SOUTH LAKE COUNTY – After three terms on the Board of Supervisors, Ed Robey will step down at the end of 2008, leaving open the seat representing the fast-growing communities of Lower Lake, Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown.
The race to fill his seat already is showing promise of being one of the most interesting supervisorial contests in recent years, with a slate of candidates who have wide-ranging experiences but who all share a desire to serve the public.
As Lake County News reported earlier this week, four candidates have so far confirmed their candidacy: Voris Brumfield, Susanne La Faver, Don Dornbush and Robert “Bobby” MacIntyre.
On Thursday, Lake County News profiled Brumfield and La Faver. In this article, it's the gentlemens' turn – with Don Dornbush and Robert MacIntyre explaining their issues and why they're running.
Don Dornbush, 49, Hidden Valley Lake: Contractor/businessman
Don Dornbush, who has lived in Lake County for 20 years, said he's been receiving calls for the last four months from people encouraging him to run for supervisor.
Much of that support, he said, comes from his bid for the District 1 seat in 2004, when he was narrowly defeated by incumbent Ed Robey by a 173-vote margin, according to Registrar of Voters records.
For the last two years, Dornbush – who lives in Hidden Valley with wife, Kim – has been a member of the Hidden Valley Lake Association Board.
He continues to run his contracting business, New World Construction, and for the last six months has worked on construction management with Lake County's Habitat for Humanity chapter.
The group is building three homes with plans to begin a fourth. “It is very fulfilling,” said Dornbush. “It's a way of helping people help themselves, which I believe in.”
Looking at the south county, Dornbush said smart growth is needed to avoid blight and to prevent damage to real estate values.
He's also concerned that not enough of the county's money makes its way to south county communities and the services they need.
And, of course, there is the perpetual issue of roads.
Dornbush said there are solutions to the county's battered road system, but he's not sure all of the possibilities have been seriously contemplated.
“There are things we can do and I think we need to examine them,” he said.
From his last campaign, Dornbush said he felt that he did “pretty much everything right,” because he had a lot of community support for his run and came so close to victory.
This time, he said, he plans to be more focused; in 2004, he said he had many things to contend with outside of campaigning, including building two houses – one of them his own.
“Definitely this time I think we'll be a little more focused,” he said.
Next up in the campaign process, said Dornbush, will be taking out the initial paperwork and finding a campaign manager. Elise and Bob Richmond, who assisted his 2004 campaign, have since moved out of the area, he said.
Robert “Bobby” MacIntyre, 50, Hidden Valley Lake: Firefighter
MacIntyre, who has worked as a firefighter since 1981, said he's been involved with community service most of his adult life.
A member of the South Lake County Fire District Board of Directors, MacIntyre said he's proud of the work he and a committee did to develop a fee-based inspection program to raise funds for the district, as well as negotiating a contract with Calpine for enhanced emergency response services.
In addition, MacIntyre is a part-time fire inspector for Sonoma County and is an adjunct faculty member of Santa Rosa Junior College, where he teaches a semester-long course in the school's fire technology program, and teaches on community emergency response team training.
“I love teaching,” he said.
He's also very interested in local government. “I feel like I'm ready for the next step.”
By the time of the November 2008 election, MacIntyre – who turned 50 in July – said he plans to retire, which will allow him to dedicate his time to public office if he's elected.
MacIntyre has lived in Hidden Valley for 11 years. He has a wife, Michelle, an 11-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, and three older grown children. He said wife Michelle is very supportive of his decision to run.
MacIntyre has several issues that are priorities for him, including public safety and education.
Of the latter, he said, “I feel like we can do more in terms of providing better vocational programs for the high school age students.”
He's also concerned about the environment, and wants to develop greater public awareness of how to improve and preserve it.
In achieving the goal of good government, MacIntyre said fiscal responsibility is key, noting that the county can't be cavalier about how it spends its money.
Other key issues he cited are infrastructure, primarily roads, and public transportation. In Lake County, MacIntyre said he would like to see public transportation offer better and more frequent scheduling and enhanced routes.
He said he has been thinking of running for supervisor for some time, but only planned to do so if Robey didn't seek reelection.
MacIntyre said he's asked to shadow Robey to get a firm grasp of what the job entails, and plans to do that in the near future.
He said he hopes to bring to the office of supervisor his concern for community members and a solution-oriented approach to addressing the county's problems. In other words, if you come to him with a problem, be prepared to help be a part of the solution by sharing your ideas, he said.
“I believe I can do a lot for the county,” MacIntyre said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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