I am Maureen “Mo” Mulheren and for the last three years I have served as the Second District Supervisor and prior to that I was the Mayor of Ukiah. After six years  on the City Council, I was ready to bring my dedication and local knowledge to our County Board of Supervisors. Born and raised in Ukiah, I have deep roots in the community and am proud to be raising my family here. Protecting their future and ensuring their quality of life motivates me every day to advocate for our region’s economic well-being and natural resources. As an entrepreneur and local business owner, I understand the challenges our community faces and have used my deep community involvement and relationships to work with you to address our most pressing economic, housing, and healthcare issues.

 

I am experienced, accessible, invested in our community, and working hard for you. 

Here is a little more about what has happened over the last three years: over three hundred units of low income and market rate housing available now and approved for construction. Streamlining of the Cannabis program and $17 million in grants for the County and small businesses. 17 new vehicles for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. $3,000 in American Rescue Plan Funding in addition to a 2% cost of living increase for our County employees.  The return to an Economic Development Representative to the County to work with community partners to support local businesses and housing initiatives. Prepare for climate resilience by placing Measure P for Fire Departments and the Fire Safe Council on the ballot and actively campaigning, as well as supporting equipment purchases for Fire Departments from PG&E Funds. Follow up on the Measure B voter initiative including  Completion of the Crisis Residential Treatment Center, promotion of the Behavioral Health Training Center, demolition of the former Whitmore Lane Facility in preparation of the future site of the Psychiatric Health Facility, continue to advocate for increased services for mental health and substance misuse disorder including finding ways to support sober living initiatives. The County now has a Grants Management Division added to increase revenues in the County and the region with over $100 million in grants applied for in its first year. 

Of course this is not a list of all of the projects and initiatives that I have been working on and I would love to talk to you more about the work that I am doing. Please use the form below to help me confirm a good date to stop by or we can set up a virtual meeting with your family and friends. If I can use your name for an endorsement and you would like me to place a yard sign in your yard one month before the election please make sure you let me know! Thank you so much for your support I couldn’t do it without you! 

Soy Maureen “Mo” Mulheren y durante los últimos tres años me he desempeñado como Supervisora del Segundo Distrito y antes de eso fui alcaldesa de Ukiah. Después de seis años en el Concejo Municipal, estaba listo para aportar mi dedicación y conocimiento local a nuestra Junta de Supervisores del Condado. Nací y crecí en Ukiah, tengo profundas raíces en la comunidad y estoy orgullosa de criar a mi familia aquí. Proteger su futuro y garantizar su calidad de vida me motiva todos los días a abogar por el bienestar económico y los recursos naturales de nuestra región. Como emprendedor y propietario de un negocio local, entiendo los desafíos que enfrenta nuestra comunidad y he utilizado mi profunda participación y relaciones comunitarias para trabajar con usted para abordar nuestros problemas económicos, de vivienda y de atención médica más urgentes.

 

 

Tengo experiencia, soy accesible, involucro en nuestra comunidad y trabajo duro para usted.

Aquí hay un poco más de lo que ha sucedido en los últimos tres años: más de trescientas unidades de viviendas para personas de bajos ingresos y a precio de mercado disponibles ahora y aprobadas para su construcción. Simplificación del programa de Cannabis y $17 millones en subvenciones para el Condado y las pequeñas empresas. 17 vehículos nuevos para la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Mendocino. $3,000 en fondos del Plan de Rescate Estadounidense, además de un aumento del 2% en el costo de vida para los empleados de nuestro condado. El regreso de un Representante de Desarrollo Económico al Condado para trabajar con socios comunitarios para apoyar a las empresas locales y las iniciativas de vivienda. Prepárese para la resiliencia climática colocando la Medida P para los Departamentos de Bomberos y el Consejo de Seguridad contra Incendios en la boleta electoral y haciendo campaña activamente, además de apoyar la compra de equipos para los Departamentos de Bomberos con fondos de PG&E. Dar seguimiento a la iniciativa de los votantes de la Medida B, incluida la finalización del Centro de Tratamiento Residencial de Crisis, la promoción del Centro de Capacitación en Salud Conductual, la demolición del antiguo Centro de Whitmore Lane en preparación del futuro sitio del Centro de Salud Psiquiátrica, continuar abogando por mayores servicios. para la salud mental y el trastorno por abuso de sustancias, incluida la búsqueda de formas de apoyar iniciativas de vida sobria. El condado ahora cuenta con una División de Gestión de Subvenciones para aumentar los ingresos en el condado y la región con más de $100 millones en subvenciones solicitadas en su primer año.

