MENDOCINO Co., 1/12/18 — The 2018 election season is off to an early and busy start in Mendocino County, with several candidates throwing their hats into the ring in both the Fifth District and the Third District supervisorial races. We’ll be interviewing the candidates and reporting on the races in the coming weeks, however, to be fair we’re also publishing each of the candidates’ announcement press releases as they send them to us.
As part of our effort to be transparent with our readers we prefer to honestly acknowledge when we are republishing a press release, by simply placing it in quotes, and publishing it whole — instead of rewriting it and passing it off as original reporting.
Also, in the interest of transparency, we looked it up, and the preferred term is “supervisorial,” not “supervisory” — we weren’t quite sure either.
Chris Skyhawk, a resident of Albion, is running for the Fifth District seat, currently occupied by Supervisor Dan Hamburg. He’ll be hosting a meet-the-candidate event at the Woods Clubhouse, at 43300 Little River Airport Rd., tomorrow, Saturday Jan. 13, from 2-4pm. Here is the release he sent us:
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Chris Skyhawk Announces Bid For 5th District Supervisor of Mendocino County
Albion resident Chris Skyhawk has announced his candidacy for 5th District Supervisor of Mendocino County. An experienced community organizer, Skyhawk has extensive professional experience in mental health and non-profit social services. He has served as a government official on the Board of Directors of the Albion Little River Fire Protection District, which included a term as President.
“There are many crucial issues that face Mendocino County. We are in an affordable housing crisis. Our volunteer fire districts need more support to fulfill their mission. Our youth need more occupational training opportunities and our County has to be able to keep experienced staff”.
Skyhawk believes that the key to a healthy future is a strong local economy.
“We need to support and attract business opportunities that will pay good wages and invest in our community while maintaining our environmental values. This will help us to provide robust public safety and social and mental health services”.
Skyhawk has worked for the Mendocino County Youth Project, was Coastal Program Manager for First 5 and the Mendocino Coast Children’s Fund, and is currently a youth and family counselor.
“I have seen first-hand the toll that high county staff turnover takes on children and families. We need to stabilize our staffing levels and support front-line personnel who are essential to the mental health of our families and communities”.
Said Teen Peer Court Advocate and Mendocino County and Juvenile Justice Commission member Brel Froebe “Chris Skyhawk has an extensive grasp on the issues facing the youth and families of Mendocino County. As a Supervisor he will be a tremendous asset. He gets it.”
“The 5th District of Mendocino County would be well-served to elect Chris Skyhawk Supervisor,” said ocean protection advocate Rachel Bineh. “ He has a stellar track record of commitment to the families, children, and environment of Mendocino County”.
Skyhawk lives in Albion with his wife Samantha and their twin daughters. He counsels youth and families and is a member of the Healthy Mendocino Affordable Housing Action Team. As a community organizer he has been involved with several environmental and public safety groups and a contributor to a number of local campaigns. He has been a Public Affairs programmer on public radio KZYX. He has also worked as a Sports Official for the Redwood Empire Officials Association and as a commercial seaweed harvester.
For more information go to www.skyhawk5.com
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