Opinion by Samuel Strait The following is my impression of the candidates from the last of three candidate forums produced for our edification by Del Norte's fine group of realtors. As in each of the two previous gatherings this exemplary group has given Del Norte County voters a glimpse of what this June's primary will have to offer those in District Five. In a smooth and well run fashion each of Susan Masten, Dean Wilson, Terri Colton, David Markel, and David Jones had multiple opportunities to convince those that attended this forum of their worthiness to be the "last person standing" come November of this year and occupy the seat formerly held by another "giant" in Del Notre County, Bob Berkowitz. Say what you might about each of the five that are seeking the District Five seat, the choice will not be an easy task, just as solutions for what ails Del Notre County have become and have remained for decades. Clearly, an understanding of the issues that beset us, the Citizens within the County, are of long standing and not easily washed away by the efforts of a single supervisor, if even the efforts of all five supervisors result in that task. As before, the issues that came to the attention of those in the audience are not the focus of this piece, but the suitability of each of those vying for the supervisor's position is paramount. Beginning with the current "appointed" District Five Supervisor, Susan Masten, there is the unavoidable impression that she is trying very hard to "sell" herself to the voters from a place she is not exactly very comfortable with. Her fascination for "defending" her current position on the Board as if seeking validation is palpable and forced. Her current performance as a sitting supervisor seems to seek attention rather than be an effort to become a meaningful replacement for Mr. Berkowitz. She lacks the understanding that a forty five minute service call to Klamath is the norm throughout the County and very possibly it could be much longer. The very fact that the issues which plague this County, as simply another member of the "Sacramento ignored", gives me significant pause when considering fitness for becoming hopefully not just another member of the 5-0 Club, but a supervisor with eyes wide open, listening, and questioning that which is placed before one. Thus far Ms. Masten has slipped into the role of a Supervisor of the 5-0 Club rather than one who listens thoughtfully and realizes her powers for change might just be restricted in California's "severely restrictive landscape" for any change to occur in District Five, let alone County wide. Next up, Mr. Dean Wilson, who is a veteran of the battles that make solutions for problems within the County a formidable task, let alone from the stand point of delivery from the clutches of State and Federal governments. Many of the responses from those opposing Mr. Wilson, sorry Dean but it sounds like something out of a comic strip, seem unaffected when simple straight forward "solutions" being offered are not often possible, but occupy the rarefied air of a fantasy land. Understanding the "beast" that local government has become is clearly in Wilson's wheel house, and his understanding that doing more with less is in contradiction to most who will face him in the upcoming election. If he were to become the "listener" rather than the source of misinformation and dysfunction currently existing within local government, he most certainly has the skills to become part of some of the solutions for issues that have existed for longer than just the past few years. Dean obviously cares about not just existing in this County, but within the limits of what is possible, would like to make simply "existing" a much more agreeable state of living here in Del Norte County. Ms. Colton clearly is an active participant in this community and has been for a considerable length of time. Her performance during the course of this evening's gathering was difficult to place and required an additional conversation post debate to determine "where in the world Ms. Colton was" on several of the issues of the evening. While not a good start for the purposes of determining what impressions were carried away about suitability, she did open up privately, fared well in the listening department and appears relatively well versed on the realities of what can and cannot be accomplished by local government. This was not particularly clear for much of the public portion of her performance and thus made it difficult to reconcile public with private. The jury remains "out" as to just how far voters can trust the notion that she will simply resort to becoming one of the 5-0 Club going forward or whether her sense of public benefit will become her mode of successful operation within the confines of what is actually possible. And then there was David Markel. Mr. Markel very clearly and passionately identifies with his neighborhood, the Bertsch Tract, and seems almost oblivious to the fact that his neighborhood is not the only portion of District Five. Aside from Dean Wilson, many of the remaining candidates give a similar impression that only a small portion, be it Klamath, or the Bertsch tract, is the focus of the issues that should be viewed as County wide issues. Not to dismiss Mr. Markel lightly, he has identified several of the issues most pressing for citizens County wide, just not any specifics that are possible and readily lead to solutions. Unfortunately County government seems to consistently be given some sort of unsupportable aura with almost mystical powers to become the "be all, end all" for every known deficiency in modern society. This is the trap that most candidates, including Mr. Markel, fall into when reality hits, "Government in endless supply, does not produce endless positive results for endless differing members of a given population". Humans remain stubbornly individuals. One size fits all government solutions do not necessarily work in "Sacramento ignored" Del Norte County. Finally we reach the last "victim" in this unhinged diatribe, Mr. David Jones, not shy about trotting out a veritable laundry list of personal accomplishments in public service as well as those of his past employment. I often hesitate when I hear that a candidate's entire career has involved being exclusively a member of the taxpayer funded set. It too often produces a "tunnel" vision set of "tools" when dealing with the possibility that government responses to issues very often are not the best of choices in the mix of solutions for moving the needle towards actual accomplishment of the task. Very often citizen responses to obvious doom and gloom issues should be left in those very capable hands. Mr Jones tends not to be an advocate for that kind of solution. While he clearly has a strong voice for issues within the Klamath Area, that's not the only area of concern in the County. He, Ms. Masten, and Mr. Markel will need to address their obsession with colloquialism concerning the needs of the entire County before leadership is in their worlds. Enough with this. This evening was both informative and entertaining. The five will have their work cut out for them in the ensuing month just to make it into the final test in November. I would hope they understand that all successful solutions do not necessarily stem from County Government and that they will be undertaking a new role, that of being a representative, too often forgotten in the heady world of politics. Please take the "I" out of any thoughts going forward and force yourselves to listen first and foremost before engaging the opening in the lower portion of your face. Again, too often those that work tirelessly behind the scenes receive little of the credit that make this County a great place to live. That said, it is my heart felt wish to offer these words to the Board of Realtors. Great job!