Rhodesia Ransom has committed to run for the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

Ransom plans to kick off her campaign with a Thursday, Feb. 16 event at the Tracy Performing Arts Center.

Ransom is angling for the seat of Leroy Ornellas, who is running for a position in the state Senate after being termed out on the board of supervisors. Having earlier announced their campaigns for the 5th District are Tracy City Councilman Bob Elliott and Tracy-area farmer Tom Benigno.

Ransom said her campaign will be one that focuses on the needs of the electorate and transparent government.

“The citizens need to be the leadership to protect democracy,” she said during a recent interview with the Press.

Ransom contends she has the hands-on knowledge, community connections and policy experience to best put forward the needs of Tracy and the rest of the 5th District.

“It’s about solving problems,” she said. “It’s about creating opportunity.”

In addition to serving the past two years on the Tracy Planning Commission, Ransom spent two years on the county’s civil grand jury, one of those as a vice forewoman.

The civil grand jury is responsible for investigating government bodies in San Joaquin County, and Ransom said she gained valuable insight ferreting out wasteful spending and making government more transparent.

“The board of supervisors is the watchdog of every agency in the county. So is the grand jury,” she explained.

In addition to her government experience, the 10-year Tracy resident has a master’s degree in public administration, teaches public policy and finance at the University of Phoenix graduate program, has been on the Tracy Community Arts Foundation and has served as a volunteer mediator for the county.

In addition, she is the director of local nonprofit Sow A Seed Foundation, which has hosted mentoring conferences for young men and spearheaded carbon monoxide safety efforts with the Tracy Fire Department. Ransom has also worked with the Tracy Unified School District regarding gang intervention.

On the issues, Ransom said that aside from ensuring transparent, representative government, public safety is one of her top concerns.

“There’s a huge correlation between public safety and job creation,” she said.

Ransom said that the county’s unemployment rate might be high at 15.9 percent, but that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of skill in the county.

“We really have to be diverse and varied in our approach,” she said, touting efforts like an existing “incubator” program for area businesses.

She also said it’s important to ensure the continued viability of the area’s agriculture industry, including by protecting its water supply via the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Overall, Ransom said she wants to bring a “problem-solving approach” to county government and help protect the area’s community character.

• Editor's Note: This was updated on Tuesday, Feb. 7, to reflect the official launch of Ransom's campaign.