[env-trinity] From fisherman to supervisor: North Coast champion Jimmy Smith dies at 67

[Tom Stokely]

Jimmy Smith was a true friend of the Trinity River.  He served on the Trinity River Task Force, among many other things.  He will be greatly missed.
TSFrom fisherman to supervisor: North Coast champion Jimmy Smith dies at 67

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| From fisherman to supervisor: North Coast champion Jim...Longtime Supervisor and North Coast elder statesman Jimmy Smith has died at 67.A commercial fisherman and wildlife biologist, Smith was known for his gracious ... |
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>From fisherman to supervisor: North Coast champion Jimmy Smith dies at 67

By Marc Vartabedian, mvartabedian at times-standard.comTuesday, May 24, 2016Longtime Supervisor and North Coast elder statesman Jimmy Smith has died at 67.A commercial fisherman and wildlife biologist, Smith was known for his gracious manner and dedication to public service. He died Monday night at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka.Humboldt County 3rd District Supervisor and board Chairman Mark Lovelace said he had heard about Smith’s death a few minutes before Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting and was “reeling from the sad news.”The board Smith served on for 12 years held a moment of silence in his honor.“He was a great man, and it was a real honor just to get to serve with him,” Lovelace said. “He is absolutely going to be missed by the whole county.”Lovelace served with Smith for a little under four years before Smith stepped down in 2012 to battle cancer for the third time.When he was diagnosed with cancer in the early 1990s, doctors told him he had only a few weeks to live. Smith not only fought the disease but went on to successfully run for the Humboldt County Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District board in 1995 and the Board of Supervisors five years later.When Smith was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2004, he again fought the odds of his diagnosis.Connie Stewart, a close friend and executive director of the California Center for Rural Policy, said she was devastated.“I don’t know anyone who fought as hard for life as Jimmy. He was quite a hero to all of us,” she said. “I’m still in shock; I don’t really know what to say. He’ll be missed big time.”John Woolley, who served much of his 12 years on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors alongside Smith, said Smith was not only a great friend, but a tireless worker.“It’s a sad day. We were great friends together with a lot of mutual interests,” Woolley said. “He was a standout leader who worked day and night to keep people together; he was the glue.”Woolley also noted the reputation Smith’s work earned him, which oftentimes focused on preserving the North Coast environment, including Humboldt Bay, the Salt, Eel, Trinity, and Klamath rivers, as well as marine fisheries. “When you think of the relationships you build on the team, everyone considered Jimmy a ‘go to guy.’ He was as strong in what he did as what he said,” said Woolley, who added that Smith was also a co-founder of the seven-county North Coast Integrated Regional Water Management Plan — now the North Coast Resource Partnership — and the Five-Counties Salmonid Conservation Program.Specifically, Woolley said Smith’s work to make the Salt River project a reality was a prime example of his persistence. The project, which faced numerous political hurdles, was nearly 30 years in the making before ground was finally broken in 2013. “He was dogged in making sure that got funded,” Woolley said about the project which seeks to restore the Salt River channel, floodplain and marshland.State Sen. Mike McGuire emphasized the lasting impression Smith has made on the region.“No one was a stronger champion for the North Coast than Jimmy,” McGuire said. “Humboldt will always be a better place because of his hard work and unwavering commitment to the people of Northern California .”The Fields Landing Boat Launch was dedicated to Smith in 2014 and a memorial for him will be held there on Friday at 5 p.m.Before adjourning their Tuesday meeting, each county supervisor took a moment to speak about their memories of the friend, mentor and colleague whose reach spread across all five districts.Rex Bohn, who was elected as 1st District supervisor in 2012 after Smith stepped down, remembered how Smith would call and give support to other county employees whose families were experiencing similar situations.“I think I had to fill the biggest shoes there were,” Bohn said.Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass said Smith used to hate it when she introduced him as the nicest guy in the world, but she couldn’t help it.“For me, he was a trusted mentor, confidant, friend and definitely a wonderful human being,” she said, holding back tears.Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell said she has many lovely memories of Smith’s gentle friendship, as well as her last private conversation with him.“It resides like a jewel in my heart and I will treasure it forever,” Fennell said.From their road trip to Weaverville to their time serving on the board together, 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg said he didn’t know if he had ever made a quicker friend as he did with Smith.“I’ll never forget him,” Sundberg said.Lovelace, who had served with Smith the longest of the current board members, remembered how Smith always sought to find a middle ground and was never satisfied if conflict and division still existed within the board on an issue.“When I think of him, I think of that smile inside of him — that he’s keeping something inside, enjoying some private joke,” Lovelace said.Speaking to the county board of supervisors during the public comment period on Tuesday afternoon, McKinleyville Community Services District board member Dennis Mayo said he remembered how Smith had a “huge, glaring, infuriating fault.” “He had unlimited kindness and understanding,” Mayo said, his voice breaking and his eyes tearing. “That’s a liability we can all strive to have a little more of in our lives.” Smith is survived by his wife Jacque and their son Gary.Marc Vartabedian can be reached at 707-441-0509. Will Houston contributed to this report.
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