceded he will have hard time unseating Kamei because, voters, especially those in the northern reaches of her sprawling district, have no idea who he is. Kamei’s district includes South County, Los Gatos and large chunks of San Jose.
“I’ve been talking to people to help me figure out how I’m going to reach voters to the north,” he said. “I have to admit I don’t know how to do this. I’ve gotten a lot of suggestions and I have to get my battle plan together.”
Mahurin’s best hope may be that Kamei isn’t widely known, either, said Terry Christensen, political science professor at San Jose State University.
“The advantage for someone in this situation is that the incumbent is not better known than the challenger because special districts are so low profile,” Christensen said. “I’m pretty attentive to politics and I’m not even sure who my representative is. A fair number, but not a majority will recognize her name.”
Kamei once served on the Morgan Hill Planning Commission. She was appointed to the district board in 1993 and in 1994 was the first women elected to the board.
In 1997, she lost to Supervisor Don Gage in a run-off election to fill the supervisor’s chair vacated by U.S. Representative Mike Honda, D-San Jose. She said she looks forward to the campaign.
“It’s a good opportunity to educate the public on what has been accomplished,” she said. “It’s very exciting because hopefully people will pay attention. I like public engagement.”
Kamei plans to stand on the efforts of the district to address South County’s perchlorate contamination and its work with the farming community to protect the land and cut water expenses for growers.
“And I’m proud of the some of the things we’re criticized for,” she said. “We’ve been very good conservationists. We’ve done a lot to help farmers. People don’t talk about that.”
Mahurin gave himself a “not good, but not unreasonable” chance of winning the election. Christensen said the first thing any unknown candidate needs to do is plaster the district with his name.
“The most important medium in local elections is the lawn sign or road side sign,” he said, “just to get your name out there. “Then back it up with a mailing and precinct walking. It won’t take a whole lot of money.”
Election day is June 6.
