A small crowd of enthusiastic supporters gathered on the steps of the county elections office this afternoon to stand behind former Eureka city councilmember Chris Kerrigan as he launched his campaign to become the next 4th District county supervisor.

The crowd applauded as Kerrigan approached on I Street (look for Bass’s husband/LoCO contributor Matthew Owen keeping his distance in the first shot of the video above). Kerrigan launched into his short speech with a barb aimed directly at the incumbent.

“Four years ago, Virginia Bass ran for this office on the position of passing the general plan,” he said. “Due to her actions on the Board of Supervisors, we’re further away today than we were four years ago.”

If there was a standout catchphrase from the speech, it was this: “Humboldt is waiting for its Eureka moment.” Until very recently, Kerrigan was planning to run for mayor of the county seat, and as he was wrapping up his speech it sounded like his tongue is still getting used to the idea. “Let’s move Eur- Humboldt County forward,” he said.

It’s hard to say whether Kerrigan’s assertion about the general plan’s progress is correct. Technically, the process is further along. The Board of Supervisors has gone through several of the plan’s elements, taking straw votes on individual policies. But the board took a step backward by sending the Conservation and Open Space element back to the Planning Commission for a re-review, and commissioners have suggested they’d like to see more elements returned to their chambers.

With just 88 days until the June 3 primary, Kerrigan has a steep hill to climb — financially, at least. Bass came into 2014 with a campaign cash balance of $59,035, according to campaign disclosure forms, while Kerrigan is starting from square one.