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Opinion
Patrick Sullivan is running to serve as the next Lake County treasurer-tax collector.
Patrick has worked diligently here in Lake County since joining Lake County’s Administrative Office in 2018 as its tax administrator.
During his tenure as tax administrator, he has concentrated on identifying and capturing tax revenue that was not being collected by the prior tax collector.
Those taxes include collecting of the transient occupancy taxes, particularly for AirBNB and VRBO rentals, working to update the cannabis tax program (adapting and revising the program so that it complies with changing regulatory framework), creating a streamlined and regular program to sell tax-defaulted properties, and has worked to establish and develop an investment plan for the county.
He was also admitted to the State Bar of California while working as the tax administrator, and his family lives, works and goes to school here in Lake County.
Prior to joining the Lake County Administrative Office, Patrick worked at the Mendocino County Tax Collector’s Office gaining invaluable experience about the issues and challenges that face small rural counties, particularly a county that has many absentee landowners.
Moving to Lake County was a life choice for many of us, but those of us who are still here are those that have assimilated into and love the Lake County culture.
We don’t need “big city” ideas about how to run government. We see how bad things are in the big cities and counties and don’t need their purported solutions to our issues.
The challenges and issues that surround life in rural America are markedly different from big city issues.
We need thoughtful solutions based on experience, local knowledge and awareness, and a clear commitment to the community and its welfare.
I have known Patrick for a number of years now and have admired his commitment and tenacity. He will make a wonderful treasurer-tax collector for Lake County.
The fact that all of the current county supervisors, as well as many other community leaders, business owners and local individuals have endorsed Patrick speaks for his connection to the Lake County community.
Mary Heare Amodio is an attorney who lives in Lakeport, California.
Patrick has worked diligently here in Lake County since joining Lake County’s Administrative Office in 2018 as its tax administrator.
During his tenure as tax administrator, he has concentrated on identifying and capturing tax revenue that was not being collected by the prior tax collector.
Those taxes include collecting of the transient occupancy taxes, particularly for AirBNB and VRBO rentals, working to update the cannabis tax program (adapting and revising the program so that it complies with changing regulatory framework), creating a streamlined and regular program to sell tax-defaulted properties, and has worked to establish and develop an investment plan for the county.
He was also admitted to the State Bar of California while working as the tax administrator, and his family lives, works and goes to school here in Lake County.
Prior to joining the Lake County Administrative Office, Patrick worked at the Mendocino County Tax Collector’s Office gaining invaluable experience about the issues and challenges that face small rural counties, particularly a county that has many absentee landowners.
Moving to Lake County was a life choice for many of us, but those of us who are still here are those that have assimilated into and love the Lake County culture.
We don’t need “big city” ideas about how to run government. We see how bad things are in the big cities and counties and don’t need their purported solutions to our issues.
The challenges and issues that surround life in rural America are markedly different from big city issues.
We need thoughtful solutions based on experience, local knowledge and awareness, and a clear commitment to the community and its welfare.
I have known Patrick for a number of years now and have admired his commitment and tenacity. He will make a wonderful treasurer-tax collector for Lake County.
The fact that all of the current county supervisors, as well as many other community leaders, business owners and local individuals have endorsed Patrick speaks for his connection to the Lake County community.
Mary Heare Amodio is an attorney who lives in Lakeport, California.
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- Written by: Mary Heare Amodio
I firmly believe in Hannah Lee. She is running for assessor-recorder in the June 7 primary election.
This is an important office that I would like to see improved.
Hannah will make positive changes as the next assessor-recorder for Lake County.
She is committed to serving the public and working with the real estate community to help people close their property sales and purchases more quickly, and this will help to improve the county’s fiscal soundness.
This, in my opinion, is crucial to the sustainability of our real estate market.
One more thing about Hannah — if you call her, she’ll respond timely, courteously and she will do her absolute best to provide excellent customer service. She cares and it shows.
Leaders like that are what we need in Lake County and why my vote will go to Hannah Lee.
August Schmitt lives in Clearlake Oaks, California.
This is an important office that I would like to see improved.
Hannah will make positive changes as the next assessor-recorder for Lake County.
She is committed to serving the public and working with the real estate community to help people close their property sales and purchases more quickly, and this will help to improve the county’s fiscal soundness.
This, in my opinion, is crucial to the sustainability of our real estate market.
One more thing about Hannah — if you call her, she’ll respond timely, courteously and she will do her absolute best to provide excellent customer service. She cares and it shows.
Leaders like that are what we need in Lake County and why my vote will go to Hannah Lee.
August Schmitt lives in Clearlake Oaks, California.
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- Written by: August Schmitt
Between the Middletown Area Town Hall, or MATH, candidates forum and his own posts, special election school board candidate Bryan Pullman has proved that he is as out of touch with the reality of our education system to a level that should leave one in slack jawed horror.
Pullman believes that critical race theory, or CRT, is “dogma” and an “excuse for minorities to fail.” Without doing any obvious research to grasp what CRT is or that it is presently only taught in a handful of colleges in the US, he has stoked fears and said that “CRT training” will be in our schools. Wrong atop wrong.
Ethnic studies are a wonderful thing, especially when districts like ours add curriculum about their local Indigenous tribe. This was obviously news to Pullman who has no idea what is being taught but told the crowd at MATH that “transgender is being taught” at our schools.
If that wasn’t sad enough, he went on to say he was “against burning books” but followed that up with questioning books for their “age appropriateness” (as if that didn’t already occur) and that books with “sexuality” were not going to make the cut either. A book about a man taking a wife and having a child would be off the list by this logic. Guess that rules out the New Testament.
Mr. Pullman clearly does not like sexuality being taught. He gets the “biology part” yet clearly doesn’t know what parents are signing permission slips for their age-appropriate-students to learn about.
The man clearly does not like to investigate what is currently happening or research how things work. His big gun issues are the potential mask and vaccine mandates that could return. He feels very strongly, as is recorded for the world to see, about the dangers of what he views as a government overreach. COVID woke him up, “I’d been asleep for years … started going to board meetings seven months ago.”
This issue getting him fired up to take on a local school board is the most telling of all his mind-boggling ignorance. He and too many others believe that a school board is where you tell the state to piss off. His justification was that “we aren’t a big city” and should have special rights essentially. Anyone who thinks that a school board is a policy battleground with their state is a fool or a political tool for some group or another.
To get his board seat Pullman has allowed his team to resort to mudslinging though none had come from his opponent, bold lies about his opponent’s agenda, disingenuous accusations about his yard signs being stolen when they were removed by Caltrans for illegal placement, and all the aforementioned misinformation that is simple fear mongering. His own fears of the boogeyman have spilled over into his warped reality. Make no mistake, he believes with all his heart that he is trying to help and that is what leaves yours truly so shaken.
Many thanks to his opponent, Charise Reynolds, for digging deep to combat the lies, misinformation and petty behavior from the Pullman campaign.
Even with all the distractions she has kept her eye on the ball and is ready to get to work for the betterment of her community.
She makes it clear that it’s not about her, a stark contrast to a man who is making his run all about himself.
Hers is a campaign of the teachers, admins, students and parents — nobody first, just on even keels.
Ryan Kasmier lives in Hidden Valley Lake, California.
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- Written by: Ryan Kasmier
“Patrick Sullivan is the highest qualified candidate for that office in years,” states former District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele. “Patrick’s background and experience make him the most capable candidate to steer the Treasurer-Tax Collector office in the right direction.” Supervisors Steele and Sabatier put into words what has motivated more than 150 individuals to endorse Patrick Sullivan for Lake County Treasurer Collector. You can see the names here: www.patricksullivanforlakecountytreasurer.com/endorsements.
His endorsers range from all five of the Lake County supervisors and several former supervisors, Lakeport and Clearlake Council members, two former county administrators, state elected officials, and voters throughout the county – many working in areas that represent important revenue streams to the county.
It’s interesting to note that many of the names you see in the newspaper commenting vociferously on different sides of the various campaigns have one thing that they can agree on — supporting Patrick Sullivan. They all know that his expertise will be of great value to the County moving forward. Or as former Supervisor Steele points out, “He has the perfect temperament for working with people and governments. We would be lucky to get him, and he definitely has my vote.'’
