The Kingman Miner has an article on our neighbor Rick Sherwood’s political aspirations:
Sherwood files to run for Board of Supervisors seat
9/21/2011 5:59:00 AM Suzanne Adams Miner Staff Reporter
KINGMAN – Mohave County Planning and Zoning Commissioner Rick Sherwood has announced his intentions to run for the Board of Supervisors.
….
“I’m retired. I have the time and the inclination to do this. I’m very aware of the issues facing the county. I’ve seen them as a commissioner and I am not pleased with the way the Board has been treating the public,” Sherwood said.
He said his experience on the commission as well as his 25 years of experience in the business world as a designer, engineer and manager and his lack of political experience will all be a benefit to him if he is elected.
“I’ve had to manage teams of individuals. I’ve had to deal with budgets. I don’t have a political background. I don’t have political baggage,” he said.
If elected, Sherwood hopes to restore the Call to the Public to the Board’s meetings and bring the changes to the County’s General Plan back before the Board for review. He feels that the current Board has ignored the wishes and comments of the public especially on items such as the General Plan review.
“People are very frustrated, not because they aren’t talking, but because they are not being listened to. There is a political deafness on the part of the Board of Supervisors,” Sherwood said.
The lack of leadership in the county extends to the economy, he said. People can yell they want jobs as loud as they want but what are we doing to bring businesses to the area, Sherwood said.
The county has a website where companies who are interested in moving to Mohave County can fill out a form to get more information, but Sherwood isn’t sure where that information goes.
“There’s not a lot of leadership. We need to solicit businesses to come to the county,” he said.
Sherwood said he has no problem with solar plants, such as the Needle Mountain solar plant near Yucca and would even encourage more to come to the county, but only if they use water-saving technology.
“I think we missed out on that plant that’s going to be built in Laughlin. I’m not sure what we could have done to bring them here or if anything was done to bring them here. There’s companies like that out there, but we’re not going after them,” Sherwood said.
He also thinks the Interstate 40 and U.S. 93 corridors would be great areas for low-water use businesses such as distribution centers, and he would like to see a grocery store move into Golden Valley.
“We’ve got to solicit businesses to come here. Once they get going the momentum will take over,” he said.
One way to solicit businesses may be to provide them with a workforce that has the skills they need, Sherwood said. Another way would be to make the permitting process more business friendly.
Partnering with the schools and community college to teach students those skills could actually kill two birds with one stone. It would provide businesses with a skilled workforce and provide jobs for students, so they don’t have to move out of the area, he said.
The county also needs to do a better job of protecting the aquifers in the area, Sherwood said.
“We need to learn how to become better managers of our water. The county has passed a lot of that authority onto the state and the state does have some authority in that area, but I think we can do a better job on our end,” he said.
The cities are required to have water use plans, maybe the county could partner with the city to create a county plan,” Sherwood said.
He also plans to create community leadership groups for every town in his district and meet with them on a frequent basis.
“I want to represent the rural area. I want to provide leadership that listens. We need to communicate with each other,” he said. “I want them to provide direction to me.”
Sherwood recognized there might be potential conflicts between communities.
“I like conflict, it forces people to communicate with each other. We have to take the facts and the data and make the best decision. I realize I will not always be the most popular person,” he said.
Sherwood encourages people interested in learning more about him to contact him at sherwoodrick@ymail.com.
I’ve never understood why GV doesn’t have a supermarket, but have been told that it has to do with cronyism, Kingman wanting all the business.
Personally, I’m big on INDEPENDENCE rather than big business. Sure, we need a supermarket, but what if something happens and one day the shelves are empty. Not to mention that most food (almost everything in boxes) in the supermarkets is toxic and makes people ill.
I’m not one of the “back to the old days with outhouses and no electricity or running water” type people and am very much FOR technology — as long as it’s safe.
The county should be producing its own electricity and fuel (locally produced ethanol from crop wastes, mesquite, gourds, etc.) I really don’t understand why we would want a solar plant that transports the electricity to another state.
Why doesn’t Mohave county start its own bank to FUND projects that really benefit the county?
North Dakota has its STATE OWNED bank, the Bank of North Dakota.
Ellen Brown’s 8/31/11 article:
North Dakota’s Economic “Miracle”—It’s Not Oil
North Dakota has had the nation’s lowest unemployment ever since the economy tanked. What’s its secret?
…
Does Rick know WHY the economy has been destroyed and how money works?
Ellen Brown’s Web of Debt is a MUST READ for anyone with an interest in the economy and politics. And for those who don’t read, watch the 3.5 hour FREE online documentary The Money Masters — what you did NOT learn in history class.
It doesn’t take a lot of brains to COPY what other states have done. I don’t expect the corrupt politicians in Phoenix to stand up to the corporations and bankers, but what prevents Mohave county from ensuring a prosperous future for us?
Leadership with the brains to COPY and the guts to DEFY the corporate lobbyists could create the Mohave county “miracle.”
I hope I’m wrong, but I predict that many of our neighbors and especially retirees depending on social security and Medicare will see either benefit cuts or NO increases despite inflation.
I’m afraid we’ll see fewer jobs, increased poverty, more crime, more people with no hope resorting to drugs and fewer treatment options.
I’m sending Rick a link to this post and we’ll see how he feels about bringing some real change to Mohave county, taking on the bankers and fighting for our independence.
And now we have to unload our truck. Yesterday Mario gave us lots of fittings for irrigation and building materials, THANK YOU!
Then we’ll build our first compost bin in our new hoophouse and plant some winter veggie and salad seeds.
