Candidate Ken Lundie's Positions

By Ken S. Lundie

Top Three Priorities - Candidate Ken Lundie

The Harbor District is fortunate to have the services of an excellent District Manager and Director of Finance, who together with Staff, are attempting to strengthen the District's bottom line. The recovery will be a gradual one for the District did not enter into the "red" overnight and there are no miracle cures for immediate reversal of this situation.

I hope that my ideas and experience as the Treasurer of a Non-Profit Corporation will be of value to the District as we are all called upon to put our heads together to come up with solutions. I favor embarking on a steady financial course that would include the implementation of proven, low risk strategies for financial recovery and the wise and appropriate use of District owned Real Estate and assets.

2) There has been a steady decline associated with the Commercial Fishing Fleet at Pillar Point Harbor. It is my intention to meet with Representatives from such organizations as the Half Moon Bay Fisherman's Marketing Association, of which I am a Member, to identify specific actions that the Harbor Commission can take to enhance the viability of this industry that is so vital to the local economy.

I am on record as supporting the temporary resolution adopted by the Commission that allows the dockside sale of freshly caught fish directly to the Public. It was my suggestion at a recent Harbor District Meeting to waive the Commercial Activity Permit Fee charged to the Fishermen for selling their product. I am in favor of allowing local Commercial Fisherman to offer their catch to the Public on a year round, permanent basis and this would include all species of fish, squid, crabs, etc.

The interaction between the Fishermen themselves and those who visit the Harbor is good for all types of businesses in the area. It was a combination of an El Nino year, an abundance of farm raised fish and a reluctance on the part of some Wholesalers to fairly compensate Commercial Fishermen for their labors that necessitated this action. Being offered less than $1.00 a pound for wild salmon that are superior in taste to imported Atlanctic or "pen raised" fish amounted to an insult and the Fishermen were left with no other choice to retain their dignity and their livelihood.

Supply and demand will inevitably play a large role in the future of this industry and it is hoped that a spirit of compromise will prevail between those who catch the fish and those who broker them so that things can return to normal. I believe the Fishermen, who after all are the ones who risk their lives at sea, should be allowed to exercise some control over their own destinies and direct fish sales to the Public is one way to assure their continued presence at Pillar Point Harbor.

I have tremendous respect for those who fish for a living and I want them to know that as a Harbor Commissioner, they will have my unwaivering support.

3) My third priority involves increasing Public Participation and making the Agency more accessible and accountable to the people it represents.

The Harbor Commission meets on the first Wednesday of every month at the C.C.W.D. Offices in Half Moon Bay and on the third Wednesday at the Municipal Services Building in South San Francisco. Historically, the turnout at each location has ranged from mediocre to dismal (two or three people at times). Since I began going to Meetings, over two years ago, attendance has improved somewhat but I feel that the Agency can do more in the way of Public Notification and getting the word out to the Community.

There will be many important decisions that the Commission will be making (hopefully after the election), that will have a lasting effect on all of us who live in the County and the Public has the right to be fully informed as to the dates and subjects that are to be discussed and potentially voted upon. There are some District practices that I would like to see changed and I'll provide two examples:

a. When the Commission must meet in Closed Session, which is sometimes necessary to discuss legal or confidential matters, these sessions should precede the Regularly Scheduled Meetings or take place afterward. Presently, the Commission convenes, allows brief Public Comment and then the President asks those in the audience to wait outside while Lawyers make their cases. Often times, these Closed Sessions drag on so long that the people shivering out in the cold just pick up and leave. I don't know if this is done intentionally or unintentionally but the Commission should realize that this practice discourages Public Participation and deprives the District of valuable ideas and input that would otherwise be available from the Community.

Maybe one reason the Commission, made up primarily of "appointees," seems insensitive to those attending the Meetings is that the last three individuals chosen to fill vacancies on the Commission never attended any Meetings prior to the time each was actually sworn in as a Commissioner so they don't know what it's like to stand out in the cold and be ignored.

b. Another questionable District action that needs revision is the practice of Agendizing issues that are important to Coastside residents and threatening to vote on them in South San Francisco; the reverse is also true as they have put items relating to Oyster Point Marina on the Agendas to be decided in Half Moon Bay. Again, I don't know if this was done by design but the insensitive way in which these subjects are handled does not instill or inspire confidence in this Agency. This "divide and conquer" strategy fools no one and is totally inappropriate and unworthy of this otherwise fine Organization.