[Editor’s note: It always deeply pleases me when I come across a person who is concerned, passionate, courageous and has integrity. But when that person decides to run for office, it doubly pleases me. Adam Hill is such a person. And I invite you to read his speech given on June 20 and to check out his website at www.adamhill.us.]

I’m Adam Hill, and I’m here today to announce my candidacy for District Three Supervisor.

The next election, in June of next year, will be a critical one for District Three, and for our County as a whole. I believe we are at an important crossroads, and that before us there are two directions to take.

The one direction is to continue the status quo, to continue on the road to more poorly planned growth,
• more traffic congestion,
• more water problems, more pollution,
• more loss of rural lands and agriculture,
• more loss of local identity,
• more unaddressed health and safety concerns,
• more distrust of government,
• and more waste of taxpayer dollars.

The other direction is the one I would like to lead us in. It is the opposite way, and I believe it is the better way.

From what I’ve heard, in the time I’ve been out talking with people, there are 3 key questions for us, and they are all inter-related:

How do we protect our quality of life, and still move forward?

How do we address our problems, and also create sustainable prosperity?

And most importantly, How do we grow, without wrecking the place?

I believe we do so by turning our challenges into opportunities, by staking out a clear course and a powerful vision, of what’s best for our families today, for our families tomorrow, and for those who love to visit here.

To begin with, we must better plan our growth. We must stop the ad-hoc, cart-before-the-horse approach, and implement a smart growth framework that best guides us into the future. One that is both fiscally and environmentally responsible, and one that both preserves and enhances the character of our county.  And, one that we actually follow, rather than simply pay lip service to.

I believe we should do everything we can to make sure that each community in the District, and in the County, has a vibrant downtown, which is the cornerstone of a vital and engaged citizenry. We should promote and support local businesses and entrepreneurs, and we should continue to grow and diversify our tourist economy. Downtowns mean everything to a community, whether it’s here in the great city of San Luis Obispo, or in the beautiful beach communities of Avila, Pismo, and Grover, I will collaborate with elected and appointed leaders to meet the challenges that arise, and keep us heading toward a bright and prosperous future.

To help ensure that, we must stop talking about the housing crisis, and start taking action. We have to create policies and market incentives to bring us a true range of housing, so that our workforce will have somewhere to live. We need the people who need workforce housing. We need them to keep us safe, to take care of us when we’re sick or injured, to teach our children, and provide community services, so we owe it to them to make sure they have some real choices in housing. There are ways to do this, and I will lead the charge.

And as is happening in the rest of California, we must do our part in addressing global warming and energy independence, by adopting a comprehensive efficiency program for the county, and by doing everything we can to get more people out of their cars and onto buses and bikes, into vanpools, and out walking.

• Let’s not wait until our traffic gets worse and our air is filled with smog.
• Let’s stop being reactive and start being proactive.
• Let’s invest in the future now.

There are other challenges too that we must deal with in order to protect our quality of life. We have a growing meth epidemic, which poses a threat to all of us, because meth addicts break into our cars and our homes, endanger their own children, and put a terrible stress on our public services.  Education and law enforcement can only do so much; we need to do more. Getting a detox center here has been a priority in the county for too long. I say it’s time to get it done. No matter how much work it takes, we must get this done.

Finally, I want to talk about leadership, and what you can expect from me as the next District Three Supervisor. In me, you will have a Supervisor who will always make fiscally responsible decisions, who will always be accountable, who will always take the time to listen to the public, and who will explain my decisions when the difficult votes arise.

No one will ever have any doubts about my independence, or doubt if I’m putting the needs of the public ahead of the demands of special interests. No one will need to remind me that I work for the public.

What I bring is the right mix of idealism and pragmatism, someone with strong principles, but also a healthy respect for differing views.

But my most basic, even sacred principle is this: I believe the greater good must always come first. In my campaign I will cultivate a constituency for the greater good: I will lead and inspire people to look at the big picture, to understand our most pressing issues in their complete context, and see that together, with a strong vision, we can achieve great things.

This principle is based on our common values. We are all here for the same reason: because we love it here, because we have a uniquely beautiful county that provides us with an uncommon quality of life. And I believe that the greater good is the bridge that can always bring us together.

So I hope you’ll take the time to find out more about me,
• to contact me,
• to let me know what your concerns are,
• to share with me your ideas, and your hopes, and your dreams.

I want to restore trust in local government, and I think the most important thing that office holders and office seekers can do is to properly inform the public, to appear before them and say what we stand for, and to answer tough questions.

You can’t do that by only relying on expensive media campaigns. That’s a cop-out, a disservice to the electorate.

Therefore, I am asking the incumbent to agree to 12 public forums.  I have no doubt that he too believes it is our duty to best inform the public and encourage their participation, so I hope he will join me in accepting this mutual responsibility and agree to 12 public forums.

That way, the choice will be clear, and the people will have the power to decide which direction to take, for the future of the District and for the future of the County.

I thank you so much for being here today, and with your help it’s on to a new era in local government, a new direction for District Three, and a new Supervisor in 2008!

For more information about Adam Hill’s campaign please visit www.adamhill.us .