Katie Rice, former aide to Marin County Supervisor Hal Brown, was appointed by the governor in late October to succeed the long-time District 2 representative following his resignation for health reasons. TerraMarin recently sat down with Supervisor Rice to get her take on the new job.

Photo by Jocelyn Knight

Q: You’ve only been in office for a short time, but how is it going so far?

A: I think pretty well. There’s a learning curve that comes with moving into this role, regardless of having worked close to it for the past eight years. But I have had the tremendous advantage of working with and learning from the absolutely best mentor one could have, Hal Brown. From him I learned to understand, without question, the critical role of responding to constituent concerns effectively and efficiently. I also have a solid working knowledge of the issues and concerns of the district and the county and strong relationships with community members and local government throughout the Ross Valley.

Q: You may be the new kid on the block as far as the Marin County Board of Supervisors goes, but we understand you have a long history in the county. Tell us a little about that.

A: As I said at my swearing-in ceremony, I was raised here, schooled here, and I’ve lived in three of this county’s five districts. I grew up roaming Mt. Tam, the lands of MMWD, and GGNRA on foot and on my trusty Appaloosa, Abraham. I lived out in West Marin (Tomales and Marshall), where I started a family, before moving to San Anselmo in 1995.

My mother (Pamela Lloyd) was very involved in Marin’s environmental movement and local politics during the 70’s and 80’s, so I feel like community service and engagement is practically part of my DNA. (Ed. Note: Pamela Lloyd was the first women president of the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors; she served on the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board during the late 1980s; she helped found the Marin Conservation Corp and the Environmental Forum of Marin, and received an award for outstanding community service in protecting water resources.)

The bottom line is that I’m well aware of the values and priorities laid down by visionary people and policymakers who shaped Marin and made it the unique and wonderful place that it is. I want to build on the legacy we’ve been given. Our natural resources, environment, open space, and educational resources have always been and will always be priorities for me. And from working with our constituents over the past decade, I also understand the unique passions people have for their individual interests — whether that is their childrens’ schools, neighborhood, civic group, non-profit, or environmental concern.

Q: How would you describe your governing style? Is there anything you’ve accomplished in the past as the leader of a local schools foundation and as Supervisor Brown’s aide that gives clues to what we can expect from Supervisor Rice in the future?

A: I firmly believe that government is only good to the extent that it is responsive to constituents, fiscally responsible, and forward looking … and that politics is, at its core, about community service. My job is to help identify common ground between people, to make sure they are listened to and feel heard — whether I ultimately agree with them or not — and to help create conditions where they are more likely to feel compelled to work together for the common good, even if it involves personal sacrifices and compromise.

In terms of my own involvement and contributions to the community, I became aware early on after moving to San Anselmo that, within the Ross Valley School District, there were disparities from school to school in terms of program offerings, parent involvement, and educational priorities. I felt there were benefits to be gained by having the parent bodies of each school work together and with district administration and staff for common goals — our community’s kids.

The next step was bringing various stakeholders together, educating ourselves about our schools’ differences and similarities, and understanding the potential benefits to working together for our kids. We found common ground and formed YES, the Ross Valley Schools Foundation, which today raises nearly $1 million per year specifically for programs delivered to students of the Ross Valley School District.

There was a similar dynamic applied in the creation of the Ross Valley Watershed and Flood Protection Program. I helped Hal bring elected officials, environmental leaders and community members from throughout the Ross Valley together to recognize a shared problem — flooding — and then to agree on common goals, which flood mitigation and watershed planning would address. Most people throughout the watershed agree on the overarching values of public safety, our community’s fiscal health, property protection and environmental restoration.

There will always be bumps in the road when implementing complex projects. When we’ve established shared goals early on, they give us something to come back to when the going gets rough and self-interests threaten to disrupt. Community members have the opportunity to remember why working through difficult issues toward compromise is critical.

Q. What are the immediate challenges, environmental or otherwise, facing the board in the coming year?

A. Doing more with less. The economic downturn has placed much greater demands on government for services to communities across the U.S. — Marin, despite its relative wealth, is experiencing these strains as well. Dealing with pension reform will be a major issue in the months and years to come. Our commitment to protecting and being stewards of our natural environment, parks and open space demands creative solutions, so that these commitments are not compromised by our need. ... also, [we need] to strengthen local economies, find ways to create more affordable housing, and provide accessible, effective safety net services for women, children, struggling families, and others in need.

In terms of political process, one issue I struggle with personally is what seems to be increasing polarization and inflammatory rhetoric that doesn’t seem to be very productive — whether its horse riders vs. bikers, pension reformers vs. retired employees. I hope we can find a way to maintain civil discourse while respecting people’s passionate engagement.

Q. Any final thoughts?

A. I am truly honored to have been appointed to succeed Hal in representing the Marin’s 2nd District. This district — and the county — is blessed with incredible resources, not only in its natural environmental surroundings, but in its residents, community groups and public servants. There are smart, passionate people who care deeply about life here. The fact that they work, live and play in such a remarkably beautiful and vibrant place humbles me and makes this job all the more important and compelling.