My Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, gives only one definition of “conflict of interest:” “A conflict between one’s obligation to the public good and one’s self-interest, as in the case of a public office-holder who owns stock in a company seeking government contracts.” Note that personal financial gain is involved. Rosemarie Smallcombe’s seat on the board of directors of MERG does not constitute a conflict of interest as defined here. I’m sure that Supervisor Smallcombe’s leanings and opinions were known to the voters of District 1 when they elected her, as all candidates’ associations are public knowledge and should be known to voters at the time of election. I’m also sure that many of our supervisors through the years have belonged to other fine special interest groups such as the Farm Bureau and the Ag Advisory Committee. They, like MERG, have agendas they believe are in the best interest of the public. Membership in any of these should not be perceived as creating a conflict of interest. Their members are elected to local office with the confidence of the majority. Voters who share their views vote them in, and their decisions should come as no surprise. As I stated to the Board of Supervisors at the July 14 meeting, our supervisors are probably each registered as Republicans or as Democrats. Republicans are known to favor less regulation in general, and Democrats to favor more. Does that mean that when regulation is the topic at hand, all Republicans and Democrats must recuse themselves because they may be “emotionally tied” to their party’s position? As I sat there at the meeting, it was clear to me that the demands for Smallcombe to recuse herself were mostly tactical. However, even if she had recused herself, the vote in favor of requiring conditional use permits would have prevailed 2-1 anyway. Another point: mining may occur in more than one district, so it is irrelevant which district the voting supervisors represent. This is a county-wide issue.
Sincerely,
Lou Ann Sakaki
Catheys Valley, CA
