KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – While he's still got two years to serve on the Lake County Board of Supervisors, Rob Brown said this week that when 2016 rolls around he won't have his name on the ballot again.
Brown, 54, is now in his fourth term on the board, which he joined in January 2001. He represents District 5, which primarily includes the Kelseyville and Cobb area.
His four terms make him the longest serving supervisor for District 5.
The decision not to run again has been some time in coming, with Brown explaining that he's put a lot of thought into it.
“I didn't intend to stay this long,” he said, adding, “I honestly believe it’s time for new energy and younger ideas and fresh perspective on things.”
Prior to joining the board, Brown was elected to two terms on the Kelseyville Unified Board of Trustees.
Public service, he said, has been a lot like raising children, noting there's “nothing more frustrating but nothing more rewarding.”
He said it has been an honor to serve the district, and he ticks off a number of his proudest accomplishments – among them, the 2011 purchase of 1,520 acres on top of Mt. Konocti, land which is now a county park.
The county's $3.6 million purchase, which had broad public support, opened up the land to the public and saved it from the potential for private development. Brown called it a “public legacy for our future generations.”
In the 14 years he's served so far, Brown also has helped secure funding for the Kelseyville Senior Center and money to support improving Cobb School.
He said he's also delivered more road repaving and repairs for District 5 than all other Lake County districts combined.
One of his priorities has been supporting programs for youth.
Brown said he's especially pleased to have brought youth facilities like the Kelseyville High School Wrestling Room, the District Attorney's Office's youth interview center and BMX track to District 5 at no cost to taxpayers.
By the time he walks out the door in January of 2017, Brown hopes to have finished up some other projects, including completing a new skate park in Kelseyville.
On the economic front, “I really would like to see somebody legitimate take over Konocti (Harbor) and get that reopened,” he said, noting he will do what he can to help whoever might want to purchase the resort. “I think that’s crucial to the county.”
He said he's received word that the resort, which closed in 2009, is about to be listed once again and actively marketed. A serious prospective buyer dropped out of the running last May after not being able to raise the capital needed to renovate the resort, as Lake County News has reported.
“There's a lot of people that think that the county should step in and take over,” Brown said, but he's against that route.
However, he does believe that the federal government – which successfully sued Konocti Harbor's pipefitters union owners for using employee pension money to bolster the resort – should force the union to sell it so a new owner can have a shot at getting it reopened.
Other plans for his remaining time in office include working collaboratively with District Attorney Don Anderson, Chief Probation Officer Rob Howe and new Sheriff Brian Martin to provide citizens “with the highest level of public safety protection possible,” Brown said.
One of Brown's biggest frustrations has been the county's inability – due to economic circumstances – to give raises to county employees over the last several years.
He noted that in his first eight years in office, the county government gave pay increases totaling 40 percent to its law enforcement officers. Since then, he said, there has been hardly anything, not even a cost of living increase.
Even so, he said he continues to support that common sense management approach that has enabled Lake County to maintain essential community services “while balancing our county budget without fiscal gimmicks.”
Brown said he's told his board colleagues and county staff of his decision. “We're like a family,” he said, noting some staffers became emotional with his impending announcement. “It's not a work thing.”
While he's had some folks urging him not to rule out another term, he said he feels it's important not to outstay his welcome.
“Anybody can be replaced,” he said.
He said he's been getting calls from people who are interested in running for the board seat, and he said he's looking to support a successor who will bring the same level of commitment and integrity to the board.
Brown is optimistic about seeing someone new on the horizon for the district. “It won’t be very long before they’ll be saying, 'Rob who?'”
He also voiced his gratitude to the people of District 5 for their encouragement and confidence.
Although he's planning to leave the board in 2017, Brown won't be retiring.
For one, he'll continue to run his bail bonds business and get “back on the ranch.”
He'll also continue to coach wrestling at the Kelseyville schools, which he's done for 21 years. He's been coaching other sports since 1979, when he was 19.
Brown said he's looking forward to the next two years, and that he intends to finish strong.
It's like he tells his wrestlers – finish the last round like you finished the first.
There also are plans to get out of Lake County for some traveling that he's been unable to do because of his commitments.
A devoted father and grandfather, he's looking forward to enjoying more time with his children and four grandchildren – three boys and a girl, ranging in age from 1 to 6.
“My family has made a lot of sacrifices,” he said. “They deserve for things to quiet down, too.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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