In the Race for Shasta’s District 3, Rickert Has Raised Four Times As Much as Harmon, Mostly from Small, Local Donations
Mary Rickert and Corkey Harmon are facing off for the District 3 Board seat. Who wins will determine the direction of the Board majority moving forward. Four times as many local community members have supported Rickert financially.
Editor’s Note: Numbers cited for this article include only monetary donations, not loans or the value of donated goods.
10.21.24 10:45 am: We have updated this story to clarify that public officials can neither bid for, nor vote on, contracts that would financially-benefit them.
Supervisor Mary Rickert is running for a third term on the Shasta County Board of Supervisors. Her monetary filings go on for more than fifty pages and include hundreds of local community members.
All told, publicly-disclosed monetary campaign donations as of October 20, 2024 show Rickert’s received over $135,000 from 250 individual donors and a number of organizations. That compares to the $32,000 from 54 individuals and various organizations that her opponent Corkey Harmon has received.
Rickert’s individual donors include some who worked to recall Kevin Crye in March, an effort that failed by only fifty votes. Crye, who supports Harmon’s campaign against Rickert, has continued to come under fire since maintaining his seat. Most recently, Crye made headlines for allegedly seeking to use his position of political power for personal gain, something Rickert’s supporters have said they also worry about with Harmon.
He’s already benefitted from having friends in high places. In August, he told Shasta Scout that the Board was getting ready to pass an update to a County policy regarding private roads, specifically for his benefit. That update did pass, within a few weeks.
One of Harmon’s businesses, Stimpel-Wiebelhaus Associates, also recently received a $4 million County contract. It’s not the first time Harmon’s done business with the County but its by far the most valuable. The contract is worth $3.5 million more than any of Harmon’s previous contracts with Shasta County. For some vocal community members who’ve spoken out at Board meetings, the award of the high-dollar contract calls into question Harmon’s ability to vote independently from Supervisors Kevin Crye and Chris Kelstrom, who approved his bid, along with Supervisor Patrick Jones.
Moving forward, if Harmon wins a seat on the County Board, California’s conflict of interest laws would not allow him to bid for, or vote on, County contracts that benefit him. While Harmon seemed doubtful about whether he could take County contract as a sitting Board member in August, yesterday he told Shasta Scout that “it appears at this time . . . that would be a conflict and I obviously would not do what is not allowed.”
In addition to individual donations, both candidates also received money from a variety of organizations. Harmon’s came from two unions, Laborer’s Local 185 ($2,000) and Operating Engineers Local No.3 ($3,000). He also received a variety of additional donations from thirteen local businesses, mostly those in the construction industry.
Rickert’s organizational donations come from forest product company Sierra Pacific Industries ($10,000), as well as as the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians ($11,000), and SEIU Local 2015 ( which represents in-home health care service workers employed by the county ($2,500).
It’s important to note that in the past, Sierra Pacific has come into conflict with the interests of the Redding Rancheria, a powerful local Tribe that’s building a new casino in Shasta County. The $11,000 donation by the Tehama-based Tribe that operates the Rolling Hills Casino could also possibly run counter to the business interests of the Rancheria. While Rickert voted against a county service deal with the Rancheria that was passed by the Board majority in July of 2023, she was far from alone in opposing that deal, which also raised concern for a number of appointed and elected officials including the Fire Chief, the Sheriff and the District Attorney, all of whom said they were concerned about the terms. The Rancheria has not donated to either candidate in this particular race.
Also absent from both candidates’ funder lists are any donations connected to Reverge Anselmo, a wealthy east coast donor whose $2 million in Shasta County campaign spending over the last several years dwarfed local contributions, helping bring the current Board majority to power.
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Sierra Pacific is supporting Rickert because 94 year old billionaire Red Emerson doesn’t want the Rancheria to move beside his gaudy riverside mansion.
History is trying to repeat itself: in 1989 the Wintu were forcibly evicted from their homes in Toyon (now more commonly called Government Camp) near Shasta Lake City because wealthy white neighbors objected to Indians living next door.
J: That land has already been put into federal trust so I don’t think Emerson has much of a say at this point.
