Three for MID board of directors

Over the decades, the Modesto Irrigation District has done a very good job seeing that farmers get the water they need and that residents of Modesto, Salida and other areas receive electricity with few interruptions and at relatively low cost.

But as with so many things, times are changing.

The formula of finding the cheapest power available and passing it on to customers will no longer be enough. Further rate increases are not just likely but inevitable as the district moves to meet a state mandate to get one-third of its power from solar, wind and other renewable sources by 2020. This shift to "green" power is commendable, but carries a high price for consumers.

Thanks to the vision of MID's founders 120 years ago, the MID usually has an ample supply of water from the Tuolumne River, but other Californians want to get their hands on it. As the district begins the yearslong process of renewing its federal license for the Don Pedro powerhouse, there's wide acknowledgment that it will be forced to release more water for fish and other environmental purposes. The question is not if, but how much.

Local farmers are understandably concerned that the district could be forced to turn over so much of its water that they'll end up like those on the West Side and in the Mendota area, where fields are fallow and trees are pulled up due to a lack of water. Obviously, if that were to happen here, it would damage not only farmers but the entire Stanislaus County economy.

The MID's water supply also could be disrupted if the push to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley is successful. That would mean tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam and then enlarging Don Pedro downstream to make up for that loss of water storage just to benefit the Bay Area. Environmentalists try to make this sound like an easy exchange — and worth the outrageous expense — but we don't see it that way. The outcome could be an insufficient supply of water for agriculture in our area.

The MID is not immune to the bad economy, but it has not suffered as much as most public agencies because it doesn't rely on sales or property tax revenue or state financing. While some positions have been left vacant, employees have not been asked to take furloughs and their health and retirement benefits remain relatively generous.

Personalities have become an issue, especially those of first-term director Mike Serpa and General Manager Allen Short. Serpa claims that his colleagues are too deferential to Short and that he is the only director looking out for ratepayers. Others say Serpa is deliberately disruptive and abrasive.

Our view: One board member is only effective to the degree that he is able to persuade a majority of his colleagues to his point of view. That requires respect and solid arguments. We haven't seen that in Serpa.

Short has an imposing style, but we believe the MID is fortunate to have his expertise and statewide influence, especially as it heads into the long fight over Don Pedro.

In an ideal world, we would like to see every elected board in our region be like a river fed by new faces. That hasn't happened on the MID board, where the average age is about 74 and the average tenure is about 16 years.

That said, our recommendations must be based on which candidates in any given race are best suited to provide strong, capable leadership for the next four years. Our endorsements for the MID board:

Division 2

Serpa, 59, is being challenged by retired businessman Glen Wild, 66, in a contest that is about style and substance.