Six candidates for vacant NID seat

Published on Jul 24, 2008 - 7:25:35 AM

By: NID

GRASS VALLEY July 23, 2008 - Six Nevada County citizens have stepped forward to fill a vacant seat on the Nevada Irrigation District Board of Directors.

One of the applicants is expected to be appointed by the four current members of the NID board following review, open interviews and questions at the board's next meeting on Aug. 13.

Expressing interest in the position are Brad Fowler, a Penn Valley agricultural contractor and salesman; Martin Harmon, a Penn Valley rancher; Jack Meeks, a Penn Valley retiree and member of the Nevada County Board of Education; John Norton, a Lake Wildwood resident and retiree of the State Water Quality Control Board; Glenn Orren, of Lake Wildwood, who is retired from a career in computer management; and Nick Wilcox, of Penn Valley, who is retired from a career with the State Water Quality Control Board.

The Division V seat was left open by the July 7 resignation of longtime director and Lake Wildwood resident George Leipzig, who has relocated away from the community. Division V extends from the western side of Grass Valley to the Yuba County line and takes in Penn Valley and Lake Wildwood.

All six applicants appeared at Wednesday's (July 23) regular meeting of the NID board. Two applicants, Fowler and Norton, said they did not plan to run for election in November, while the other four indicated they planned to be candidates.

The Division V seat is on the ballot in the Nov. 4 general election and the successful candidate will take office on Dec. 5. The term for the appointed applicant expires at that time.

In other business, NID directors:

- voted unanimously to elect Division II Director John Drew of Chicago Park to succeed former 2008 board president Leipzig until the new board is seated in December. Drew had been the board's 2008 vice president. Division IV Director R. Paul Williams of Lincoln, Placer County, was named vice president.

- voted to initiate eminent domain procedures for the acquisition of two easements for a pipeline replacement project in the Brunswick Road-Greenhorn Road area. Senior Right-of-Way Agent Matthew Crowe said the district has obtained 44 of the 46 easements needed for the water project. He recommended the board's action to keep the water project on schedule and said the district remains hopeful it can obtain the easements without legal action.

- approved documents for the transfer of employee health care coverage to the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and to adjust the existing CalPERS retirement plan from 2 percent (per year of service) at age 55 to 2.5 percent at 55. The changes, with employee concurrence, will take effect in January.

The next regular meeting of the NID Board of Directors will be held at 9 a.m. on Aug. 13 at the NID Business Center in Grass Valley. NID board meetings are open to the public.

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