MENDOCINO Co., 4/2/23 — Mendocino County supervisor hopefuls are getting started early this year. Already two candidates have announced their intent to run in the 2024 election, although candidates will not be eligible to file papers until September 14 for the March 5, 2024 primary election.
So far, only District 4 Supervisor Dan Gjerde has announced his intention to retire from the position; District 1 and District 2 are also up for reelection in 2024. As of now, Fort Bragg Mayor Bernie Norvell has declared his intention to run for District 4, and now Redwood Valley resident Adam Gaska has announced he will run for District 1, which is currently represented by Glenn McGourty, who was first elected in 2020.
Candidates will be able to submit paperwork starting on September 14, 2023, but will have until December 8, 2023, with an additional week to file if the incumbent candidate chooses not to run again. If there is not a majority winner in the March 5, 2024 primary election, the top two candidates will go on to the general election in November, 2024.
Gaska has previously contributed an opinion article to The Mendocino Voice in 2017, which you can read here. Here’s the candidacy post from Gaska:
I have decided to run for Mendocino County 1st district supervisor. Filing is in September and the election is March 5, 2024. While that seems far away, it will be here before we know it. So between now and then, I will be working to get my message out and hopefully garner enough votes to represent the 1st district and work with the other 4 supervisors to improve Mendocino County government.
I am a lifelong resident of Mendocino County. For 41 of my 44 years I have called Redwood Valley home. I am a husband, father, a small business owner, and a farmer. I feel fortunate to have been raised here and appreciate the opportunities available to me. To that end, I have devoted quite a bit of time over the last 20 years in different ways to give back to this community.
Food, farming and how those support personal, environmental and economic health are passions of mine. In my early 20’s, I volunteered for the American Cancer Society going to classrooms teaching the 5 a Day program which encourages children to eat 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables to prevent cancer. At that time, also started my business, Mendocino Organics, producing vegetables and meats. That business still exists today, producing meat that is featured at The Golden Pig restaurant in Hopland and is locally marketed/sold/distributed through an online software platform and marketed under Mendocino Meats. Currently I am involved in local water policy by serving on the board of Redwood Valley County Water District and as the agricultural representative on the Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency. I also serve on the Redwood Valley Municipal Advisory Council.
While I believe Mendocino County is still a great place to work and live, I think we can do better. Our community suffers from a lack of affordable housing, water insecurity, a large unhoused population, stagnant wages and under staffing at the county government level which affects our ability to be served by our local government. While these challenges are daunting, they are not insurmountable. We must constantly strive for improvement. The county government should play a key roll in addressing these issues to the betterment of our community. I would be honored to represent the 1st district and work to that end.
I have a lot of energy and ideas on how we can make Mendocino County a better place. I also believe that the role of supervisor is to represent the people of their district and work with the other 4 supervisors for whats best for our county as a whole. While each district has its own issues, we are stronger if we mutually support each other through cooperation.
Thanks for your time and consideration. Please share this. I look forward to hearing from and engaging with you over the next few months.