El Dorado supervisor races headed to November runoffs
Posted: Wednesday, June 4, 2008
By Cathy Locke, The Sacramento Bee
Former El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting is headed for a November runoff with Barbara Smiley in the District 2 supervisor race.
With all 30 precincts reporting, Nutting led the field of six with nearly 47 percent of the vote.
Smiley, with 15 percent, edged out Sam Teresi, with 14 percent.
In District 1, with all 21 precincts reporting, Harry Norris and John Knight had earned a November runoff. Norris was the top vote-getter by a slight amount, as both he and Knight totaled about 28 percent. Bob Dorr with 25 percent and Shiva Frentzen with 18 percent rounded out the field.
Nutting attributed his lead to his knowledge of the district. "I think it's my rural values and my experience with living in a rural area," he said.
Norris said early Tuesday night he believed his early lead would hold to assure a berth in a November runoff.
"It's better to start ahead than behind," he said.
Knight and Dorr said the close race did not surprise them, as all four candidates are well known.
With incumbents Rusty Dupray and Helen Baumann unable to seek re-election due to term limits, this year's primary drew a diverse group of potential successors. But in interviews and public forums, candidates voiced little disagreement on major issues.
They generally ranked budget problems, as well as fees and bureaucracy that discourage commercial development and affordable housing, among the top issues facing the county.
In their primary campaigns, the candidates stressed personal skills and experience.
In District 1, covering portions of El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park, Norris, Knight and Dorr cited their service in elected office as well as their business experience. Norris serves on the El Dorado Irrigation District board, Knight on the El Dorado Fire District board. Dorr served 12 years on the Board of Supervisors in the 1980s and early '90s.
District 2, which stretches across the southern portion of the county from El Dorado Hills to Twin Bridges and Kirkwood, poses a special challenge for candidates in balancing urban and rural interests.
Nutting, of Somerset, who served eight years on the Board of Supervisors before being retired by term limits in 2000, cited his experience cutting costs to overcome an $8 million budget deficit during his tenure on the board.
Smiley, a Shingle Springs resident and community volunteer manager for Marshall Medical Center, stressed her experience working with community groups, and emphasized the need for policies the foster economic development and affordable housing.
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