And then there was one.

UPDATE: 

Kyle Visser, the Shred Aware owner who’d declared his candidacy for the 5th Division seat on the Harbor Commission, fulfilled his own prediction by dropping out of the race. Like Hezekiah Allen and James Roberts, he failed to turn in the 25 signatures necessary to secure a spot on November’s ballot.

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Original post:

Two of the three candidates pursuing the 1st Division seat on the Humboldt County Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District’s Board of Commissioners have been disqualified for failing to gather the 25 nomination signatures required before last Friday’s deadline. That leaves Eureka real estate agent Larry O. Doss as the sole candidate for the position being vacated by Commissioner Aaron Newman.

As first reported on John Chiv’s blog, both Hezekiah Allen and James Roberts failed to turn the necessary paperwork in to the Harbor District office by the end of business hours Friday.

Allen, a cannabis industry activist spending most of his time in Sacramento, submitted a statement to the Outpost saying he’d “bit off more than I could chew.” Roberts, a custom cabinet maker and commercial fisherman, told the Outpost via phone that he waited until the last minute before deciding to “let Doss have it.”

As we reported last month, Doss plans to make regular dredging of the harbor a top priority, and he’d like to make the Harbor District more business-friendly in hopes of increasing shipping exports. He doesn’t approve the the District’s acquisition of the former Samoa Pulp Mill facility, and he called for further study of the feasibility of building a new rail line from Humboldt Bay east to connect with the national rail system in the Central Valley. And he doesn’t believe humans have an impact on global warming.

So what’s the story with the other two? Well, Roberts admitted to being more or less a single-issue candidate. He wanted to ensure more regular dredging of the channel in King Salmon, where his father lives. With Doss’s declaration of the same priority it makes sense that he’d step aside.

As for Allen, he explained his reasoning in a news release-style statement submitted to the Outpost after we asked why he’d missed the proverbial boat. Written in the third person, the release says, in part:

Over the next several years Allen had planned to balance between serving on the harbor commission and building the California Growers Association. Failing to get the necessary signatures will allow Hezekiah to focus exclusively on organizing growers.  

He also says he considered a write-in campaign but decided he was too busy, and he notes his aborted run for State Assembly last year. 

Here’s his full statement:

After failing to gather necessary signatures, Allen affirms focus on cannabis policy

Candidates for Humboldt Bay Harbor District were required to turn in 25 nomination signatures by the end of the day on Friday, September 4. Hezekiah Allen failed to gather the required number of signatures.

“I feel really strongly that Humboldt Bay needs better vision than the remaining candidate. At first I considered the possibility of running a write-in campaign. However, after reflecting it became clear that I really do not have the time to responsible serve as a harbor commissioner. My inability to gather the signatures is a symptom of being overcommitted as is.”

Hezekiah has been working full time in Sacramento since the start of the legislative year on December 4^th 2015. He has worked as the Executive Director of the Emerald Growers Association an organization that represents cannabis growers and businesses. Over the last year he has led the organization through a period of rapid membership growth and increased activities in Sacramento and around the state.

“Once again I bit off more than I could chew. It is clear that my focus needs to remain in Sacramento. Maybe after a few years of working here, once I am more familiar with the legislative process I will have the time to consider local elected office. But for the now the members that I represent deserve my full focus and attention.”

Over the next several years Allen had planned to balance between serving on the harbor commission and building the California Growers Association. Failing to get the necessary signatures will allow Hezekiah to focus exclusively on organizing growers.

“I have been on the road and all over the state so much the last, the appeal of having a twice monthly harbor commission meeting to anchor me at home was really appealing. I really think Humboldt County needs more people to step up and run for local office.”

This will mark the second time in just two years that Allen has suspended a campaign prior to qualifying for the ballot.