Growth on the Nipomo Mesa is a major campaign issue for both candidates who are challenging 4th District county supervisor Katcho Achadjian in the June 6 primary.
ĆĀ Chris McSweeney and Judith Wirsing filed their campaign papers last week. Wirsing, whoĆ¢ā¬ā¢s served six years on the board of the Nipomo Community Services District, has said sheĆ¢ā¬ā¢s running against Achadjian to slow down growth on the Mesa. SheĆ¢ā¬ā¢s come out in favor of controlled growth in line with available resources.
ĆĀ McSweeney, 50, a salesman for the hospitality industry and a newcomer to politics, says he wants to serve the majority of the people, not special interests. Ć¢ā¬ÅEveryone IĆ¢ā¬ā¢ve talked to is absolutely opposed to the type of growth the county has approvedĆ¢ā¬āhuge complexes with hundreds of homes and golf courses. A certain amount of growth is fine, such as in the rural residential zone with one home on five acres.Ć¢ā¬?
ĆĀ The county is Ć¢ā¬Åputting the cart before the horse,Ć¢ā¬? McSweeney says, by not making sure roads were in place before allowing so many new houses.
ĆĀ McSweeney has a bachelorĆ¢ā¬ā¢s degree in administrative management from CSU Los Angeles, and lives at Cypress Ridge with his dog Shiva. You can contact him at cmcsweeney4SLOBOS@aol.com. Ć¢Ėā
This article appears in Mar 16-23, 2006.