Two candidates who want to help lead Humboldt County as Fifth District Supervisor fielded questions from voters in a forum Tuesday night hosted by the League of Women Voters of Humboldt County.

Though the two candidates seemed to mostly agree on policy positions they were asked about, Mary Burke emphasized her management and financial experience in McKinleyville government and a local nonprofit, while Evan Schwartz leaned into his everyman status and business experience.

The Fifth District Supervisor represents a wide geographic stretch of the northern and eastern communities of Humboldt County with roughly 28,000 residents — including McKinleyville, Trinidad, Orick, Hoopa, Willow Creek and Weitchpec.

Voters in the district will decide between the two on the June 2 ballot. 

Both candidates said their number one priority, if elected, is economic development. With two weeks out from election day, they made their case for the position at the televised event.

Thoughts on McKinleyville projects

Burke and Schwartz each live in McKinleyville, which hosts over half of the population of the district, and addressed questions submitted to the League to weigh in on a handful of proposed developments in the unincorporated community.

On the topic of a proposed Amazon “last-mile” distribution warehouse near the Humboldt County Airport, each lamented the company but pointed out the warehouse falls within the intended use of the land, zoning wise. They each spoke in support for a community benefits agreement with Amazon.

When asked about the Humboldt Commons project, a nonprofit senior living community planned on 14.6 acres south of Hiller Road, they both hailed it, with Burke saying “it’s the perfect place for us to densify housing and development.” One concern she noted was the safety of seniors navigating nearby roadways. 

Schwartz agreed on both fronts, similarly calling for plans for sidewalks and the like. He noted he’s been run over by a car before, when speaking about pedestrian safety during the forum.

As for the so-called “road diet” — a proposal that would take roughly a half a mile of Central Avenue and reduce it from five lanes to three —Schwartz strongly opposed it, at least for now. He pointed to emergency access and circulation problems.

“I think that it’s impractical to have traffic calming measures on our only main road without additional connectivity,” he said, calling for more county funding from Measure O and repurposing of the bridle trail, rather than traffic calming measures.

Burke agreed McKinleyville’s connectivity and pedestrian access is a problem. She said the road diet plan “may not be the right solution for that road, not until we get to see what better circulation looks like.”

She wants a traffic circulation study that includes bikes and pedestrians, a plan she worked to get a grant for while directing McKinleyville Community Services District.

“As supervisor, I will make sure that there is a comprehensive circulation plan that takes into account the needs of pedestrians and bicycles as well,” she said.

As for other parts of the district, like north and east, each touched on ideas and concerns. 

Schwartz called for keeping water in the Trinity River and fire management, speaking in support of prescribed burns using tribal burn methods.

Burke called for community-based plans for emergencies designed to connect community services with Humboldt County’s office of emergency services. She pointed to issues like the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis and mental health in Hoopa.

Both saw potential in Orick’s proposed community wastewater treatment plan.

Economy and Housing

Both aim to prioritize economic development and saw changes in the county’s permitting process as key to address economic and housing struggles.

Schwartz called for the removal of ambiguity from the permitting process, something he said would also help with housing, and for zoning changes to allow for development. He also sees potential for more tourism development in Orick, if people who live there want it.

Burke spoke in support of a county tourism plan and upcoming developments in the district. She pointed to the county’s proposed “one-stop shop,” for the public for permitting, a center the county wants to develop at Eureka’s old Kmart, when asked about housing affordability. She said the center could help builders know what to expect from the process.

The project recently was noted as having a timeline of 5-7 years at a Eureka planning commission meeting.

Approach

While the pair agreed on many fronts, their methods to address problems were different. 

Burke pointed to her emotional intelligence and communication abilities. 

As for connecting with people across the district, “I would plan on setting regular office hours out in the eastern part, Willow Creek, and Hoopa, and setting those office hours ahead of time, so people can rely on me being there,” she said, along with holding and attending meetings.

Schwartz, meanwhile, said his advantage was listening and learning from people.

“I’m happy to engage. I really enjoy learning from other people’s perspectives, and as Fifth District Supervisor, my role largely is going to be to serve the community,” he said, saying he aims to speak to different groups and understand where everyone’s coming from.

On a question about addressing financial problems, he said he’d personally do a ride-along with each county department to find areas to cut, and called for increasing the sales tax base in the Fifth District.

Meanwhile, Burke spoke in support of ongoing county efforts to address the budget deficit, like ending draws from the general fund and the assessor’s office catching up on a backlog of properties to boost taxes.

And she spoke in support of raises for county staff, while acknowledging it’s going to be tricky while managing the budget.

Both candidates said they supported a HCSO oversight committee and adding more trails.

In closing, Schwartz emphasized he wanted to bring his authentic self to the Board.

Earlier, he said he wanted to run to get the county back on track financially, noting his small business and financial management experience (he is the founder of several businesses).

“I have not solicited for or accepted any endorsements, because this is a nonpartisan position. So, I did not feel that it was right to ask anybody to endorse me. Similarly, I did not take one penny from anybody to run my race, because I was raised not to take money from people, because people tend to hold it over your head. I am not a politician, I am a community member that understands politics,” he said.

Meanwhile, Burke’s endorsement list is lengthy. She was endorsed by current Fifth District supervisor Steve Madrone way back when he announced he wouldn’t run again in spring 2025.

She’s also endorsed by Congressman Jared Huffman, state assemblymember Chris Rogers, state senator Mike McGuire, Humboldt County Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson, Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo, the Yurok Tribal Council, Humboldt County Democrats, the Humboldt Deputy Sheriffs Organization and multiple local unions.

She said after knocking on doors, she’s been inspired by the people she’s spoken to.

“You show up, you’re working hard for the vision for a healthy, prosperous Humboldt County, one where we all live well, and you’ve shown up for me too,” she said.

She said she’s motivated to put her decades of experience as an elected official, with watershed restoration and community efforts, to work. 

The forum was hosted by Anne Hartline, voter service chair for the League of Women Voters of Humboldt County, and streamed on KEET-TV.