Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr announced Friday that she would not be seeking a third term in office.
Farr has served on the Board of Supervisors since being sworn in January 2009, and has represented the county’s third district, a diverse swath of Santa Barbara County that includes much of the Santa Ynez Valley, Gaviota Coastline and Isla Vista.
She will continue to serve on the board until the last day of her term in December 2016.
In a statement sent out from her office, Farr said she made the decision after much thought and reflection.
“This was a very difficult decision for me to make but I feel it is the best one for me at this time in my life,” she said.
Farr said she has worked to be a public servant and to walk in the shoes of the people she represents.
Closing a $70 million budget gap at the height of the recession, bringing the issue of hydraulic fracturing to the forefront, and increasing public safety in Isla Vista were some of the highlights Farr said she was proud of during her tenure.
Farr also said that she was proud of a ban against transport of hazardous materials on Highway 154, an effort that came about after 8-year-old Jaciel Tellez and his parents were killed after a gravel truck crashed into their home near the highway’s entrance on Hollister Avenue.
“The Third District is a very large and diverse area filled with many communities each with their own unique character. As such, I hope whoever is elected to succeed me will fully appreciate the value and importance of all parts of this incredible district and work as diligently as I and my staff have to represent the needs and desires of all the communities it contains,” she said.
“In the meantime, I and my staff will continue to work as hard as we ever have to represent your interests in all the decisions that the Board of Supervisors makes until the very last day of my term in December 2016.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
