Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District, Group 2

Water conservation and funding top candidates' lists of concerns

By Jen Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Aug 21, 2008 - 12:41:16pm

Three candidates are in the running in the Aug. 26 primary for the Group 2 seat on the Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors.

If one of them gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, he or she wins the seat. Otherwise, the two with the most votes will go head-to-head in the general election Nov. 4.

Heading to the primary are political newcomer Christopher Lyszczarz of Ormond Beach, who says he's just an average guy who wants to make a difference in the community; incumbent Soil and Water District Vice Chairwoman Michele Moen of Osteen, who wants to educate citizens about the flood plain; and lifelong West Volusia resident and former Supervisor Earl Ziebarth of Pierson, who thinks a little sanity needs to be restored to the board.

Also Nov. 4, Volusia County voters will elect two other Soil and Water supervisors. Gordon Currie of Ormond Beach is challenging incumbent Mary Prevatte of Seville for the Group 1 seat, and H. Alan Burton of Ormond Beach hopes to unseat Group 4 Supervisor Don Kanfer of DeLand.

Those races aren't in the primary because there are only two candidates in each race.

Soil and Water District races are nonpartisan, and the district covers all of Volusia County, so all registered voters may cast ballots in all three races.

The Soil and Water District was established by state statute. The agency's mission is to oversee the spending of state and federal money that's available for soil and water conservation, and to promote conservation activities.

The supervisors' job has changed drastically over the past year, after Volusia County cut off its annual contribution of about $150,000 to allow the Soil and Water Conservation District to have an office, a manager, a secretary and a part-time agriculturalist.

The district had to give up an office it shared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture; supervisors work from home outside of their regular meetings. The county said its tax dollars could be better used by county-government programs that have the same goals as the Soil and Water Conservation District.

Christopher Lyszczarz — Average guy wants to make Volusia a better place

New to the political scene, Christopher Lyszczarz of Ormond Beach sees himself as an ordinary man who wants to jump in and make a difference. In his eyes, the Soil and Water Conservation District is the perfect place to start.

"I don't really have an agenda," he said. "It's my first foray into politics."

Lyszczarz works as a juvenile corrections officer. He hopes to give back to the community through service on the Soil and Water District board.

"I just don't see standing back and complaining about things," he said. "I want to get involved."

Lyszczarz moved to Volusia County from Virginia nine years ago and, he said, over those nine years, he's seen a lot of resources wasted.

"It irritates me to see people watering their lawns outside of their scheduled days," Lyszczarz said. "Since I've been here, I've heard Florida is running out of water, and yet here we have people wasting water."

He said there is a lack of enforcement; people water whenever they want to, and nothing happens.

"It's just been bugging me," he said.

Lyszczarz emphasized he doesn't have a set agenda. He wants to come onto the board and learn from the ground — or perhaps the soil — up, and then determine for himself what needs to be done.

He said coming into a game without a political platform has a cost.

"I'm an average citizen. I'm looking in from the outside. That's the disadvantage," he said.

The advantage, he said, is that he is the new guy bringing in a new outlook, with no political baggage.

"I'm coming in with fresh eyes, as an average citizen, as opposed to as a politician," Lyszczarz said.

Michele Moen — Doesn't want Volusia to become another South Florida

For incumbent Michele Moen, conservation became a passion after a trip to Blue Spring State Park.

"My husband and I lived in South Florida for 10 years," Moen said. "I didn't think there were any trees in Florida. I thought Florida was urbanized."

When Moen and her husband came to this area in 2000, she saw what was here, and it made her angry, because she realized how the southern part of the state had been changed.

"I thought, South Florida might have looked like this," Moen said.

She wants to make sure Volusia County doesn't become South Florida.

Moen has served as vice chairwoman of the Soil and Water Conservation District board for two years. She enjoys the elected office because she feels she has more direct authority to make a difference in the care and preservation of the lands she holds dear.

As she looks toward re-election, there are three hot topics she's ready to take on.

"The first is funding," Moen said.

Right now the Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District is unfunded. The district used to be supported by Volusia County government, but the county withdrew its annual contribution, saying there were county programs with the same goals.

"The biggest thing is, of course, funding," Moen said. "Having no funding limits us. It doesn't stop us, but it does limit us."

Next, she wants to spread awareness to local citizens and local government about the 100-year flood plain. She wants to work to keep the flood plain intact.

"We're trying to bring attention to these things," Moen said. "We feel like this is our responsibility to bring into light."

Her last goal is to get food grown at home.

"It's accepted that agriculture will go away and be replaced by houses," Moen said. "We want to promote the smartest and healthiest way to produce food, and that is to grow food locally for local consumers."

Earl Ziebarth — Saving the St. Johns, and telling it how he sees it

A lifelong resident of Volusia County, Ziebarth said he's a conservationist, and he's not always going to tell you what you want to hear.

Ziebarth previously served five years on the Soil and Water District board; he isn't pleased with the way the organization has been run since he last sat on the board.

He said when he left the board two years ago they had three employees, a grant for restoration of the Indian River Lagoon, and a pending agreement on a contract to eradicate invasive plant species in the lagoon.

"All that's gone by the wayside," he said. "They lost the county funding. We've got to get some sanity back in there."

Ziebarth said a conservationist isn't the same as an environmentalist.

"I don't believe rabid environmentalists are truly conservationists," Ziebarth said. "Most of it [rabid environmentalism] is self-gratification."

Ziebarth is concerned with the river he spent his childhood days fishing, the St. Johns, but his water concerns go deeper than just one river.

"I'm concerned with the St. Johns River. I'm concerned about the aquifer. I'm concerned about water in general," he said. "I'm a lifelong resident, so I've watched what's going on with water."

Ziebarth's list of three priorities, like Moen's, is topped by the need to restore funding.

"The second is to get grants for the Indian River Lagoon," he said.

And the third is to do whatever he can to protect the St. Johns River.

"I want to make sure the St. Johns is protected," he said.

Ziebarth also serves on a six-county conservation board, the Resource and Development Council.

"I'm involved in a lot of projects for conservation," he said.

For more information about the Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District, visit http://afcd.us/vswcd.

Visit The Beacon's VOTE 2008 online guide for more information about these candidates, as well as stories and information about all of the races affecting West Volusia.

— jen@beacononlinenews.com

Comment on this article

Commenting is closed for this article.

If you would like to contribute a letter to the editor, please click here.

Did you find this story interesting or informative? Subscribe to The DeLand-Deltona Beacon to read more stories by Jen Horton, along with others from our award-winning writers. Subscribe now!