Mecham and Ovitt split on budget in 1st District race

Ovitt and Mecham share conservative ideology but explain their differences at supervisors forum

By Leah Etling

The differences between two ideologically comparable candidates for 1st District county supervisor began to emerge Monday at a forum where voters learned challenger Frank Mecham and incumbent Harry Ovitt don’t see eye to eye on how to handle a challenging county budget.

The two men pushed their qualifications over lunch at the Paso Robles Inn in a forum sponsored by The Tribune and the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce.

Mecham, 60, who has served as Paso Robles’ mayor for eight years, is seeking his first seat on the Board of Supervisors.

Ovitt, 62, is running for his sixth term as supervisor.

The two men, both Republicans, advocate similar conservative approaches to government. Some of the questions asked at the forum attempted to root out where they might break ranks.

“I like both of you and don’t want to make a choice. What issues differentiate you?” one audience member asked. Questions were submitted anonymously on cards and read by a moderator.

“I like Harry, too,” Mecham joked as he responded. He then got serious, criticizing what he perceives as a lack of good communication between the county and the incorporated cities within its boundaries and pushing himself as a consensus- builder who can solve tough problems.

Ovitt characterized his opponent as being too focused on his hometown.

“I think Frank’s going to have a very difficult time stepping out of Paso Robles,” Ovitt said, mentioning in particular that while the current Paso Robles City Council often votes unanimously on issues, the Board of Supervisors is often split 3-2.

The 1st District includes Paso Robles, Templeton, Shandon, San Miguel and other outlying North County areas along the Monterey County line.

The two candidates also have dif ferent ideas about how to alleviate the county budget deficit, estimated between $15 million and $18 million for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Mecham said he would roll back a raise the supervisors approved for themselves last year, ask county managers to take a voluntary 10 percent pay cut and push for a two-year county budget for better planning purposes.

Ovitt didn’t address the 6 percent raise the supervisors received in 2007 but said that Mecham “probably shouldn’t get into the county budget until he’s seen one.” The county cannot cut salaries of many employees because of guaranteed annual civil service increases, he said. He also argued that the county’s dependence on the state budget process every year makes a two-year budget plan unrealistic.

The forum, attended by more than 100 people, attracted local political, civic and business leaders. Other topics addressed included water supply, growth and development, agriculture protection and job growth.

Both candidates expressed skepticism with the so-called smart-growth principles for managing development, which advocates concentrating development in existing urban areas, and they agreed that bringing an outside water supply into the shrinking Paso Robles groundwater basin is a good move.

There were many laughs among the serious topics. Mecham joked that he would “talk to Bill Gates and see if he would lend us some money” to help the county’s budget.

And Ovitt said that voters can’t use age to make a decision between the two.

“They said I’ve been here too long and I’m too old, but he’s still only two years younger than I am,” Ovitt said about Mecham.

Both candidates have raised comparable amounts of money for their campaigns, and signs around the North County bearing the candidates’ names appear to split nearly evenly between the two.

The election is June 3. Vote-by- mail ballots are being sent out to voters this week.