San Andreas, CA…Tuesday was an end of a era as Merita Callaway retired from the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors as one of the longest serving County Supervisors in California.  Not only was she given the gavel to run her last meeting you could tell the other supervisors knew the significance of the day. In the later portion of the video below you can view the portion where the gallery was filled with those who attended to thank Merita for her years of service, mentorship and dedication to her community.

On a personal note. When we started The Pine Tree in 2005 Merita went out of her way to welcome us to the community, opened doors, introduced us to people she knew we needed to know before we even knew we would need to know them. We didn’t always agree politically or on every issue. Even when we disagreed however you never doubted that Merita cared not only for your success but you personally.

Thank You Merita for your tireless service to your community and exemplifying what it is to be an effective public servant!

Now Therefore be it Proclaimed by the
Board of Supervisors, County of Calaveras
PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING MERITA CALLAWAY’S 25 YEARS OF SERVICE
TO THE RESIDENTS OF CALAVERAS COUNTY

WHEREAS, Merita Callaway began her career as a County Supervisor by triumphing over three other challengers for the District 3 Supervisorial seat in a 1993 recall; and

WHEREAS, Merita has now served a total of over six terms (she claims to have taken a sabbatical at some point in there, but that is still in question); and

WHEREAS, as the longest-serving female County Supervisor in the State, she has accomplished more than can fit on a single sheet of paper; and

WHEREAS, with the rise of texting and autocorrect, written communication skills are waning, and Merita therefore works serious overtime trying to save the lost art of business communication. Upon request — and often without request — she will revise form letters, public notices, proclamations, and agenda items in an effort to save us from ourselves; and

WHEREAS, you can always count on Merita to pick up the phone, answer a question, and help navigate irritating bureaucratic barriers; and

WHEREAS, not afraid to get her hands dirty, that high-spirited, energetic woman in the orange vest you see picking up garbage along local trails, street fairs, and our highways is likely to be Merita; and

WHEREAS, keeping Public Works on its toes, Merita works tirelessly to keep the snow plowed along the Highway 4 corridor during a storm, and has even volunteered to drive a plow herself; and

WHEREAS, although Merita can often be overheard teasing the Sheriff about his expanding budget, Supervisor Callaway played a large role in the building of the new jail and Sheriff’s facilities, including lobbying for State funding and representing Calaveras through her service on State-level bodies involved in criminal justice; and

WHEREAS, Merita is a champion of local businesses and religiously confines her shopping to locally available products…with an occasional exception made for certain Italian coats; and

WHEREAS, with a passion for the arts, particularly music, Merita can be found dancing in the parks all summer long; and

WHEREAS, possessing the heart and ferocity of a tigress, Merita tirelessly advocates for animals, reminding us all of the special bond we share with our four-legged friends. Never having met an unlovable pup, Merita has championed several difficult dogs that might otherwise have been euthanized, believing with all her heart that they could be turned around with training and a gentle hand; and

WHEREAS, Merita’s consistent advocacy has been central to the dedication of County land for a new animal shelter and money being set aside for the project, and we can rest assured that, retired or not, she will not leave us in peace until it is built and opened; and

WHEREAS, Merita is not afraid to shake things up, stir the pot, buck a trend, and force us all to think long and hard about whether we are truly doing enough to keep the cogs of government turning despite the morass of
rules and regulations that make its navigation sometimes unbearably slow; and

WHEREAS, while Merita claims she does not want a proclamation and that she plans to leave quietly and never attend a Board of Supervisors meeting again, we don’t believe a word of it and believe we can count on one hand the number of weeks that will pass before she shows up and invites the entire Board to join her at lunch.
NOW BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors (of Calaveras County – but that’s obvious, so we don’t need to say it) recognizes Merita Callaway for her unwavering spirit and dedication to the residents of Calaveras County.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Calaveras, State of California, this 13th day of December, 2022.
GARY TOFANELLI
DISTRICT 1
JACK GARAMENDI
DISTRICT 2
MERITA CALLAWAY
DISTRICT 3
AMANDA FOLENDORF
DISTRICT 4
BENJAMIN STOPPER
DISTRICT 5