In a public announcement with an intimate group of supporters, Town of Truckee Mayor Ted Owens announced his intentions to run for Nevada County Supervisor for District 5 Tuesday evening at the Cottonwood restaurant.

“I’ve been blessed to serve the Town of Truckee for the last few years,” Owens said after his announcement. “Nevada County is at a crossroads,” he added, and said that he is dedicated to “building consensus and achieving goals.”

Truckee resident Barbara Green currently occupies that seat.

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She said Thurday that the race “will probably be against me, I guess,” but that she wanted to reserve comment on political positions until fall.

“We’ve been hearing about Ted running since last November right after he was elected (to the Truckee Town Council),” she said. “June is a little early to talk about politics for next spring.”

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Green did, however, stress her qualifications for the job and the commitment it requires.

“I don’t think people realize it’s a full-time job,” she said. “It’s a big district.” The district includes all of eastern Nevada County, and large portions of western Nevada County surrounding Grass Valley and Nevada City.

Green, a 12-year-resident of Truckee, has spent 23 years in elected and appointed office, including nine years on an open space district board in the Bay Area, four years on the Santa Clara County Parks and Rec. Commission and six and a half years on the Nevada County Planning Commission.

As far as Owens’ qualifications for the office of county supervisor, he said, “I have a good association with Truckee and I believe I would be able to bring that into the western part of the county.”

His supporters agree, including his predecessor, former mayor Ron Florian, who said, “He has worked well bringing regional issues to the forefront.” Florian also mentioned that he enjoyed serving with Owens on the town council and felt that he was the right man for the job.

Ruth Frishman, a local attorney, added, “He has the incredible ability to see the big picture.”

Owens now is raising money for the primary, which will be held in March, and the election, which will be held in November. The candidate who gets elected will take office in January 2005.