All but one of the five candidates for two seats on the Joshua Basin Water District Board attended a “meet the candidates” event hosted by the Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night. The event at the Joshua Tree Community Center drew only a dozen voters who were not district staff.
Opening statements were given by challengers Paul Coate and Al Marquez and incumbents Rebecca Unger and Tom Floen. Challenger Mike Reynolds was unable to attend because of a medical concern.
Unger described herself as “forward thinking” and said she was “Bringing the district into the 20th century.”
Floen described himself as a man who “Reads a lot and compares stuff.”
Marquez said he was running because he opposed the recent double-digit rate increases, “Wants good rates”, and faulted the district for acting as a land-use agency.
Coate gave a history of his extensive 43-year water background and said he wants to lower rates, urging the use of alternative energy to counter a $350,000 yearly electricity bill.
Moderator Edwin Shadman invited attendees to meet one on one with candidates but they chose to ask Unger what she meant by the word “Independent” on her campaign signs. Unger said the term referred to keeping Joshua Basin independent of a state forced consolidation with Hi-Desert Water.
The unorganized closing segment that followed saw Floen remarking that he was approachable on any subject regarding the District. Marquez said he represents and thinks about the good of the community. He noted a troublesome well that had over a million dollars in repairs but was still not operating. Coate said he read all the board minutes and defended the cost of operating the District. Floen said the well was difficult because it had not been serviced or maintained for over 30 years.
