Amador County – Amador County Vintners’ Association Executive Director Jamie Lubenko said “this may not be the year to leave law and go into winemaking,” due to the bad weather and long season. But that is what Amador County Counsel Martha Jean Shaver is proposing for her spare time with retirement.

The Amador County Board of Supervisors read resolutions of appreciation for two retiring long-time county employees Tuesday for Shaver after 12 years with the county, and Beth Arnold, who retires after eight years as assistant County Assessor.

Shaver said the resolution writers “perhaps made me sound a little more interesting than I am,” but said she moved to Amador County to work and live, to be near her son, who “promptly went to high school and I never saw him again.” She admired the level of professionalism in Amador County.

Sheriff Martin Ryan said he would like to “thank Martha so much for her legal counsel,” saying she was always there for consultation. Ryan said Shaver’s “legal skills are unparalleled” and “my office is a better place for having her as county counsel.”

Former Supervisor Richard Vinson thanked Shaver for keeping former lead counsel John Hahn in line for 12 years. Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said Shaver was a dedicated public servant, and performed well in keeping the board informed.

Supervisor Vice Chairman Louis Boitano said he knew some grape growers in the valley with good grapes for her winemaking hobby. Lubenko, of the Vintners’ Association, said Mr. Boitano thinks he knows growers in the valley with good grapes, but they were hurt by recent storms.

Supervisors later presented Lubenko with a first place medal and a plaque for best red wine from this year’s annual convention of the California Local Agency Formation Commission. Amador LAFCO Executive Director Roseanne Chamberlain said the conference was held in Napa.

She said the assembled multitudes tasted the wines from the attending county representative of Cal-LAFCO, and Amador’s red wines “received an inordinately high number of votes,” and “just blasted the other wines.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli, who was elected to the Cal-LAFCO board’s vice presidency, said it was good to “beat Napa at Napa,” but they could not have done it if it wasn’t for Lubenko and her Vintners’ Association.

Lubenko said she was not sure which wine that she sent had won the award, but she suspected it was the Jeff Renquist Petite Syrah, which also won a lot of gold medals at the state competition this year.

Lubenko said: “This plaque will hang on the wall next to last year’s plaque.” She said: “We take a lot of pride in this.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.