You’d think so, but the BIA has a long, long history of cheating Native Americans for the benefit of rich white men – including fairly recently in Shasta County.
Toyon was transferred to the BIA in 1971, but they didn’t use it for the benefit of the Wintu and instead began selling unoccupied homes to rich white landlords to be moved offsite. After protracted legal battles, the BIA ultimately evicted the Wintu in 1989 and demolished most of the remaining buildings.
Today, admist a housing crisis, the land sits vacant and fenced off.
Sierra Pacific is supporting Mary because they support moderate candidates. They gave $$$ to Shasta Vote PAC in 2022 to promote moderate candidates, and Mary was not even running! Not to mention, Sierra Pacific has no say on that land. It belongs to the tribe. Mary’s vote against it was in union with the Sheriff, the DA and the Fire Chief. They all felt it was a bad deal that did not give them enough money long term to afford the services they will need to provide the Casino.
Get your facts straight. The decision had been made and was made about the new casino when Sierra Pacific donated to Mary’s current campaign. Nice try to SPIN the narrative, my kind way of saying something else.
We are so lucky to have Mary Rickert as one of our business-savy Shasta County Supervisors. Especially given her long history in the north state and receiving multiple awards for the family’s world-reknown Prather Ranch pasture-fed cattle operation. Thank you for helping our young leaders at 4-H & FFA, and for creating the Shasta County Fire Safe Council to reduce fuels around the county, among many other feathers you wear in your cowgirl hat. YOU are a class act WINNER!
https://anewscafe.com/2024/10/21/redding/the-breakdown-episode-29-the-skeletons-in-corkey-harmons-campaign-closet/
Dude may have associate habits.
Has Mary Rickert or anybody in her Campaign paid Shasta Scout
This is really desperate. Just because Kevin Crye is currently under investigation for his behavior as Supervisor, and Patrick Jones is hit with a $10000 fine for purposely lying about campaign finances, you have to try to paint an honorable woman like Mary as a grifter, inferring that she is bribing Annalise Pierce? WOW, just wow.
The choice in this District race comes down to voting to continue the reign of our current Board of Supervisors majority and a crony government of, by and for the few or returning to a Board majority that is interested in doing the people’s business. We will get what the voters of District 3 decide. We can hope they will decide wisely.
How much money has Harmon received from Anselmo?
Nick…it’s called the Water Committee, the local money arm of Mr. Anselmo, you know that very well, so don’t play games with yourself. Or, just ask Chriss Street, the campaign strategist for Mr. Harmon.
Vote Mary Rickert for experience and transparency.
“The choice in this District race comes down to voting to continue the reign of our current Board of Supervisors majority and a crony government of, by and for the few or returning to a Board majority that is interested in doing the people’s business”—Mary has been the main obstetrical against doing the peoples business.
Nick sez: “…the main obstetrical against doing the peoples business…”
The main…wait…what??😐
Those darned obstetricals getting in the way again. You don’t sound like that is making you a happy citizen.
Jolly
October 21, 2024 at 6:04 pm
Nick sez: “…the main obstetrical against doing the peoples business…”—-I meant obstacle —
Says someone who is part of the JCK Clown Show, specializing in sleazy back room deals, electing unqualified people and firing qualified ones, or overlooking them. Retaliating against people who do not agree with their politics, and oh yes, newly added this week, using the office for public gain. We shall see if D3 agrees with this circus.
I think its important to know how the Redding Rancheria and their vast wealth effects local candidates and politics
https://www.facebook.com/resnerforcitycouncil/videos/583878713965951
No , Jack Potter Tribal Chairman, respectfully Americans did not die in wars fought in history so you could be your own “Sovern Nation’ and planting a giant redding Rancheria / Win River casino flag over lands next to Eye 5 that you think you have conquered for your giant new mega casino. Its “One NATION under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” And tens of thousands of American warriors, ( including American indians ) spilled their blood for just that… Therefore, it certainly makes you a “Special Interest Group”, and I now understand why you dont fly the Red White and Blue anywhere on your Rez or Win River of any size or significance. Instead of in my opinion, spending your vast wealth on a new giant mega casino you should spend your money on your OWN Tribal police, fire, and medical aid departments like the other reservations and tribes around the country. Darkness I believe is over your tiny Rez with illegal weapons, suicides, horrible meth use, and MURDER . Spiritually I believe there are bones of the innocent laying buried all over your Rez because of your lawless, no accountability “Sovern Nation status” You may turn a blind eye, but God O Mighty does not… Quite frankly your casino and 51 percent ownership of your Sundial dope store in my opinion is a CANCER to our local community, destroying the lives of many, no matter how much money you throw around …
Chris: The Redding Ranchera is a sovereign nation, possessing the power to self-determination under federal law.
