Personal information:
Name: Marc Spillman
Age: 49
Family: I have been married to my wife Karen for 28 years. Karen is my best friend with all the best benefits. I am proud of that relationship beyond all else. I have two great sons. My oldest son Casey (refined-clean cut-pomade) and Alex (charged-spiked up-putty). Their hair treatment is the best description possible for them.
Career/current job: I worked for Piedmont’s truss division in Calpella for 19 years and I now work for Kelseyville Lumber’s truss division in Finley. My wife and I were blessed to secure new employment after the fall of Piedmont. We were the only husband and wife working for them in the final year. Being human – there are bad days where you complain. We truly have nothing to complain about, given what has occurred with so many of our friends and family in the past few years. I am not accepting donations. I do not accept group or organizational endorsements. I commute daily, on all dry days, between Finley and Lakeport on my little red road bike. I have a council sign on my bag. Please beep your support, just before or after me – please just not next to me. In life you are defined by how you respond to defeat.
Education: Graduated from Piner High School, Santa Rosa; attended college at Santa Rosa Junior College at Sonoma State University, but did not receive degree.
Length of residence in Lake County and your particular city: 13 years in Lakeport.
Web site or email address where community members can contact you:
Questions:
1. Please outline your experience serving the local community. Include all community or volunteer service.
I was a planning commissioner from 2005 to 2008. During that time I was also chairman of the General Plan Committee and a member of the Measure I Committee. I stepped down from city planning to take a seat with the Local Area Formation Commission ( www.lakelafco.org ).
I am currently a Westside Park Committee and nonprofit board member (weed-eating parties – not as much fun as they sound). I’m also an active organization committee member of the Lakeport Main Street Association. Dennis Rollins and Carol Hays deserve a big hand for the work they do.
My wife and I are the initiator and the hub household in the formation of the first Lakeport Neighborhood Watch Program. We have 19 homes connected in a four by five block area of Forbes Creek neighborhood, where we live.
I am a continuing member of the Lakeport Early Lake Lions. You will always see me working the main local events. (Grillin’ on the Green, Taste of Lakeport, Kelseyville Pear Festival, Oktoberfest). Even with the list above, I still find three nights a week to read to my wife.
2. Why did you decide to run for public office?
I have transitioned from the man seeking the office to the office seeking the man. I had no intention to run again – but I have had a large number of residents nudging me to give it another try. My heart is still very much in it, I just felt it was time to move on. Thinking I would not be a candidate again, I took on LAFCO, the Westside Park, the Main Street Association and Neighborhood Watch. Let’s just say the last couple of months have been very busy. If you want to be a good civil servant - start as an outstanding community servant.
I have five personal candidate endorsements I am proud of and would like to list in alphabetical order: Tom Engstrom, current council member and retired Lakeport Police chief; Bill Knoll (Mayor Bill), previous council member; Roy Parmentier, current council member; and Dennis Rollins, Westside Park chairman and previous planning commissioner. Another endorser is George Spurr, previous co-candidate. George Spurr is a worthy competitor that I will miss this year. I went to George’s home to encourage him to run again and later ended up with his endorsement. His absence is Lakeport’s loss in this election.
The diversity and depth of the endorsements above will hopefully speak to my depth and my diversity as a candidate.
3. What are the important qualities you would bring to public service?
The qualities would be that I am well qualified, responsible and strongly involved as a community service member. I have lived in this community for only 13 years, but that short amount of time I have become invested in Lakeport. I care about the people who live here and what goes on around me.
I have attended the majority of council meetings for several years. I am not a one issue person and I am not a person who tries to look at 10 things at a time. I am not indecisive and I am aware that tough votes do have to be made with unhappy residents and friends in the room.
I understand that sometimes you will go on the side of the greater good and sometimes the balance will swing to the rights of the individual. Balance is very important in a council position.
I work hard at the duties I take on and in taking on a council seat; I will work hard to make good decisions.
4. What are the primary functions of a city council member? What are the important skill sets a council member should possess?
First – make decisions based on the merits of the issues. Second – honor the law’s and public’s expectation that agency policies will be applied consistently. Third – support the public’s right to know and promote meaningful public involvement. Fourth – support merit-based processes for the award of public employment and public contracts. Fifth – Be impartial and do not favor those who either have helped you or are in a position to help you. Sixth – promote equality and treat all people equitably. Seventh – Excuse yourself from decisions when you or your family’s financial interests may be affected by your agency’s actions. Last – Credit other’s contributions in moving your community’s interests forward.
I ran across the above list when completing ethics training, a number of years back, and have kept this on my office wall since. This should be the guideline and goal of every council member.
The council has three crucial functions that no other body can perform: legislation, oversight and representation.
