Buy the Numbers?

Thank you for your succinct account of why Janet Wolf should be re-elected as 2nd District Supervisor.

I’ve noted three things in opposition materials about Supervisor Wolf. First, they have nothing to say about their candidate. Second, they have nothing negative to say about Supervisor Wolf that isn’t fiscal. Third, in order to attack her on fiscal matters, they have to distort and even invent facts.

The national economy has been in the tank since 2008. Has our county suffered? Certainly. But it’s ludicrous to hold Supervisor Wolf responsible for reduced tourism and lower tax revenue from sales and property. Yet that’s all the opposition seems able to say.

The conservatives running Dan Secord’s campaign are imaginative about numbers. They claim that the Board of Supervisors (read: Wolf) has spent the county’s reserves down by half, but in fact the reserve was higher in 2009 than in 2006. (Source: the Auditor-Controller’s report, available at the county Web site.) They conjure a $40-million budget deficit, but the county doesn’t run deficits, being mandated by the state to balance the budget each year. They claim that Supervisor Wolf has shown poor management, but as your endorsement points out, she spearheaded the early budget workshops that have led to better long-term economic planning. Finally, recall that the county still holds an AA+ bond rating, clear evidence of good fiscal management. — Angela Rockwell, Goleta