Endorsements

Endorsement by Supervisor David Goldemberg

By way of this letter, I am asking you to join me in strongly supporting Larry Coombes for the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors District 1 Seat. I have decided to do so as I am concerned as to who will take my place on the Board of Supervisors. I want to be very clear in that I will not support a candidate who does hold the same basic values that I do. I have spoken with and met with Larry several times, and I feel that Larry’s values are very closely aligned with my own, so it was an easy decision for me to make to support Larry. 

As you are aware, I previously made the very difficult decision not to run for reelection based on personal circumstances in my life. As tough as that was to do, I am very comfortable in knowing that I made the right choice. While on the Board, I have been known to consistently be a moderate and reasonable member of the Board, and work with all Board members to achieve consensus whenever possible. It is particularly important to me when making decisions to make them based on supportable facts, and not react to non-scientific based areas often termed as “conspiracy theories”. 

A member of the Board of Supervisors should act on behalf of not only their District, but the County as a whole. We need someone who is willing to make tough decisions for the good of the County. Someone who will do the “right thing” regardless of party affiliation as the Board of Supervisor position is nonpartisan. This person must possess the utmost amount of integrity, honesty, and dedication and stay strong in holding onto those values. 

While in office, I achieved many, but not all of the goals that I set out to do. There is still much work to be done. I definitely want to leave District 1 in good hands and I am convinced that Larry Coombes is the right person to do exactly that.   

Being a County Supervisor takes a solid time commitment (a lot of time!), takes having related skill sets, the willingness to listen, and takes the ability of finding solutions while working directly with your fellow Supervisors. I believe Larry Coombes has all of those important traits. If there are any areas that he is perhaps a bit light on in experience, I foresee that Larry will quickly rise to the occasion by increasing his level of competency as appropriate. 

Larry has been involved in county government issues for many years and he clearly understands the needs of our communities. Larry will listen, he will represent the constituents, and he will dig deeply to find solutions. He has the financial skills to help him work with the other Supervisors and Staff to build a sustainable budget. He possesses an understanding of local issues that will enable him to help protect our community services and at the same time, find ways to reduce unnecessary spending.  He has worked in the financial industry for many years during his entire career, and those skills will make him a more effective Supervisor. His strong financial background working for the IRS and within his tax preparation business will allow him to move forward with a clear understanding. It is easily apparent to me that he knows how to dig deep into a budget and will evaluate potential changes that may need to be made. 

Larry absolutely values the libraries, recreation, the arts. These are all areas that are near and dear to my heart, and many of our Tuolumne County residents feel the same. When we look at programs like this, it should be from the lens of evaluating “quality of life considerations. It is critical that our county government recognize and advocate to maintain all of these programs. 

Larry strongly understands and values fire preparedness and we have had in-depth conversations about areas that are yet to be addressed. He and I could not have agreed more in this area. Our fire stations cannot be reduced, and more revenue is needed to provide for long term sustainability in order to protect them. The public deserves nothing less! 

He wants more affordable housing for our workforce and our low income population. He knows homelessness will not be solved by our county government, and he believes in the importance of taking the first steps to help people to live somewhere else than on the streets. We are seeing more and more people become homeless in Tuolumne County, with the emphasis landing on our Senior population as well as our younger 18-25 population. 

Larry Coombes is a great choice for District 1 Supervisor, and I feel very confident that Larry Coombes is that person! I know that should Larry be elected in November, that he will make consistent, educated, and thoughtful caring decisions. 

Please carefully note that Larry is running as a “Write In” candidate, thus his name will not be on your ballot. You will need to write in LARRY COOMBES on your November 5 ballot.

Let’s make history and elect Larry Coombes as the next District 1 Supervisor!