on the cover / By Ryan Burns

Fifth and Goals

“And smart growth, definitely,” Mostranski pipes in, dropping a buzzword from the General Plan Update. While all four candidates say they support “smart growth” (as opposed to…?), Sundberg places more emphasis on individual property rights than infill. “If people want to live in town, that’s fine,” he says. “But is [the county] ever going to be a place where everybody’s gonna get to take public transportation and walk to work? Humboldt County’s not set up for that, I don’t think. Even if you’re in McKinleyville and you work in McKinleyville, you’re probably still going to drive your car.” Nevertheless, he said, prime agricultural land must be protected.

Through the Trinidad Rancheria, Sundberg has been working on a different broadband project — a collaboration between several tribes and private interests that would run a fiber optic line from Santa Rosa to Portland. (The proposal, contingent upon stimulus money, is currently under federal review.) Contrary to the other candidates, Sundberg doesn’t think McKinleyville necessarily needs an advisory committee, provided it has a Supervisor who’s responsive to residents’ needs. That’s what he’s promising, though he admits the budget will make things difficult.

“The next three to five years are going to be hard,” he says. “We’re going to have to get creative, figure out ways to do more with less.”

Throughout the local blogosphere, Jeffrey Lytle is known simply as the “Henchman of Justice.” This self-administered moniker serves as both headline and byline to his many online screeds — libertarian-flavored arguments always signed with his full name and the post-script “McKinleyville — 5th District.” This sign-off could be viewed a number of ways — as a symbol of community pride and ownership, as a pretension designed to add weight to his arguments, or as a savvy campaigning tactic. Lytle earned 12 percent of the Fifth District vote in the primary election four years ago, and he says he’s hopeful but realistic this time around.

“I know I’m a long shot and I’ll tell you why,” he says, “special interests and money.” Both influences have pervaded and perverted our political processes, in Lytle’s opinion. Thus far he’s neither raised nor spent a dime on his campaign, according to his disclosure forms. He’s leaving it up to voters to educate themselves. “Corruption,” he says, “that’s something you have prevalent in all levels of government — every jurisdiction.”

Born in Trinidad, Lytle grew up in Freshwater and attended Eureka High School. He says he’s been fascinated by the machinations of politics since his days in 4-H. Now a home builder with an eye toward environmental ethics, Lytle is a regular attendee at local government meetings, from the McKinleyville Community Services District to the county Planning Commission to the Board of Supervisors, none of which are immune to his criticisms.

“The General Plan Update…I’ve asserted from day one it’s just been a fraud,” he says. Yet for all his cynicism surrounding the political system, Lytle maintains faith in individuals. County staff, he believes, just needs an honest, principled figurehead, someone who will lead by example and be, in his words, “a steward of the people.”

Beyond purging corruption, Lytle’s platform is hazy. He’s calling for a more comprehensive database at the county building department, a more transparent tax assessment appeals process and a General Plan Update that defends individual property rights. “And I’d like to see the legalization of marijuana,” he says. “When things are done in secret it’s a lot worse than when they’re done in open.” He even admitted to smoking a bit himself now and then to combat back pain (he has his 215 card).

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