What do all political candidates have in common?Each wants to be elected, and some will say or do anything to convince you to give them your precious vote. Don’t be fooled by some candidate declarations, oft-times empty and insincere, unrealistic promises and false statements of political positions.Incumbent 3rd District Supervisor Chris Howard is an example of such voter pandering. Voters in Gasquet, Hiouchi, North Bank and Smith River must be particularly vigilant on doling out their vote based on candidate party affiliation and perceived political positions.#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('');Howard identifies himself as a Republican. He’s been endorsed by the RINO (Republican in Name Only) Party in Del Norte, an endorsement he failed to garner when he ran in 2018.He votes exactly like a Democrat, consistently. Since elected in 2014, he has supported every onerous state spending matter moving Del Norte County further to the Left and more dependent on Sacramento and emphatically more Democrat, including his support and defense of the 13 percent increase in the County Sales Tax (Measure R).Howard is an enthusiastic supporter and shameless sycophant of Sen. Mike McGuire’s 150 Homekey homelessness projects to be built over the next two years along the North Coast, including Del Norte County.At a recent candidate forum, he misled the public when he announced Del Norte County would be subject to fines and penalties if the County did not embrace the McGuire utopian housing vision. He actually said it twice. Quite the opposite was stated by the Democrat majority leader McGuire who promised more incentives and more public money to cities and counties who complied and embraced the massive $14 billion homelessness expansion.Howard’s sucrose-sweet passion for the welfare of Del Norte children, though commendable, is pathetically patronizing. What politician doesn’t use children’s welfare as a wedge issue? Howard’s statement, “I just want to get kids out of living in cars,” is an example of over-the-top rhetoric in his justification for supporting further massive expansion of the County’s largest department: Health and Human Services.The most egregious misrepresentation is Howard’s self-serving exclusion of Supervisor term limits. Candidate Frank Magarino called out Howard on the term limit issue. Magarino incorrectly believed all Supervisors were subject to a two-term limit. Howard corrected Magarino and stated it’s a three-term limit and he was seeking his third term, in compliance with the adopted ordinance.Then Howard stopped speaking.What Howard did not say in that statement is he that he exempted himself and all then-serving county supervisors from any term limits whatsoever, thereby creating a special political class of politician immune from term limits, a class of which he is now the only member.With the exception of Howard, all Board members exempted have or will depart the Board next year except Howard if he fools the public, again. Chris Howard continues to have difficulty understanding the intent of the term limit ordinance.There are other candidates who shall not be identified at this time during the current election cycle who evade simple Yes/No questions with circuitous, meandering responses that obstruct transparency. When a candidate is unclear, the candidate will continue the behavior, if elected.The public cannot continue to be misled. Statements like “I’m a Republican” or “I’m a Conservative” are meaningless and irrelevant when the candidate suddenly does an about-face, when and if elected.Supervisor Darrin Short is another RINO who votes like a Democrat. Candidates for office must be clear and honest even at the risk of possibly losing some support. Elected officials serving now are far more concerned with their personal image rather than representing your interests.Don’t waste your vote on any candidate who seeks your support, yet espouses this faux-ness. This is your time to speak. It may be an old cliché, but Your Vote Matters. Editor’s Note 1: The office of County Supervisor is nonpartisan, and by definition lacks affiliation with or bias for or against any political party, whether Republican, Democratic, RINO or any other real or imagined partisan group or organization. Editor’s Note 2: Since submitting this column, Roger Gitlin has expressed his deep regret for voting in favor of the supervisor term limit ordinance as it applies to sitting supervisors. Supervisor Howard actually voted against it. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });