I have heard rumblings in Lake County’s District 5 that there will be a recall effort against Supervisor Jessica Pyska. I hope that every person who is presented with an opportunity to sign a recall petition will recognize it for what it is, a waste of public money, a waste of public employee time, and most of all a harmful distraction from the important and necessary work that is facing our elected officials and other community leaders at this critical time.

This is a time of frozen federal dollars that won't be received by our schools or by our local health and human service entities, including our hospitals, and clinics. Those federal dollars have already been cut to The Gleaners, and other local resources that ensure healthy families and seniors, as well as early childhood education and by those who work on forest fire mitigation. The impact is already being acutely felt here in Lake County.

District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska won her election fair and square. She is steadfastly fulfilling her duties with dedication and expertise gained through experience and through important relationships she has built with other governing agencies and their leaders.

Her in-depth knowledge regarding local entities and how to work on their behalf with Washington bureaucracies has been gained through time on task, study and experience. I encourage all District 5 registered voters to not reward an ill-advised and wasteful recall petition effort with your precious signatures.

We are currently being served by a legally elected, devoted, competent, energetic and knowledgeable person, Jessica Pyska. Let's all put our energy and efforts into learning about what our supervisors and other county leaders are doing to support and protect Lake County in this very challenging time.

I want the person who publicly campaigned on clearly stated values, who was duly elected, who has expertise, who has strong relationships with other governmental leaders and who has an in-depth understanding of what faces Lake County to continue to represent me. Jessica Pyska has been and continues to be that person.

When an isolated recall for the position of county supervisor is successful, the position is left empty. At some point, the position is filled by appointment by the governor. I would much rather have the person most of us voted for in continuous service to District 5 throughout these challenging times and throughout her full term. If for some reason this recall effort forces a special election, there goes more Lake County money out the door.

Rather than supporting a recall effort with your signature, let those who want to be supervisor do it the way Jessica did, by publicly running for office with her skills, expertise and values on full display, during the normal election cycle. I believe in the power of the vote and will always protest frivolous recall efforts.

Mary Borjon lives in Kelseyville, California.