 

 

Por supuesto, esta no es una lista de todos los proyectos e iniciativas en los que he estado trabajando y me encantaría hablarles más sobre el trabajo que estoy haciendo. Utilice el formulario a continuación para ayudarme a confirmar una buena fecha para visitarnos o podemos programar una reunión virtual con su familia y amigos. Si puedo usar su nombre para un respaldo y le gustaría que coloque un letrero en su jardín un mes antes de las elecciones, ¡asegúrese de hacérmelo saber! ¡Muchas gracias por su apoyo, no podría hacerlo sin ustedes!

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Ukiah Post Questionnaire
 
 Thank you for these thoughtful questions.
1. Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to this point in your life?
I was born and raised in Mendocino County. In 2014, I made the decision to run for City Council in Ukiah. I was one candidate in a field of eight for three seats, gratefully I was elected. I ran for a second term on the Ukiah City Council in 2018 and served as the Mayor in 2019. I loved the work that I was doing on the City Council; we were able to start major street repairs, had new housing going in and finally a Costco, but there was a piece that I didn’t feel like I had a great enough impact on and that was everything having to do with the social programs that impact people. The City of Ukiah is great and I had fun working with the Recreation Department on new initiatives like the volunteer program in the parks and the seasonal ice rink but to have a real impact on the youth in our community for future generations I wanted to be a County Supervisor. Most of the funding for humans flows through the County Budget, specifically through the Social Services, Public Health and Behavioral Health Departments. I announced in 2019 that I was running for Supervisor and campaigned through Covid-19 Pandemic until the election in November of 2020 and have been serving my first term since January 2021.
I started my adult career as a county employee first in the Farm Advisors Office and then in accounting in the Department of Transportation. I left County employment to work in the construction industry just in time for the economic collapse of 2008, when I got my insurance license and started my own business. I ran my business throughout my term on the City Council and made the decision not to renew my license in 2022 allowing me to focus full time on being a County Supervisor. I was actively involved in our family cabinet business and have been volunteering with my dad since I was young and now my daughters volunteer with me. I was on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, the Ukiah Main Street Board and the Ukiah Skatepark Committee among other volunteer work. I am firm in my understanding of the challenges of small businesses coupled with my experience as a government employee leaves me in a unique position to balance the needs of our community and government.
2. What inspired you to run for the position of district supervisor?
My deep, rooted commitment, of enhancing our community for future generations, including my own children, grandchildren, serves as my primary motivation for taking on this role. We have the opportunity as a community to lift up an entire generation of young people by providing them with placemaking skills , community involvement, and a level of engagement that will carry these traits into future generations.
3. What professional experiences do you have that you believe will benefit you in this role?
I started my career as a county employee, and then was a small business owner, and my time in service on the Ukiah City Council this gives me the experience to understand private industry and government.
4. Can you talk about a few key issues that you feel are most pressing for your district?
Our communitiy’s health is a key priority, starting with our mental health. Every single person in our community needs to make sure that they are doing their best to provide themselves and their families with tools that allow them to handle today’s challenges. We have learned a lot more about mental health as a society. Mendocino County experiences generational struggles with poverty, addiction, and the challenges with mental health where so many try to self-medicate; our community needs tools to handle anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.
Another one of our challenges is finding employable people to work in important industries, such as healthcare, teaching, and local government. This impacts our ability to provide everything from food assistance to public safety.
We have come a long way with housing in just a few short years. However, there is more work to be done to make more housing available. (I’d like to take a moment to mention that there were four large low income housing developments that have come online, and the BOS recently approved a large market rate housing project which will bring over 150 single family homes in the next 2-5 years).
There is so much more that builds a strong and healthy community. Sometimes people say “you can’t make everything a priority” but if we are all steering the ship in the same direction everyone’s priorities can be addressed.
5. What is your vision for the district and what steps do you plan to take to achieve this vision?
First, I would like to see a community that feels connected to each other and to this place. I work on this every day as a County Supervisor by communicating through social media, town halls and volunteer days. When our community is connected there are better health outcomes, less mental health issues and more employability which leads directly to a stronger economy. Having enough housing for all types of people, and even with the great news about the Bella Vista project there are still opportunities to be more proactive with housing. I can’t talk about a strong community without addressing the substance abuse “elephant in the room”. We need more opportunities for sober living and a variety of treatment programs.
6. How would you describe your leadership style and how do you think it will benefit your constituents?
People have often referred to me as authentic. I’ve been very open about the fact that I didn’t intend to go into public service I just saw a need and wanted to make positive changes. That is reflected in my leadership style as I work with all sides of issues to produce solutions for situations large and small.
7. Can you share an instance where you had to make a tough decision and how you navigated through it?