“A sovereign nation, or a sovereign country/state, is a nation whose government has a supreme authority over its population and territory. No other nation or entity have authority over a sovereign nation or control its territory.”
Indeed then they should spend their money on their OWN Tribal police, fire, and medical aid departments like the other reservations and tribes around the country.
Mr. Harmon’s Conflict of Interest is parallel to the Haynes couple on the Gateway School Bd of Trustees, that’s another form of conflict called the Brown Act. Is it something inherent in one’s political party that this conflict comes up while running for office ? Someone help me understand this pickle with some GOP candidates. Is it their distaste for upholding CA laws and codes ? Is it that they really believe they live in the State of Jefferson and can do whatever they want to do ? We can’t afford to let Mr. Harmon ‘learn all those ropes about being a Supervisor’ as he’s stated at several candidate forums.
District 3 election is in the hands of those who voted for Win Carpenter; please take a deep breath and vote for a common sense, experienced candidate with no, or very little, conflict of interest, and will save the county tons of money , Vote Mary Rickert.
I would say the large donations for Rickert from Sierra Pacific and the Rolling Hills Casino community casts a big shadow on concern for Rickert. I support the local tribe so I will not vote for Rickert in my district and I am sharing my conerns with my neighbors and friends here in District 3.
I’m sure you had no problem with Reverge Anselmo donating almost 2 million to local PACs
This is of no concern to me. I have many associates who I know who live in Shasta County and work at the casino. Plus the Corning Tribe has ALWAYS supported moderate candidates. They gave $100K to Shasta Vote in 2022 to help elect moderate candidates and try to deflect the thousands Mr.Anselmo was pouring in to this county. Sierra Pacific also has a strong interest in moderate candidates and is a large employer in this county. They have every right to give to Mary Rickert ,and they too, have a HISTORY of giving to moderate candidates.
I will bet that you were and are not concerned and talking to your neighbors about the truly out of area donations to elect far right candidates by the revenge filled millionaire from Connecticut, who has donated over $2 million since 2020 to get his candidates elected to control this county. These people are the very same ones who are supporting Corkey Harmon now and Corkey actually hosted the very first fundraiser for Zapata’s Red, White and Blueprint at his ranch in April of 2021. Lo and behold, there was Carlos Zapata at Corkey’s fundraiser in Palo Cedro on October 11, 2024! Looks like their association has lasted over three years at least! How about that!
Concerned (but are you really concerned, or are you a Harmon supporter anyway?)
Mary has no animosity toward the Redding Rancheria Tribal members. She simply voted from a practical business decision. Please note that the Redding Rancheria did not endorse, to this date, or fund Corkey Harmon.
And you want to vote for Mr. Harmon, who will not be able to vote over 50% of the time as he’s a Walking Conflict of Interest; with the 3 businesses he owns with his wife ? He’ll be turning to the County Counsel most of the time, thus being an ineffective office holder.
Thanks Shasta Scout for the excellent reporting and thanks Frank for asking about conflict of interest and Brown Act issues.
Let’s not forget that our neo-confederate, white nationalist militia indorced Corkey and that Corkey let’s them use his property to hold it’s political events.
It’s way past time to get Shasta County back on track and recover from the extreme particen authoritarianism and the nasty taste of cronyism that has inspired and crippled Shasta County under the J.C.K. Cartel leadership. Vote for safe and sane conservative candidates, Shasta County deserves better than the J.C.K Cartel Cronies.