March 2- We are reposting these stories to help people stay informed for Tuesday’s Election, in alphabetical order. Make sure to vote!

 

CANDIDATE FOR MONO COUNTY DISTRICT 2 SUPERVISOR

Crowley Lake resident Rhonda Duggan decided to jump into the District 2 Supervisorial
race when current Supervisor Fred Stump announced he would not seek another term. Jump is
the right verb to describe Duggan’s efforts.

“I realized there was a lot to learn,” she said in a phone interview. “I started attending
meetings knowing the background would help. I got more and more interested. I realized the
public’s work is a calling.”

At the beginning of her campaign, Duggan committed to learn as much as possible
about what the job of Supervisor entails “it seemed overwhelming. But it’s the people’s money
and you need to be as knowledgeable as possible.”

Duggan moved to the Eastern Sierra 30 years ago and went to work for Mammoth
Mountain as revenue manager and sales executive. After 20 years with the Mountain, she
moved to Sierra Nevada Resort as general manager. For the past two years, Duggan has been
her own boss as a hospitality consultant helping small businesses with marketing and public
relations.

She also immersed herself in area commissions and cultural organizations.

Duggan is running for the Supervisorial seat because she wanted to see changes in the
community, to represent the people. Perhaps the toughest job is balancing the two distinct
areas within District 2: Crowley Lake and the Tri-Valley communities of Chalfant, Hammil Valley
and Benton. Duggan’s formula is simple: “You listen to the people, they’ll tell you what’s
important to them.”

She cited the concern about wildland fires following the devastation in Swall Meadows.
“You can use their Fire Safe plan as a blueprint,” she said.

Tri-Valley, a largely agricultural area, is focused on water rights and emergency medical
service and communication. Crowley residents are concerned with emergency response as well as local transportation. Solid waste, citing a new landfill site, is another puzzle that has to be solved.

“There may be differences in the district,” Duggan said, “but the needs are the same. It’s
a matter of bringing government services to them.”

The issues specifically on Duggan’s bucket list are water, health and safety, support for
fire protection and community service districts and sustainable recreation. “I’m a fierce
protector of recreation,” she said, “but it has to be sustainable. We are the stewards of our
land.”