As part of Noozhawk’s Nov. 3 election coverage, we are publishing Q&As with board candidates for some special districts and education districts, including the Montecito Sanitary District.
Candidate answers may have been lightly edited for spelling and formatting, but are otherwise presented as they were submitted.
The Montecito Sanitary District is responsible for wastewater collection, treatment and disposal, which means operating and maintaining the system of sewer pipelines, pumping stations, a treatment plant and ocean outfall pipe.
The county is reviewing the district’s development plan, which includes a new essential services building for its 18 employees and recycled water project for the Santa Barbara Cemetery, which is across the street from the district headquarters at 1042 Monte Cristo Lane. Its small-scale, pilot recycled water treatment plant started operating in late 2019.
In Montecito, the water and sanitary districts are talking about a joint project to start producing and distributing recycled water to some large water users, such as golf courses and hotels.
The November election includes four candidates running for three seats on the sanitary board, and three of them are running as a slate known as the Water Security Team.
Longtime general manager Diane Gabriel and administrator Toni McDonald have recently left the district, and following November’s election, all board members will be relatively new, with the longest-serving the ones who were first elected in 2018.
Candidate Gary Fuller
Noozhawk: Why are you running for the Montecito Sanitary District Board of Directors?
Gary Fuller: I am disturbed by the aggressive nature of the “Water Security Team.” Previous board members are fed up and deciding not to run for another term, and several employees of the sanitary district are leaving in protest.
Noozhawk: What personal and/or work experience would you bring to the organization?
Fuller: It’s quite possible I am the only candidate who has physically worked on a sanitary line.
Noozhawk: What do you see as the top issue facing the district right now, and how would you address it?
Fuller: There is a movement under the direction of several influential people to privatize Montecito water and sanitary districts. People involved with the Water Security Team were previously involved in a similar privatization in Santa Paula, which went horribly wrong and had to be purchased back by the city at an exorbitant price.
Noozhawk: What do you see as the future of recycled water in Montecito?
Fuller: Recycling needs to be expanded at every opportunity.
Noozhawk: Do you support the long-planned essential services building to replace the current headquarters?
Fuller: The current building is completely inadequate, namely having little cleaning and bathroom areas for the female employees. Something needs to be built in its place even if it is on a smaller scale than the current plan.
Noozhawk: What do you see as the role of staff members at the Montecito Sanitary District, and what would be your strategy to hire a new general manager?
Fuller: Employees of MSD are the keepers of our health and well-being and should be supported and not bullied into quitting their jobs.
In simple terms, I will be against hiring someone who will take the district closer to privatization. However, as the only member not aligned with the Water Security Team, my strategy would not matter. I will likely only be a witness to the execution of our current system.