The race for three seats on the five-member San Mateo County Harbor District commission is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested on the Coastside this November with seven candidates on the ballot.
Four newcomers and all three incumbents are asking to serve on the commission for the next four years. Qualifying for the election ended Aug. 6.
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Meanwhile, incumbents Sally Campbell, Leo Padreddii and Pietro Parravano have pledged to continue their service, hoping their experience matters.
Adam is a small business owner living in South San Francisco. His grandfather was a fishermen and Adam recalls spending many years with him on the water. The boy grew to love the open sea.
He isn't happy with bitterness and discontent at the commission level and he wants to change that.
"You put your personal feelings aside to get to a common goal," he said.
Another high priority of his is to get a ferry service at Oyster Point Marina.
Campbell, an incumbent, lives in Moss Beach and has been on the commission for 12 years. She's extremely disappointed with management of the harbor district and thinks it's time for some definitive change.
Her biggest gripe is with General Manager Peter Grenell. She's calling for his replacement, saying he's "inept at managing people." She'd like to see a new person hired that could take on Grenell's job as well as that of finance director.
She thinks the district is spending money unnecessarily, citing a new human services director that was hired at an $80,000 annual salary to manage 30 employees.
Campbell wants the administration to bring its offices back to Pillar Point Harbor and would like to see the boat yard return.
Fontana, a former deputy secretary to the commission, lives in Pacifica. She's disagreed with some of the commission's decisions in the past and wants the opportunity to chime in with her opinion.
She labels her experience as "almost on-the-job training." Her biggest priorities would be to re-open the boat yard and give commercial fishermen more exposure.
"I'm new and excited to get into it and I'm looking forward to doing it," she said.
Holsinger, a general practice attorney, lives in Burlingame. He has a long history of community service.
He spent many years on the harbor in his younger years as a crew member on a salmon fishing boat. He supports the direct fish sales in the harbor and the discount berthing rates for commercial fishing vessels.
He considers himself a "team player and consensus builder," and envisions those skills being helpful as the district looks toward the future. Significant development is slated for the Oyster Point Marina and the surrounding area in the next few years, and Holsinger wants the district to help in that aim.
Mattusch lives in El Granada and owns a charter boat business in Pillar Point Harbor, from which he's been working since 1992.
He wants the harbor district to fulfill its mission statement by including more input from the harbor's most frequent users.
Mattusch also wants to increase recreational, commercial and environmental uses in the harbor, adding that Pillar Point Harbor and the Oyster Point Marina are two under-used regional gems.
Padreddii, an incumbent, lives in South San Francisco and has been on the commission for seven years.
"I kind of got it in my blood now," he said.
Padreddii, the commission's current president, said he was instrumental in turning over the management and upkeep of Oyster Point Marina to the harbor district when he was mayor of South San Francisco.
He says his main focus now is on getting a ferry station and service at Oyster Point Marina. He thinks the district is in the best financial condition it's ever been in and wants to keep it that way.
Parravano, an incumbent, lives in Half Moon Bay and has been on the commission since 1995. For him, the big issue is maintaining viability of the fisheries and access to fisheries, adding that many policy changes are on the horizon that will undoubtedly impact the fishing industry.
He wants to increase the educational component of the harbor district, with its perfect gateways to the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. He'd like to engage school districts and get youth more involved in activities at the two harbors.
Oceans and waterways are always on Parravano's mind. He served on the Pew National Oceans Commission in 2000 and is currently working with the Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors' Bureau to establish an eco-tourism program.
He advocates sustainable use of marine resources and tries to use his position on the commission to make that happen.
Parravano said he is always looking for the next big issue, working with policy makers to clearly state the needs of fishermen. He also claims a passion for protecting the ocean environment.
"Putting a human face on fish," Parravano summarized.
The election for the harbor district commission takes place Nov. 2.
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