Tim Garman, Shasta County District 2 Supervisor
Please join me in welcoming former District 2 Supervisor Tim Garman as he discusses his campaign for the District 5 Shasta County Board of Supervisors seat.
Happy Valley resident Garman was elected in 2022 following former District 2 Supervisor Leonard Moty’s recall from office. He’s a former Happy Valley School District president and current pastor of a small church. Garman and wife Rebecca have been married 28 years. They have five children and three grandchildren. A former roofer, Garman now owns and operates Garman’s Tractor Service.
ANC: Hi, Tim. Welcome to A News Cafe again. We appreciate you taking time to discuss your campaign announcement. First, how has it felt these past months to not be a supervisor?
Garman: Months? It feels like years! It is amazing how fast our bodies can reset themselves to normalcy. The break has been a breath of fresh air.
ANC: I can only imagine how welcome this break has been for you.
When did you decide you wanted to run for the District 5 seat, and what inspired you to throw your hat in the ring?
Garman: When my term ended in January I said I was coming back. There was no way I wouldn’t be back. I love working for the people. By the time March rolled around, I was done, and had no desire to go back. What kind of a person would subject themselves to that kind of ridicule and hatred, meeting after meeting? I mean, who? Fast forward to today, and well, I guess I am that person foolish enough to go take some more abuse. Why would I go back? It’s simple, really, the people of Shasta County deserve better. They deserve leadership that works for the citizens of Shasta County, not for outside influences.
There were two big decisions that really played a role in bringing me back. First, the vote to not hire Joanna Francescut for ROV. She was the obvious choice; she even had Tom Toller’s support.
Second was the ill-advised choice to lower the fines on the nuisance properties. The Cottrell property was a disaster and an eyesore for the residents of Keswick for a very, very long time. A lot of time, effort, and county resources have been spent to even bring that to a hearing, and finally we had a chance to do right by the community. While I agree the $90,000 was a bit much, and we would have never recouped those dollars, dropping it to only $1,000 is a direct slap in the face — no make that a direct punch in the face — to the citizens of Keswick. Had I been on the board I would have proposed dropping it to one third, or $30,000. That would have covered the county’s costs and sent a message at the same time, that the county is serious about problem properties. Instead, the owner must feel like he won the lottery! There are other fines and tax liens on the property, but still only $1,000. Just wow. How long until they destroy that property again? If you drive another half mile past that property and look up to the left your will see another small lot being overrun, and it is turning into the same type of mess. What is going to stop them? Certainly not a $1,000 fine!
Those are the two reasons. Then again this week the board took another property that I worked hard on in Shasta and dropped it to a $3,000 fine. This piece of property has been an issue for 30 years. Thirty years! We could have done right by the neighbors, but nope, we just told them we couldn’t care less what you are dealing with. Unbelievable.
Doni, I worked tirelessly along with Code Enforcement to clean up District 2. We didn’t have time to clean up all of the properties, but we made miraculous achievements in just under three years.
Who remembers the two buses just off of Highway 299 before coming into Old Shasta? That was a disgusting, sad place. A very old man was running a puppy mill out of that place, which wasn’t even safe for puppies, let alone an old feeble human. Mike Mangas from KRCR TV was out there one day with me in the pouring down rain. To this day, just thinking about the old man and the living conditions he was in brings tears to my eyes. Long story short, the buses are gone and the property is clean. But for how long? $1,000 isn’t going to deter anyone.
There needs to be changes in the entire process, including legally going after the individuals who are creating the mess. This is a story for another day. I will end this question with this: We were making progress, and although things were just set back by an inexperienced Shasta County Board, County Counsel, CEO, and Resource Manager, I think we can still finish what I started, if I am given the opportunity.
ANC: I’ve seen a few pro-Kelstrom posts on social media against you, and already, the gloves are off and things are getting ugly. Some of the rhetoric is juvenile in nature. For example, rather than discuss issues, there’s a photo of you and Kelstrom each wearing hard hats. The Kelstrom supporters make a big deal about how much taller he is than you, and even mock the way you look in a hardhat. This campaign has only just begun and already your competition’s supporters are fighting dirty. How do you respond to that style of campaigning? Are you ready for a campaign that could get down, dirty, personal and dishonest?
Garman: Could get down, dirty, and dishonest? There is no “could”, it was this way while I was still on the board. Haters are going to hate.
I welcome that if that’s how they will be. I can take the abuse. They can keep right on calling me every name under the sun, and spread all of the lies they want. In the meantime, while they are focusing on belittling me, I will be focusing on solutions for the issues that are important to all of the citizens of Shasta County.
ANC: Speaking of which, what are your key campaign issues, and areas of special interest?
Garman: Here are a few of the key issues, although this is not a complete list.
* Public safety
* Wildfire prevention
* Mental health services
* Homelessness
* Restoring trust and transparency
* Clean up problem properties
In summary, I really want to put the needs of our citizens before the needs of outsiders.
