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Nine candidates looking to fill seven seats on Alpine Planning
Group
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — With the election less than a
week away, campaigns are starting to wind down as voters make
decisions about their candidates. The race for the Alpine
Planning Group is a big one that could potentially change the
face of the local advisory board. Seven seats are open in this
election, with nine candidates, including four incumbents
running for the job.
Incumbents Brad Bailey, Jim Easterling, Jane Fitz and
David Waitley are vying to keep their seats on the board, joined
by board hopefuls George Barnett, Linda Richards, Louis Russo,
Matt Schumsky and Chuck Taylor.
The candidates were each asked a series of questions to
help voters understand their views and opinions if elected to
the board. Not all of the candidates chose to respond; however
answers were provided by George Barnett, Jim Easterling, Jane
Fitz, Linda Richards, Louis Russo and Chuck Taylor.
George Barnett
Barnett believes that the APG is a forum for planners to hear
citizens’ views on quality of life issues, including trails,
recreation, parks and conservation, “all the elements that go
into community planning for the future.”
“The APG’s 30-year history has resulted in no parks, no
trails, no conservation,” Barnett said, “just an almost
built-out bedroom community little representative of the intact
and sustainable rural country town citizens profess to want.
It’s past time to begin shifting the APG’s focus from rampant
residential development to quality of life issues.”
He believes that the group can achieve this by becoming
a partner in Supervisor Dianne Jacob’s Revitalization process
for Alpine. Barnett serves on the revitalization committee for
local parks.
Barnett says that he understands development is coming
to Alpine, but that the community must, “grow our financial
strength through a variety of paths, not just through new homes,
but including building and strengthening local commercial
businesses, rehabilitating our village core, conducting planning
that initiates and supports community events… but that
development has also got to include quality of life planning.”
Jim Easterling
Easterling is one of the incumbents running for the
board, after his appointment in January of this year. He is
heavily involved in the local Alpine Fire Protection District
board, currently serving as the vice president and running for
his seat on that board as well.
He says that his job on the board is to represent the
views of all the citizens of the community of Alpine.
“Having lived in the community of Alpine for over 20
years, I feel I have the unique perspective to balance the
Alpine lifestyle with the needs of the newer members of our
community,” he said.
Maintaining the quality of life for all Alpine
residents is one of his priorities as a member of the board.
“I think we are making some real progress in getting
the county to understand that we need parks out here,”
Easterling said.
Easterling understands that Alpine is going to develop,
but believes the APG must continue to monitor it so that
neighbors are not burdened.
“Alpine needs to develop a character of its own,” he
said. “Instead of the mish-mash of building we have now.”
Jane Fitz
Fitz is another incumbent who is running again for her
seat, having served for many years on the APG.
“I keep hoping that my efforts will finally make a
difference in the way that Alpine will proceed. Instead of more
and more residential development, we must concentrate on quality
of life issues. Instead of fighting Dianne Jacob’s
Revitalization process for Alpine, we must work to make it
happen,” Fitz said.
She believes that the group must work to make Alpine’s
village core a viable entity to allow more events to foster
community spirit and encourage visitors to the area, such as the
Sage & Songbird Festival, farmer’s markets, artists association
and exhibits.
For years residents and planning group members have
been fighting for park land in Alpine, but Fitz believes that
developer bias on the board has led the group to deny county
proposals for park space.
“Unless there are new members that are willing to be
counted as their own people, we will continue to lack parks,”
Fitz said. “The new APG must be careful to protect the town from
any additional changes that help only developers and not the
citizens.”
Linda Richards
Richards has tossed her metaphorical hat in the ring
once again this election, after narrowly missing a seat in the
2004 race.
“I would be a contributing and balanced member who
would represent the average homeowner, without financial
interests other than my home,” Richards said.
Having lived in a number of towns and cities in the
past, Richards has seen first-hand the effects of good and bad
planning.
“I’m against massive strip development that plagues so
many towns,” she said. She supports development that offers a
range of housing options, a thriving business community, and a
pedestrian-and trail-friendly Alpine along a village center
concept.
She currently serves on the APG’s Parks, Recreation and
Conservation Subcommittee but has grown increasingly frustrated
with the lack of progress in bringing parkland to Alpine.
“I see a lack of progress because a certain group is
focused on an active park on Wright’s Field, even though the
County has made it clear it’s not an appropriate site. We need
to move forward on other options, many of which are viable, that
the County supports,” Richards said.
If elected she hopes to provide more opportunities for
residents to give input on local planning and be involved in the
development of their community.
Louis Russo
Russo is an educator/administrator and ex-marine.
“I am running because I want to play a part in keeping
Alpine rural. I want to participate in the decisions regarding
the growth of Alpine,” he said.
Russo is the father of young children and wants to work
to make Alpine more “kid-friendly.”
“As an educator in the public school system and as a
retired U.S. Marine Corps aviator, I believe I bring a unique
perspective to the board,” he said.
Russo’s priorities include parks, roads and growth in
the area.
Chuck Taylor
Taylor believes that he can bring a balanced view to
the planning and future of Alpine, as he is not affiliated with
any builder, developer or conservation group.
“Since growth is inevitable, I would like to assist in
making sure that said growth fits our environment and needs,”
Taylor said. “I would like to find a way to make sure that
Alpine has enough affordable housing for young people so that we
do not become an elite ‘rest home’ in East County.”
He says that his main priority will be to bring an
active park site to Alpine. He would also like to see Alpine
take another look at becoming an official city.
“I think it would be very interesting to see Alpine
explore city hood in a very serious way,” Taylor said.
David Waitley
Waitley is another incumbent running for the planning group.
He currently serves as the chair of the circulation and private
actions subcommittees.
He said he wants to ensure that the community is
represented in the best possibly way during the current general
plan 2020 efforts by the county by contributing, "my land use
and overall community experience to the APG."
Waitley, who is a developer himself, believes that
Alpine benefits from a moderate amount of development which
revitalizes our community via new ideas, new residents,
up-to-date buildings and facilities and infrastructure
improvements.
He believes that park space is very important for the
area, providing a well planned, accessible, centrally located
facility, which can bring the community together in a way not
possible now.
"A park's true value is related to the experiences it
can foster and support for the entire community, not for its
physical characteristics nor for the experiences it can support
for a small percentage of the community," Waitley said.
 E-mail
Christy Scott
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