Patrick Sullivan, a licensed attorney, was hired almost four years ago to work in the County Administrator’s Office because of his specific rural experience gained from his career with the Mendocino County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office. Since his arrival, he has made great progress in putting the County on a more solid financial position and already has a list of important priorities to tackle once he moves into the official Treasurer-Tax Collector position.
You will see two names on the ballot when it’s time to vote. Paul Flores, who worked for the county more than 20 years ago when he decided to move to Long Beach, drove up to Lake County and filed to run for the position.
While I am sure that Mr. Flores believes he has the skills to be an effective office holder — in fact he promotes bringing what he has “learned while away in the big cities” to the county — it would be impossible to match the detailed expertise that Mr. Sullivan has built in rural government issues, the strong partnerships he has established, and the confidence he has gained from so many in the community.
Another important reason to vote for Patrick Sullivan is that there has been a lot of change in county leadership in the last few months with the resultant loss of institutional knowledge. Carol Huchingson, the county administrative officer, has retired after 29 years with the county; both Cathy Saderlund, auditor-controller/county clerk (40+ years of county employment) and Barbara Ringen, treasurer-tax collector (30+ years of county employment) have chosen not to run for re-election. Other county office holders are in contested races and there could possibly be more loss of seniority. It is so critical that Patrick who has a detailed overview of the financial details of the county be elected to ensure that his knowledge and expertise is retained and can be shared with department heads.
Mr. Sullivan is a lifelong California native with strong ties to Lake County. Patrick, his wife, Andrea, a long-term Lakeport business owner and their children, own a home in Lakeport.
Your vote will ensure that Lake County elects a treasurer-tax collector who will continue to strengthen Lake County’s financial resources which will improve the quality of life for county residents. Let’s build a stronger future together.
Roberta and Harry Lyons live in Lower Lake, California.
His endorsers range from all five of the Lake County supervisors and several former supervisors, Lakeport and Clearlake Council members, two former county administrators, state elected officials, and voters throughout the county – many working in areas that represent important revenue streams to the county.
It’s interesting to note that many of the names you see in the newspaper commenting vociferously on different sides of the various campaigns have one thing that they can agree on — supporting Patrick Sullivan. They all know that his expertise will be of great value to the County moving forward. Or as former Supervisor Steele points out, “He has the perfect temperament for working with people and governments. We would be lucky to get him, and he definitely has my vote.'’
Patrick Sullivan, a licensed attorney, was hired almost four years ago to work in the County Administrator’s Office because of his specific rural experience gained from his career with the Mendocino County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office. Since his arrival, he has made great progress in putting the County on a more solid financial position and already has a list of important priorities to tackle once he moves into the official Treasurer-Tax Collector position.
You will see two names on the ballot when it’s time to vote. Paul Flores, who worked for the county more than 20 years ago when he decided to move to Long Beach, drove up to Lake County and filed to run for the position.
While I am sure that Mr. Flores believes he has the skills to be an effective office holder — in fact he promotes bringing what he has “learned while away in the big cities” to the county — it would be impossible to match the detailed expertise that Mr. Sullivan has built in rural government issues, the strong partnerships he has established, and the confidence he has gained from so many in the community.
Another important reason to vote for Patrick Sullivan is that there has been a lot of change in county leadership in the last few months with the resultant loss of institutional knowledge. Carol Huchingson, the county administrative officer, has retired after 29 years with the county; both Cathy Saderlund, auditor-controller/county clerk (40+ years of county employment) and Barbara Ringen, treasurer-tax collector (30+ years of county employment) have chosen not to run for re-election. Other county office holders are in contested races and there could possibly be more loss of seniority. It is so critical that Patrick who has a detailed overview of the financial details of the county be elected to ensure that his knowledge and expertise is retained and can be shared with department heads.
Mr. Sullivan is a lifelong California native with strong ties to Lake County. Patrick, his wife, Andrea, a long-term Lakeport business owner and their children, own a home in Lakeport.
Your vote will ensure that Lake County elects a treasurer-tax collector who will continue to strengthen Lake County’s financial resources which will improve the quality of life for county residents. Let’s build a stronger future together.
Roberta and Harry Lyons live in Lower Lake, California.
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- Written by: Roberta and Harry Lyons