ANC: I realize this is a tender issue, but it comes up frequently, so let’s just address it and get it over with. There were three votes you cast shortly after you were elected to take Leonard Moty’s seat after he was recalled. Those three votes continue to follow you. One related to Patrick Jone’s shooting range. Another pertained to the Redding Rancheria Tribe. Finally, perhaps the most controversial vote that led to former health officer Karen Ramstrom’s firing. In hindsight, do you have any thoughts about those votes now? Did you learn anything from those votes that you could take with you to another term?
Garman: I said it from the dais before I left: I wish I would have held off on the vote with Dr. Ramstrom. I did not give her a chance to explain herself on some of the issues I had. That was not right on my part. I only met with her one time, and I should have met with her numerous times. I truly regret rushing to that vote. Even though I was new, and pushed into a decision right away, that was on me. I should have waited.
A shooting range is desperately needed. We need a safe place to target practice etc. People target practice in very, very unsafe areas of our county. Any creek with a small cliff is used for target practice, and you can find bullet shell casings all over our local creeks. The courts have said there needs to be an EIR. At this point I think that would be appropriate.
I support the Tribe’s relocation project.
ANC: On a positive note, which votes did you cast during your term about which you’re the most proud?
Garman: Any votes that supported our staff. All of the votes for employee of the month and year. Those were the happy times.
ANC: Can you speak to your opponent’s voting record, and his actions as a supervisor?
Garman: This question can turn dirty real quick. I don’t really want to go there. With that said, I will limit my response to this: My opponent’s choice to hire an inexperienced outsider to run our elections department was a colossal failure. Clint Curtis just doesn’t have the experience. Here is an example, when I was turning in form 501 on Monday I asked Mr. Curtis if I can now take donations, since I have the stamp on the form. He told me yes, I was good to go. Thankfully,I looked into it a little more, I must have an FPPC ID number before I can take donations for my campaign. I am still waiting for that ID number. My opponent could have and should have appointed the most qualified person for the position. It was a no-brainer to hire Joanna Francescut, and he blew it.
ANC: Your campaign situation is somewhat unique in that when you left your board position, you represented District 2, which is now represented by Supervisor Allen Long. But because of redistricting you’re now in District 5, currently represented by Chris Kelstrom, who’s also announced he’s running for re-election. Your thoughts about this situation?
Garman: I loved working for the residents of District 2. It was my honor to help them and I look forward to working for the residents of District 5. Who knows, maybe they can redistrict me to a new district at the next census, and I can serve them, too.
ANC: What do you know about being a supervisor now that you didn’t know when you first took office?
Garman: It’s a lot of work. All of the boards and committees take a lot of time (former Supervisor Mary Rickert and I had the lion’s share of them). I didn’t mind the work, and I proudly served on every board and committee. I didn’t skip the meetings, or even skip out of them early, as a couple of our current board members do.
ANC: Tell us about District 5, and what makes you the best candidate to serve that region?
Garman: This is the easiest question you gave me. I will work for the residents of District 5, all of them, not just the ones who agree with me.
Q: Can you expound upon what you meant by this statement in your campaign announcement press release?: “I work for the people of Shasta County. I don’t work for outside influences.”
A: There has been a lot of outside influence driving Shasta County decisions in recent years. We don’t need the pillow guy texting or emailing, and influencing how a sitting supervisor should vote. We don’t need a disgruntled billionaire trying to buy elections.
What we need are supervisors who think for themselves, who take each and every item seriously, researches it, and votes for what is best for our Shasta County citizens.
I will work for the people of Shasta County. People may not agree with every decision I make, and that’s OK. I just want everyone to know that any vote I will ever make WILL NOT be due to pressure put on me by whomever may donate to my campaign. I DO NOT work for the donors; I work for the people of Shasta County.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
A: My heart is to serve. When two of my children were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes it changed my life in a really good way.
Every night we had to call the doctor at UC Davis and they would tell us how much insulin to draw up in a syringe and administer via a shot to our daughter. One night I called, and I got a doctor with bad bedside manners. He told me, “We can’t always tell you, figure it out yourself.” I got off the phone in tears, and told my wife, “We are going to kill our kid.” No parent should ever have to live that fear. That conversation led directly to us starting a diabetes support group for children. We were there for others when they needed it most. Fast forward 18 years and my daughter now runs the support group.
Helping people when they are at one of the worst spots in their life is so rewarding. Now it is all I want to do. I want to serve others and help improve their lives in any way I can.
I still sit on multiple boards. I am a Lion’s Club member, a Lion’s Club Health Foundation member, avCamp McCumber board member, and I sit on the TrialNet (spelled this way) Community Action Board (Type 1 diabetes research). I am also pastor of a small church.
One of my favorite Bible verses is when Jesus gave us this command in John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
I really try and follow that command. If we could all just love one another, life would be better.
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