Meet the Candidate: Jerry McGuire

In partnership with KMUD News, Redheaded Blackbelt is publishing a Meet the Candidate interview series with the candidates running for Board of Supervisor in the First, Second, and Third Districts of Humboldt County. Each candidate, interviewed by the KMUD News Department, was asked the same five questions and allowed to give a closing statement to the public. The interviewees had up to 15 minutes to answer the questions posed and make closing statements, dividing the allocated time as they chose. 

KMUD aired the candidates’ answers in rotating alphabetical order by district. We will be featuring one candidate per day, and in the name of fairness, in reverse alphabetical order. Today we are featuring First District Board of Supervisors candidate, Jerry McGuire. 

First District Board of Supervisor candidate, Jerry McGuire

KMUD News: Introduce yourself and share a little overview and background on who you are as a person and who you would like to be as a candidate. 

“My name is Jerry McGuire. I grew up around here. I was born in Scotland, came here [when I was] 10 years old. I’ve worked throughout the whole area, [I] do concrete work, bridges, sewer plants, and stuff like that. [I’m] running for our supervisor and I’d like to see a change in what’s happening around here. [It] seems like too many agencies have gotten a little bit overstepping [in] their power, in …permits and things. …[T]he process should be a little bit easier, I think, for a lot of people, especially anybody that’s small, trying to improve the area. 

We have the Bay up there, so I think in some sense, we should try to bring some kind of industry back. When I was a kid we used …to have logging ships to come from around the world… There’s no reason we can’t use the port as a …spot to start industry to start moving out. It doesn’t really matter, …at this time, what we’re looking at because logging is gone, fishing is gone. So we’re looking at diversifying this area to bring it back to where it …used to be – in the sense of, Humboldt County used to be very well known around the world. 

I think the smaller people should have a little bit more say. …[R]ight now it seems like everything’s catered to …a couple of bigger corporations that do things, you know, …let’s say they control. 

We have a problem with homeless people. I don’t think homeless people are 100% on the street, because they really want to be, [but] they do have a choice. But … we should maybe find an area where they could have hot water, sewer –- make it a little bit more convenient, [and] then they can …feel more reliable to themselves. 

Other than that, Southern Humboldt, down here, the pot industry has changed. Garberville is basically a ghost town now. Why? I’m not quite sure why. But it’d be nice to find out something that we could bring back. Make Humboldt County, world renown again.

KMUD News: What inspired you to run for the First District’s Board of Supervisors position?  

Basically just getting a space on what’s happening. It seems like we’ve stepped backwards quite a bit. When I was younger, Humboldt County … was world renowned. And it just seemed like, …when I was young, that this area, at some point, would become a tourist retirement area but we need to bring some industry back. So what inspired me …basically, part of it is, what I went through myself, having rules and regulations thrown at me that are a little bit unfounded. So we need to address how [to] make permits easier, make the homeless people more comfortable. It’s inspiring to try and get a change.

KMUD News: What do you think are the top five issues facing Humboldt County? And how are you hoping to address them if elected?

Top five issues – the homeless thing up in the Eureka City area. The fishing, logging is pretty much gone. The issues [of agencies] overstepping boundaries. As far as the rules to get all these people permitted, you know, we shouldn’t be able to just cater to some, there’s got to be some kind of area where there’s more common sense. You know, I think that the small person that’s getting …not listened to, they’re being abused by the rules. They’re getting basically pushed out of Humboldt County. The housing, …there’s no housing, because of a shortage. …The main issues is to get something out there that’s going to bring back, stimulate, the economy. I mean, the whole world is a little bit slowed down right now, but in the same sense, Humboldt, we got a port up there, why not use it?

KMUD News: Can you share an overview on how you plan to engage with the community if elected?

Well, I think, addressing them. …Basically, it’s hard to bring back the industry that’s already being taken from there, but I think there …should be a way to address the fact that we can bring more industry in here, you know, are [we] utilizing what we have? And that’s, basically, questions that have to be kind of answered in a sense of, what can we bring back?  I remember  one time they were talking about the peninsula out there, the peninsula is almost empty. Why not utilize it? I don’t have all the answers right now, at this point, but I’d like to find out through the different industries by having [a] meeting for the people that are already here. [What] would they need to increase their productivity? 

KMUD News: What makes you the ideal candidate for this job? And do you believe you would do a better job than the other candidates?