5. What is your city’s single greatest challenge? How would you address it?
The main challenge is that Lakeport is a DUC: Disadvantaged-Underprivileged-Community. A lot of the residents are poor. Good jobs are few and this has been magnified and sharpened with the downturn of the past few years. Decisions made for the city should always take this into account.
The only areas above the median income level are Cobb and Hidden Valley. Lakeport (and Lake County) is an island of sorts – the shipping and commuting lanes, in and out of the area, are difficult at best.
Improving downtown business would give a small boost to Lakeport and would help with tourism – but this would not bring in the quantity or quality of jobs needed for this area. With the low cost of housing and the difficulty of commuting – maybe a telecommuting program/recruitment would be a better fit for our area.
The federal and the state governments (not just business) have been making a large effort, in recent years, towards work at home to help cut costs.
There is no magic bullet sometimes. The council does have an impact on the quality of life in Lakeport and must always remember that we are a DUC.
6. If you are elected, what will your top issue be? What other issues are of particular interest to you?
In the past few years – the LAKE is Lakeport’s greatest issue. Not only for the enjoyment of the local population – but for the enjoyment of visitors who would bring their dollars to Lakeport later in the summer.
I have read numerous articles on the various reasons for the lake’s condition and also articles on the multitude of solutions to help it. I am not a versed student of this issue, but this would be my top issue and my top study.
I am also interested in filling downtown shops (not completely for the tax revenue and fees) but for the benefit of the downtown appearance to visitors and to locals.
My wife and I moved to Lakeport after walking and driving the downtown. We didn’t go into a single shop or eatery. It was the look and feel of the bones of downtown and the immediate proximity to the lake that sucked us in (plus cheap housing). With the exception of empty shops, the current downtown area looks better than 10 years ago.
Another interest would be to prioritize the spending of Measure I funds. The council will always have the discretion to use those funds when and where needed – but at least officially prioritize where they should go.
7. Is there a matter that you’ve seen the council handle that you believe should have been approached differently? If so, how would you have handled it?
I’m not happy about how the water/sewer rate increase has come about. The nine projects were sold to most residents as the main financial focus. “We have to have clean water to drink and flush that toilet.”
The projects are only going to take 15 percent of the new revenue starting in year five. Lakeport is looking to draw in an additional $2.11 million a year and only pay out a quarter million a year on the loan for the projects. Lakeport also has some old debt service that will bring the total going out to about a half million.
The $2.11 million extra in and a half million out for projects and old debt, and they need the additional $1.5 million a year – or 75 percent of the increase – for what? It seems like there is a lot of cash on the back end of this increase and the mostly needed projects were given the spotlight when they were a very small part of the new revenue pie. Again with the DUC.
This is a very large increase that will crush some of the very poor in this community. As a council member, if I continued to feel there was too much on the back end of this increase I would work to encourage a majority of the council to reduce the increase.
8. What ways, if any, would you encourage public and media interaction with you and the city council should you be elected? How would you approach public interaction, especially on controversial issues?
“When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property” – Thomas Jefferson. I quote this because I believe that council and city staff should always be wide open to both the public and the media.
Another item on interaction of controversial issues – I have heard some grumbling about the giving of extra minutes at the water/sewer meeting. I know this is usually only done at higher government levels – but I support it. I received some of these additional minutes and I needed them badly when dealing with a complex issue. Your three minutes go very fast when you have a lot to cover.
Other than that – lean forward, speak into the microphone and keep everything recorded and up front.
9. When you think of your city in 20 years, what do you hope it will look like? When considering that future vision of your city, what would you want your legacy to be in improving your community?
I would like to see Lakeport become even more the beautiful hub of Lake County. I would like to see shops filled and the lake in better condition. I would like to see a nice downtown project filling Dutch Harbor (with a lot of community input) and I see the majority of Natural High kept open as part of the developed downtown city park. Maybe a nice open, but safe and sound city gazebo building for the sculling boats at Natural High and a program for the locals to have some access to their use.
I would like to see the main roads in the city in good shape and the back city streets that are failing now improving, and infrastructure kept up.
I would like to see 20 neighborhood watches and 20 neighborhood potluck barbecues like the one we had this last month.
I see Lakeport having twice the spring/summer events they have now. It would be nice to have events that cost less to the locals, are still loads of fun and kid friendly. I think bring back the pine box derby – maybe similar to Nevada City’s event. Have some temporary sidewalk extensions for outdoor eating during the good weather. See an increased Lake County wine presence in Lakeport – maybe even a group wine tasting store co-ran by just the local wineries. WHEW!!
Financial information: See Form 470 below. He is not accepting donations, or group or organizational endorsements.
Lakeport City Council Candidates - Marc Spillman - Form 470
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