Uhler says farewell after 18 years as supervisor

After 18 years serving as Placer County's District 4 supervisor, 14 of which were consecutive, Kirk Uhler will join the private sector after losing the March 3 race to keep his seat. Uhler was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1993 at age 25, making him the second youngest supervisor in California history. Uhler was unseated in 1996 but returned to the board in January 2007 at the brink of the 2008 recession. One of his greatest accomplishments on the board, Uhler said, was working with his fellow supervisors to put the county in a strong financial position to make it through the economic downturn. "Beginning back in 2007, at the onset of the previous recession, our board took some very aggressive steps in 2007 that positioned us for good long-term financial sustainability," Uhler said. Maintaining the county's economic stability and viability became one of his main focuses as supervisor. "We adopted a policy in this county that we were going to start aggressively contracting out services and reducing our county employee workforce wherever possible," Uhler said. Uhler said that he hopes the board continues to contract services wherever possible as a way to maintain the county's financial stability. Supporting and fighting for small businesses is what Uhler also hopes the county continues to do as it is the backbone and identity of the county, according to Uhler. "We are entrepreneurial in Placer County and we do believe in reward for hard work," Uhler said. "I think we will continue to push back against maybe some cultural changes that have taken over elsewhere in this state, that have turned it a little bit into a less hospitable place for a small business person." Uhler said that he does not intend on seeking public office in the near future and will return to the private sector. However, Uhler plans to stay connected to the community and the county. "The issue of affordable housing is one that continues to remain important to me, just because I firmly believe in the county's direction to move towards partnership with our private-sector housing providers," Uhler said. Uhler has advice for his successor, Suzanne Jones, before she takes over the office on Jan 4, 2021. "Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to drown out the loudest voice in the room and just focus on what is really in the best long-term benefit of the county," Uhler said.