I think I can do better because I don’t think the incumbent right now listens, and he hasn’t done anything to really stimulate anything. I think [the] first thing I would do is basically have meetings like Ferndale, have a town meeting, find out what people need, find out what they want, find out what …their ideas are for what could change and bring things back. Southern Humboldt? Same thing. …Once a month, have a meeting with people that are actually living there, that have ideas towards stimulating the economy up here. 

The answer, I think, will be in the people. The people are the answers to what they need, what they feel can be done. Nobody’s just going to jump in there and say, ‘Okay, this is how it’s going to happen.’ Because there’s …quite a diversity in Humboldt County in the sense [that] we need to find out what each area individually needs to help it.

KMUD News: With your remaining time would you like to share additional information about yourself or any closing remarks? 

[What] I would like to do is basically, in different areas, …a town meeting, have an area where you can go in there, and once a month, …talk to the public, ask them what they need, you know, find out what their problems are. One person can’t just all of a sudden say I want to change Humboldt County. I think in the past the people that are, or have been, in office, …they don’t see that much. They’re targeting certain things, and then the rest of the parts are left out. I would like to get in there and just …have a public meeting once a month with different areas, and then find out exactly what the people …living there, need. Because that’s what’s important. 

That’s what’s going to change things. 

You know, people in Ferndale, what [do] you people need down here? How can I help you? How could we get something …to stimulate what you need, not just what I think is better. And …one person doesn’t have all the answers, we have to figure out what the individual parts of the county [need] because there’s quite a bit. At one point the county …was world renowned, what happened? 

Well, the economy has gone down, but there are ways out of it. …The homeless people up in Eureka, they’re [in] this situation and the people that are running their stuff, they’re getting a lot of money from the county, and the state and government, to subsidize what they’re doing. I’ve talked to a lot of people and what it is, …they bring little houses in there. [but] they have too many rules. I mean, people are people, [you] can’t stop people from being free. In one sense, …freedom has a cost to it, but in the same sense, rules have to be really looked at. If you’re gonna get a bunch of money from the government, you need to look at what it can be spent on in a good manner. 

…I think I don’t have all the answers but I think I could be in there and listen to the people and then bring these ideas up to where they can be utilized, as opposed to just doing what I want. You know, people are more important than anybody running for any position.

Candidate answers were transcribed from an audio interview and lightly edited for reading clarification where noted. 

For more information about Jerry McGuire’s campaign, contact him via text, providing your name, to 707-362-5906.

For additional election coverage, Live Candidate Forums will be aired on KMUD News:

During the fourth and fifth weeks of January, KMUD News will be hosting live candidate forums for the upcoming elections that have a direct impact on Humboldt County residents.  Tune in to special editions of KMUD Local News from January 23rd to January 30th. 

The schedule for the forums is as follows: 

• Superior Court Judge: Tuesday, January 23rd, from 6 to 7 pm. 
• First Supervisorial District: Wednesday, January 24th, from 5 to 7 pm.
• Second Supervisorial District: Thursday, January 25th, from 5 pm to 7 pm.
• Third Supervisorial District: Friday, January 26th, from 6 to 7 pm (Please note that candidate Roy Gomez has declined to participate). 
• Measure A: Monday, January 29th, from 5 to 6:30 pm. Gain insights from both proponents and opponents. 
• Assembly District 2: Tuesday, January 30th, from 6 to 8 pm. 

To stay informed, tune in to listen kmud.org, watch live on the @KMUDNews Facebook page, or on the @LaurenSchmittreports YouTube channel. We encourage voters to submit their questions in advance to [email protected]. Your active participation ensures a robust democratic process.

*Note: This article was edited to add the upcoming KMUD Live Forum information at the bottom of this interview.

To learn more about the other candidates for the Humboldt County, First District, Board of Supervisors seat, click below:

Humboldt County Meet the Candidate Forums:

1st District Candidates:

• Meet the Candidate: Jerry McGuire
• Meet the Candidate: Gordon Clatworthy
• Meet the Candidate: Rex Bohn

2nd District Candidates:

• Meet the Candidate: Brian Roberts
• Meet the Candidate: Jeana McClendon
• Meet the Candidate: Michelle Bushnell

3rd District Candidates:

• Meet the Candidate: Mike Wilson
• *Note: 3rd District Candidate, Roy Gomez, declined to participate in the KMUD Meet the Candidate forums.

Superior Court Judge:

• Meet the Superior Court Judge Candidate: Gregory Kreis
• Meet the Superior Court Judge Candidate: April Van Dyke