Sylwester Reflects On Past Four Years

Out-going Tuolumne County Supervisor Laurie Sylwester€™s term of office expired at noon Monday.

A broad smile was stretched across her face as she watched new board members get sworn-in.

We asked Sylwester to reflect on her top accomplishments during her four years as a board member. “Yeah. We managed to get a few things done in the last four years,” she understated. “It was a whirlwind.”

Keeping garbage fees in check was one of her top victories.

“During my tenure, we were able to lower the tipping fee by $12, so in effect, it kept garbage rates in this county very, very stable,” Sylwester said yesterday afternoon.

She said the county no longer hauls garbage to Nevada, but instead trucks it to Stockton. “That€™s definitely better for the environment,” she said.

Her other top accomplishment involved local Me-Wuk Indians.

“I€™m really proud of working with the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians. County counsel said maybe it was my largest accomplishment,” Sylwester said.

She pushed getting a “memorandum of understanding” established between the county and the tribe “when no one wanted to attack it,” she said.

Sylwester commented that association with the tribe brings $1.2 million annually into the county “that other wise wouldn€™t be there.” The revenue has also helped fund a full-time firefighting staff in Tuolumne City as well, which benefits the whole area, she said.

She wished in-coming supervisors Jim Peterson and Paolo Maffei all the best.

“I have confidence in what they will be doing, but they have a tough year ahead of them.”