Every year since I’ve been on the Board when we look at approving a balanced budget there are more needs than our funds allow. Anytime you are making decisions with money the dynamic can be a challenge. I think the decision to slow the roll out of the PG&E funds from the fires in 2017 and then hosting the Town Halls with Supervisor McGourty my first year got funds back to Redwood Valley and Potter Valley in a more meaningful way than had been planned and I’m very proud of the quick action and collaboration with the First District Supervisor.
8. What specific policy changes do you plan to implement if you are elected?
Since I’ve been serving we have made solid changes that include improving access to housing, increasing access to mental health for our community (specifically the CRT, and the crisis outreach workers and the PHF that is starting construction this season) and, providing COLAs as well as bonuses to our employees. I will continue working on improving Human Resources performance and compensation for County employees, our employees are the people that are on the ground every day doing the work and I wouldn’t be able to successfully implement policy without them. I’m going to continue to work with Behavioral Health on improvements to the system of care for those suffering with mental health and substance abuse disorders. I also think it’s imperative that we streamline all economic development and housing opportunities. I hope that the Tax Sharing Agreements with the Cities and Annexation will be coming forward soon to support our entire community despite governmental boundaries.
9. How do you plan to involve the community in decision-making processes?
I often use social media to gain input on upcoming agenda items, and of course I hold meetings with interested parties. I plan to continue to hold Town Halls on relevant topics, community walks and volunteer days are great ways to get feedback. I’ve found these forums a great way to gain feedback. My cell phone and email are readily available and I’m always open to meeting with individuals or small groups.
10. What are your thoughts on the current state of politics and how do you plan to change it?
If we are talking about local politics, I think there is a lot of misinformation, and my goal is to always be as informative as possible so that folks in the community understand who does what and which decisions are being made and why. I’ve always said the changes that happen locally affect our daily lives much more than what you see on the National Media so helping the community be more aware of whom our elected(s) are and what each of their roles is, will help bring a better understanding.
11. Are there any specific projects or initiatives you would like to introduce in your district?
I am continuing to be actively engaged with staff on the Re-entry program that supports folks that are being released from jail in to sobriety and subsequently employment. Tackling substance abuse is key to the future of our community and the health of our youth. Their understanding of mental health, having the tools to handle societal issues without substances will help us be a more successful and thriving community. Having our youth actively engaged in the community through leadership initiatives. events, walks, and volunteer days gives them an outlet to connect in a positive way and feel as though they are supported.
12. How do you plan to address inequality and social issues in your district?
I am always open to listening and changing the way we do things. Just because we’ve done things for a long time it doesn’t mean the systems are right or can’t be improved. Also connecting all our neighborhoods through walkability, play and events reduces barriers for kids that don’t live in the same neighborhoods. Our Native population has so much collective trauma and I am trying to learn as much as I can to help bring more healing to those communities and connection with local government.
13. Can you talk about your strategies for economic development in the district?
Outdoor recreational tourism is going to be key. I call inland tourism the “Outdoor Trifecta” with water in Lake Mendocino, the Russian River Confluence and the future Great Redwood Trail we have opportunities to bring healthy family friendly activities to inland Mendocino County. Expanding the hospital and our County Mental Health and working with the college to support their career development for these career fields is key. I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the importance of small businesses including the cannabis industry. With the support of the State we have been able to streamline and remove some road blocks for our legacy cannabis cultivators so they can continue successful operation.
14. What steps will you take to ensure transparency and accountability in your role as district supervisor?
I use my website, Facebook, and Instagram to provide regular updates about my work that of the County. I’m always open to have discussions about the decisions I have made and why.
15. How do you plan to balance the needs of different groups within your district?
I’m very open about hearing from every voter. My cell phone and email are public information and I meet from folks of all backgrounds to hear their thoughts. Trying to find middle ground when making policies is key, and something I always strive to do.
16. What are some of the challenges you anticipate in implementing your policies and how do you plan to overcome them?
I think NIMBYism is one of the biggest challenges Mendocino County faces. It’s my job as a policy maker to explain the “Why” so that people understand why and what decisions are being made. We need more housing and that can be challenging when you are limited geographically and we need to be strategic about how we address this need.
There is a lot of misinformation about the Great Redwood Trail and I’m working actively to gather feedback and thoughts for successful successful project execution, and to dispel myths.
17. What is one thing you want the voters to know about you that they may not already know?
I love this job, and I wake up every day with fresh optimism ready to tackle whatever challenges arise without losing sight of the big picture of a thriving (economics and health) Mendocino County.
18. If you are not elected, how do you plan to continue contributing to your community?
I love this place that we call home and will always volunteer and support our community.
19. How can residents get involved with your campaign?
You can visit my website at MaureenMulheren.com or follow me on social media at @Mo4Mendo
20. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Yes, please look at my website to see the meetings that I attend and the issues that arise and if you see anything that you are interested in “, please reach out so we can discuss.
Thanks again for this thoughtful list of questions. I really enjoyed reflecting on my first term and thinking about where we go from here. Have a successful day!