“Patrick Sullivan is the highest qualified candidate for that office in years,” states former District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele. “Patrick’s background and experience make him the most capable candidate to steer the Treasurer-Tax Collector office in the right direction.” Supervisors Steele and Sabatier put into words what has motivated more than 150 individuals to endorse Patrick Sullivan for Lake County Treasurer Collector. You can see the names here: www.patricksullivanforlakecountytreasurer.com/endorsements.

His endorsers range from all five of the Lake County supervisors and several former supervisors, Lakeport and Clearlake Council members, two former county administrators, state elected officials, and voters throughout the county – many working in areas that represent important revenue streams to the county.

It’s interesting to note that many of the names you see in the newspaper commenting vociferously on different sides of the various campaigns have one thing that they can agree on — supporting Patrick Sullivan. They all know that his expertise will be of great value to the County moving forward. Or as former Supervisor Steele points out, “He has the perfect temperament for working with people and governments. We would be lucky to get him, and he definitely has my vote.'’

Patrick Sullivan, a licensed attorney, was hired almost four years ago to work in the County Administrator’s Office because of his specific rural experience gained from his career with the Mendocino County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office. Since his arrival, he has made great progress in putting the County on a more solid financial position and already has a list of important priorities to tackle once he moves into the official Treasurer-Tax Collector position.

You will see two names on the ballot when it’s time to vote. Paul Flores, who worked for the county more than 20 years ago when he decided to move to Long Beach, drove up to Lake County and filed to run for the position.

While I am sure that Mr. Flores believes he has the skills to be an effective office holder — in fact he promotes bringing what he has “learned while away in the big cities” to the county — it would be impossible to match the detailed expertise that Mr. Sullivan has built in rural government issues, the strong partnerships he has established, and the confidence he has gained from so many in the community.

Another important reason to vote for Patrick Sullivan is that there has been a lot of change in county leadership in the last few months with the resultant loss of institutional knowledge. Carol Huchingson, the county administrative officer, has retired after 29 years with the county; both Cathy Saderlund, auditor-controller/county clerk (40+ years of county employment) and Barbara Ringen, treasurer-tax collector (30+ years of county employment) have chosen not to run for re-election. Other county office holders are in contested races and there could possibly be more loss of seniority. It is so critical that Patrick who has a detailed overview of the financial details of the county be elected to ensure that his knowledge and expertise is retained and can be shared with department heads.

Mr. Sullivan is a lifelong California native with strong ties to Lake County. Patrick, his wife, Andrea, a long-term Lakeport business owner and their children, own a home in Lakeport.

Your vote will ensure that Lake County elects a treasurer-tax collector who will continue to strengthen Lake County’s financial resources which will improve the quality of life for county residents. Let’s build a stronger future together.

Roberta and Harry Lyons live in Lower Lake, California.