Election 2024: 3 open seats on ARD Board of Directors

Editor's note: This is the second in an ongoing Q&A series with local candidates in various races in the 2024 election. Voters will decide between four candidates for three open seats for the Auburn Area Recreation and Parks District (ARD) Board of Directors on Election Day, Nov. 5. Incumbents Mike Lynch, Jim Gray and Gordon Ainsleigh are on the ballot to defend their seats. Casey Brown will also appear on the ballot for a chance to serve on the ARD Board of Directors. The Auburn Journal continues its candidate coverage to the 2024 election with a multi-part series that allows candidates to address a handful of key questions concerning their local races and views on those topics, in their words. In this edition, the Auburn Journal features questions and answers from ARD candidates. These are their answers: Mike Lynch Occupation: Retired California State Park Ranger /Superintendent. Experience: I served 35 years as a ranger, supervising ranger the last 25 years which were at the Auburn State Recreation Area, I have been on the ARD Board for the last five years. I also serve as the Vice-Chair of the Placer County Historical Board and President of the Ranger Foundation. Contact/website: Lynch3212@gmail.com What characteristics do you bring to the ARD Board of Directors? A long career in the park field with experience in all areas of park and recreation management and operations. What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the ARD Board of Directors? To continue the success of the many, many ARD programs for the public. What is the biggest challenge facing ARD and how do you plan to address it? Funding is always the number one issue, however ARD has been very prudent to operate within their budget and to maintain a more than adequate reserve as a cushion, against any downturn in the economy. Jim Gray Occupation: ARD Incumbent, Retired Supervising Probation Officer (35 years), substitute teacher & high school football coach. Experience: ARD Board member. 38 years coaching college & high school football, 10 years coaching junior Hillmen, 10 years coaching Auburn Little League, 5 years coaching ARD basketball & Youth Soccer. Besides working with various local governments through ARD I am very familiar with the Brown Act & Robert's Rules of Order. I have over the course of employments have a good understanding of budgets, infrastructure and employees. Contact/Website: Email: sactorivercat@yahoo.com Cell: (530) 210-1649 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.gray.18294/ @coachjimgray What characteristics do you bring to the board? The ability to clearly articulate ideas and thoughts, both verbally and in writing. I am flexible and can change my needs and goals with the ARD's needs and goals. I am honest, passionate and demonstrate integrity which are essential elements to being a board member. One of my strongest attributes is being creative and having the ability to solve problems. My coaching background has developed my unique way to address challenges. What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the ARD Board of Directors? To ensure the best parks for our community by implementing a manageable infrastructure, a solid budget and safe parks for our citizens. Essentially to make Auburn a better place to live, work and play. As a board member, I will continue to prioritize diverse and inclusive programs for all community members both in our parks and natural spaces. What is the biggest challenge facing ARD and how do you plan to address it? With any park and recreation program there are many challenges from infrastructure, financial needs and staffing. Securing adequate and sustainable funding to maintain and improve park facilities while balancing diverse community needs. Seeking grants is a crucial part of maintaining and improving parks. There are local, state and federal programs offering grants for local park programs. Many times, those grants are split between several park programs applying so the need to continually apply for grants must be a priority. Also keeping staff and not losing them to higher paying jobs or other park districts. As a board member working to improve their salary and benefits is also a priority. Happy workers become experienced workers which leads to improved parks. Another goal is to implement strategic budgeting, explore innovative funding mechanisms like partnerships with local businesses, and engage the community to identify high-priority projects that maximize the impact of available funds. Casey Brown Occupation: Director of Business Development Experience: 20 years in manufacturing, sourcing, distribution, brand development, budgeting, and sales. Contact/website: www.cleangrow.com What characteristics do you bring to the ARD Board of Directors? I bring a strong sense of responsibility and tradition to the ARD Board of Directors. My forward thinking conservative approach prioritizes fiscal responsibility and sustainable decision-making. I am committed to our community, ensuring that the board remains focused on local needs and values, fostering engagement and support among constituents. Additionally, my belief in inclusion encourages diverse perspectives and equitable practices, helping to create a welcoming environment for all stakeholders. This blend of values will contribute to effective governance and community-oriented initiatives. What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the ARD Board of Directors? If elected to serve on the ARD Board of Directors, my biggest priority would be to promote inclusion while ensuring fiscal responsibility. I believe it's essential to create an environment where all voices are heard and valued, fostering collaboration and community engagement. That said, I also need to focus on prudent financial management to ensure our resources are used effectively. This will support initiatives that benefit everyone while upholding our commitment to sustainability and transparency. By balancing these priorities, we can build a stronger, more inclusive community. What is the biggest challenge facing ARD and how do you plan to address it? The biggest challenge facing ARD is the need to budget effectively in light of rising costs. After reviewing the financials from the past couple of years, I see how crucial it is to plan for these increases. To address this challenge, I will advocate for a careful assessment of our budget priorities, ensuring we allocate resources efficiently while still supporting essential programs and services. By being proactive and transparent in our financial planning, we can navigate these rising costs while continuing to serve our community effectively. Gordon Ainsleigh Occupation: Chiropractic Doctor with postgraduate study in clinical nutrition, hobby scientist (unpaid), arborist, ARD Board Member, somewhat retired Experience: Chiropractic Doctor for 41 years, arborist (planting, nurturing, harvesting) 48 years, hobby scientist 34 years, ARD Board Member 20 years Contact/Website: text 530-320-5117, voice & message 530-878-1901, email drgordonmv@gmail.com, website gordonainsleigh.com What characteristics do you bring to the board? As my UCSB Social-Psychology professor once commented, I "have an unusual ability to take facts we all know, put them together in ways that haven't been noticed, and come up with a new understanding." This serves ARD well. For instance, in 2006 when we were launching a nationwide search for a new chief administrator. I pointed out that we had hired four resume-and-interview wonders in a row who became disasters on the job, so we needed to hire from within; and we had among our staff a bright, honest, hard-working young man named Kahl Muscott, who had a bachelor's degree in Recreation Management from Northern Colorado University. It took me 3 Board meetings to persuade the other Board Members to hire Kahl, and ARD has been on a path to excellence ever since. Years later, this same ability allowed me to see that ARD was being set up for a wrongful-termination lawsuit, which we were then able to avoid. I also have a deep belief in our duty to follow the Will of the People, and therefore have for many years advocated we do a needs-and-desires survey of our residents to enable us to know for sure what you, The People, want us to provide. In addition, my expertise and enthusiasm for trees has resulted in most of the trees in Overlook park being trees I planted (and continue to plant and nurture). What is your biggest priority if elected to serve on the ARD Board of Directors? My overarching goal is to enhance the health and happiness of our ARD residents to the greatest degree possible with careful and prudent financial management. I am unusually well-suited for this task, having been a counselor before I became a chiropractor and, of course, having experience running my businesses. All of our programs promote better living, and I especially stress programs like pickleball that combine pleasant exercise and friendship-building social interaction, both of which build happiness and extend life. What is the biggest challenge facing ARD and how do you plan to address it? ARD's big challenge is to give our taxpayers (including renters' indirect taxation) as much as possible of their desired recreations with the greatest benefits to their health and happiness. Among other penny-pinching approaches to get you more from your tax dollar, I advocate hiring partnership enterprises with no employees whenever possible. They can get the job done with less expense because there are none of the government-mandated extra costs involved with having employees. Getting projects done for less will allow us to create better health and more happiness for all of us to enjoy for longer.