Whoever represents San Juan Bautista on the County Board of
Supervisors will represent a community rich in agricultural and
historical heritage.
District 2 covers all of San Juan, part of Aromas and part of
Hollister between Union and Nash roads. Like other district
candidates on the March 2 ballot, the three running for District 2
are campaigning on county growth issues, including the
controversial Measure G.
Whoever represents San Juan Bautista on the County Board of Supervisors will represent a community rich in agricultural and historical heritage.
District 2 covers all of San Juan, part of Aromas and part of Hollister between Union and Nash roads. Like other district candidates on the March 2 ballot, the three running for District 2 are campaigning on county growth issues, including the controversial Measure G.
Voters will chose between incumbent Ruth Kesler, Anthony Freitas and Anthony Botelho. Issues the candidates have been campaigning on include growth, water, sewer, Highway 156 safety and working relationships between the county and other organizations.
Anthony J. Botelho
Planning is the main focus of Anthony Botelho’s campaign. While he is against Measure G, he is a proponent of planned and managed growth. He said he feels Measure G takes property rights away from land owners.
“We have to have programs that are fair and equitable to protect agriculture land and open space that does not impede on property rights,” Botelho said. “Measure G is devastating to ranchers and farmers – it takes away land value and jeopardizes their business.”
A farmer himself, Botelho grows and ships apples. He earned a degree in fruit science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in 1984.
Other issues Botelho plans to address if elected include increasing public safety, evaluating how the budget is arranged, increasing the quality of water supplied and reviewing the county’s General Plan.
Botelho is involved in the County Planning Commission, County Farm Bureau, County Labor Association, San Juan Service Club, Resource Conservation District and Aromas-San Juan Unified School District Citizens’ Oversight Committee. He has served as director of the County Chamber of Commerce and president of the farm bureau.
“I have experience. I come from a family that has a long line of tradition of community involvement in the service and political arena,” Botelho said.
To serve as supervisor, Botelho said his schedule is very flexible, that he has the means and time to give the position. Unlike other supervisors, Botelho said he vows to read through the Board packet and research county issues.
“People aren’t studying the issues. I want to take my time and do the work to arrive at the right decision,” he said. “My decision-making process is to acquire as much information as possible, weigh the pros and cons and made a decision. I intend to be a full-time supervisor.”
Anthony Freitas
Anthony Freitas pledges to both listen and be the voice for residents in District 2. If elected, Freitas will hand over most family business operations to his son Mark so he can concentrate on the supervisor position full-time.
“I want to leave a legacy behind. I want people to remember me, ‘We’ve had a lot of good supervisors, and he was one of them,'” Freitas said. “I’ve never asked about how much a supervisor makes or about their benefits. I’m in there for the people, to solve problems.”
Freitas currently serves on the County Planning Commission.
Measure G is a complex issue that has divided the community, and is also not the answer, Freitas said. He said Measure G takes away property rights of land owners, and that he supports “good, planned, managed growth.”
Freitas’ big campaign platform revolves around Highway 156. He is against construction of 156 around San Juan Bautista’s Flint Hills. Instead, he favors improvements to the current stretch of highway – either making it four lanes or keeping it to two but adding acceleration/deceleration lanes, widening it and lighting the road better. Neither of these plans is a “superhighway,” but maintaining the conventional highway structure, he said.
Other issues he wants to focus on as supervisor include making the county a friendlier place, especially to small businesses; supporting educational organizations; rebuilding working relationships between the county and other local organizations; and decreasing bureaucracy in the County Planning Department.
“I’m here for the people of the community. I don’t just read a packet of information. I talk to people so that when I go into a meeting, I’m thoroughly aware of what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m a leader, a man with a backbone. I know I can do this job for people. I’m asking for people to give me a chance.”
Ruth Kesler
Incumbent Ruth Kesler is looking for her fourth term as county supervisor. Experience gained throughout her terms as supervisor and life in general make her the best candidate for District 2, she said.
“I’m 82 years old and very proud of it,” she said. “Until you’ve lived it, you don’t know. You can guess, you can study, but you don’t know. Because I am older than the other supervisors, I bring a lot to the table.”
The biggest issues facing the county are growth, water and air pollution, Kesler said.
“The more people you have, the more pollution you’re going to have,” she said.
Sometimes, she worries more about water and air pollution than she does about growth, and is always fighting for the environment, she said.
Kesler said she voted for Measure G because she thinks growth needs to slow down in the county. The future of the county depends on what happens with Measure G and the state’s upcoming budgets, she said.
Kesler serves on the county air district and child planning committee. Although she is retired, she spends much of her time on county issues as supervisor.
“I’m very sharp minded and my forte is listening to people. I listen to them, and nine times out of 10, I can lobby for them successfully,” Kesler said.
Kesler decided to run for another term because she “still had something to learn and to give.” There’s not much that Kesler would change on or about the current Board.
“Right now, we’ve had the best, strongest Board we’ve ever had,” she said. “We all understand each other and don’t get mad easily.”
