Reliable water, year-round
Protect our raw-water supply from the Yuba, Bear & Deer Creek headwaters and keep 450 miles of canals maintained — so homes, farms, and firefighters can count on it.
Candidate for NID Board of Directors · November 2026
A steady, independent voice for reliable water, fair rates, and a resilient watershed — from the Yuba and Bear headwaters to your tap.
Why I'm Running
The decisions NID makes in the next four years — on rates, storage, and wildfire — will shape this county for a generation.
— Terry McAteer
Terry McAteer is no stranger to serving Nevada County. Across four countywide elections he led its public schools for 13 years as County Superintendent, and he has stayed in the arena ever since — in the classroom, on the Grass Valley Planning Commission, and in a community column read across the foothills.
NID delivers drinking and irrigation water across 450 miles of canals, runs seven hydroelectric plants, and stewards the reservoirs we fish, boat, and hike. That's a public trust — and it deserves directors who read the fine print, ask hard questions, and answer to ratepayers, not insiders.
I'm running to bring careful stewardship and real transparency to the board — so our water stays reliable and affordable for homes, farms, and the next generation.
The Platform
Grounded in the decisions actually on NID's docket — rates, supply, wildfire, and how the district governs itself.
Protect our raw-water supply from the Yuba, Bear & Deer Creek headwaters and keep 450 miles of canals maintained — so homes, farms, and firefighters can count on it.
Scrutinize the cost-of-service study line by line, defend the low-income assistance program, and end rate surprises with plain-language budgeting.
Invest in forest health, vegetation management around canals and reservoirs, and dam safety — because a healthy watershed is our first line of defense.
Plan honestly for dry years — sensible storage, conservation, and groundwater strategy — instead of lurching from one drought to the next.
Meetings that actually listen, documents posted early, and the numbers published in public — so ratepayers can see how every dollar and drop is managed.
Keep Rollins and Scotts Flat — the campgrounds, trails, and beaches — open, safe, and welcoming for local families.
About the Candidate
Terry McAteer has spent his career in public service in the Nevada County foothills. He served as Nevada County Superintendent of Schools for 13 years — winning four countywide elections — and later led Inyo County Schools. He has taught government, economics, and journalism at Bear River High School, served as a Grass Valley Planning Commissioner, and writes a longtime community column for The Union and YubaNet. In 2007 the county named the Terence K. McAteer Family Resource Center in his honor.
What stays the same in every version: a lifelong tie to these foothills, a habit of doing the homework, and a belief that public water should be managed in the open.
Get Involved
NID directors are elected by just the voters of Division I — which means a handful of conversations, yard signs, and mailboxes decide it. Here's how you can help.
Questions? Email [email@terry4nid.com] or call [phone].