Ballots for the November 8th General Election will be mailed today and should arrive in mailboxes early next week. Every voter should have already received the County Voter Information Guide in the mail with all the details of what is on the ballot.Our votes will help determine who will represent us in the US Senate and statewide offices including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Controller, State Treasurer, Attorney General, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance Commissioner, Appeals Court, and State Supreme Court Judges. There will be 7 statewide propositions that will decide issues related to protecting reproductive rights, enabling sports gambling, funding music and arts education, regulating kidney dialysis clinics, reducing air pollution, and prohibiting flavored tobacco products. #placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');There are two local ballot Measures T and U that propose to cut funding for the City and the County. I have previously stated my opposition to these local measures. Please vote NO on Measure T and Measure U!We will also vote to elect our local representatives in the US Congress, State Board of Equalization, State Senate, and Assembly. All these races make for a very full ballot, and our local votes will affect the outcome of all these contests. However, local voters will have the greatest influence electing our local officials and deciding local ballot measures.The most consequential local elected offices yet to be filled are Del Norte County Board of Supervisors, Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees (School Board) and Crescent City Harbor District Board of Commissioners. Today I will comment on the School Board races.The current School Board incumbents representing Districts 2 and 5 have decided not to run for reelection. This leaves space to elect two new School Board members. In prior elections the rules required that the candidates must live in the district that they are representing, but all voters county-wide were able to vote on these School Board members. Under newly adopted rules, only the voters that reside in the district are allowed to vote for the School Board members that represent their district. Only voters in Districts 2 and 5 will see School Board candidates on their ballots. District 2 includes the areas on the west side of Crescent City and areas north of Crescent City. District 5 includes areas along Parkway Drive, Elk Valley Road, Bertsch Oceanview and Klamath.My recommendations for School Board are Phillip Williams for District 5 and William Meriwether for District 2. Both candidates have local roots and have had children in our local schools. When it comes to selecting a School Board member, local experience matters.Their opponents have only recently moved here, one from Los Angeles and one from Paradise, California. They have not lived here long enough to understand the challenges that our students face and are less qualified to guide the educational programs that best fit our community.Phillip Williams was born at the Seaside Hospital, attended local schools, and participated in high school sports. He is a true Del Norte Warrior. After high school he served in the US Army, began a career in the timber industry and raised a family. While Phil’s children were attending Margaret Keating School, he volunteered to coach youth sports and started a Boys and Girls Club afterschool program to give students productive activities.More recently, Phillip Williams facilitated a collaboration between the Yurok Tribe and the Del Norte County School District to secure a $30 million Promise Neighborhood grant that will provide funding to bolster under-performing schools, holistically support students and unify diverse community groups. Philip Williams is a good man with a good heart who has spent his lifetime serving Del Norte County. As a School Board member, Phil will bring this local experience and commitment to help our youth become successful members of our community.William Meriwether is a Professor of History and Political Science at the College of the Redwoods. Professor Meriwether has a BA in Social Studies with an emphasis in Secondary Education, an MA in American History, an MA in Political Science, and graduate course work towards a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Will is an Iraq War Veteran who served in the U.S. Army as a Counterintelligence Agent. After military service he taught Military Intelligence Staff Operations to our soldiers deploying overseas. Will is married with two children, one recently graduated and one currently attending Del Norte High School. His experience as both a teacher and as a parent provides a valuable perspective to developing appropriate local educational policy.Will promises to use his educational background and local teaching experience to collaborate with parents, schools, and the community to improve student educational outcomes and better prepare our youth for adult-hood, enabling them to reach their full potential.Phillip Williams and William Meriwether are both veterans that have honorably served our country and are now prepared to honestly serve our county on the School Board. They have earned our vote. Kevin Hendrick is the Chair of the Del Norte County Democratic Central Committee - dndems@gmail.com googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });