| Main Feature Story - Friday, October 7, 2011
Feature: 'Pacific Sun' endorsements!
Our counsel on the councils and measured advice on the measures...
You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns--and the public wants what the public gets!--The Jam, Going Underground
You can always get what you want, it turns out. The public must dearly and truly want to pay higher fees and increased sales taxes for local quality-of-life and emergency services. Because that's exactly what we're asking for by refusing to demand such basic staples of most Western nations as single-payer healthcare, reasonable cuts to defense spending, higher U.S. import tariffs, and for millionaires and corporations to pay an equitable earnings-based tax rate as the rest of us do.
And here's what we got: Cash-strapped cities, counties and special districts knocking at the door with their hats in their hands begging middle- and working-class residents for funds to pay for library assistants, school books, ambulances and pothole repair. (And alternative transportation... senior care... T-ball leagues... public safety...)
But there is some good news about the "little people" carrying the load for the fat cats: Local measures and council races become that much more important--as decisions about the "price" of parcel fees, sales taxes and special assessments square off against the "price" of service reduction, infrastructure deterioration and safety depletion.
But it's not all bad news. Since the public wants what the public gets, we're giving the Marin public what it wants most--another round of Pacific Sun endorsements.
It's an "off" year, so it's mostly local, local, local, with city council races vying for voter attention with the community college district and a Fairfax sales tax. We don't tend to endorse in all the smaller district elections--though we've got a special place in our hearts these days for the Novato Sanitary District. Enjoy! And vote... Nov. 8. Polls open at 7am, close at 8pm.
Novato City Council
The Novato City Council voted 3-2 to join the Marin Energy Authority last month, giving residents a choice between renewable energy through Marin Clean Energy, or sticking with the less-green PG&E. At least that issue is finally off the table. It shouldn't have taken two years.
Running to retain their seats on the council this November are Jeanne MacLeamy and Madeline Kellner, the current mayor. Both initially opposed joining the community choice aggregation joint powers authority; Kellner warmed to the work MEA has done in its first two years and tipped the scales with her change of heart. Both say the sluggish economy and the city's dismal financial situation made their wait-and-see approach the right call (MacLeamy would probably prefer to wait-and-see indefinitely). We think they're wrong. Other equally cash-strapped Marin towns didn't hesitate to support the groundbreaking move toward sustainability, nor the obvious advantages of giving residents a choice in their energy provider--despite the outside possibility of financial (and political) risk. (A particularly unhelpful "study" commissioned by Novato officials to assess the risk of joining the MEA concluded that risk may exist, but couldn't assess to what, if any, degree, and suggested adhering to the preferences of residents--which is essentially what giving folks the "option" between Marin Clean Energy and PG&E is.)
But the debate in Novato over the cost of clean energy turned out to be chump change in comparison to the furor that erupted over a new state mandate that an updated affordable-housing element be included in the city's general plan--that's right, entirely conceptual developments, completely nonexistent for the foreseeable future. But by the reaction of neighbors living within sight of such sites, you'd have thought someone had just broken ground on a six-story tenement house in their driveways. City officials--including the current council--were caught off-guard by the virulent reaction (some would say overreaction) that ensued, as were a lot of residents when the dialogue turned toward ignorant generalizations about lower income folks and minorities. A bad economy can bring out the worst in people, and it did with certain residents of Novato--people who need to realize the blame for their falling property values rests far more on the shoulders of those wearing polo shirts who pushed subprime mortgages than on the ones wearing dungarees who bought into the American Dream and got fleeced.
Running against MacLeamy and Kellner, and for a third council seat made open by Carole Dillon-Knutson's decision not to run, are Manny Fernandez, director of Marin Family Action in San Rafael; attorney Jerome Ghigliotti, founder of Citizens for Legal Employment and Contracting; Eric Lucan, who's on the city recreation commission; Leslie Peterson-Schwarze, a businesswoman with experience on the board of the school district; and retired teacher Eleanor Sluis.
Sluis cites sorting out the rezoned affordable housing locations among her priorities, as well as finding adequate digs for the city admin offices--she fears the plan to return city workers to a large building at the corner of Machin and Cain could create a parking nightmare for seniors and shoppers. "With the [anticipated] reopening of the Novato Theater," she says, "the hope is that the downtown once more will be a small, thriving business center." Sluis was among the residents disappointed in the city's handling of the affordable-housing issue and says she understands the "fear" neighbors had that they were being taken advantage of by bureaucrats. "At certain times, the public is tired of ineptness by the city and calls out for change," she says. "The majority of Novato is civil in their behavior and speech. There is a time to listen and a time to be silent and it depends on the issues."
Peterson-Schwarze has valuable experience on the school district's board of trustees and puts the "erosion of local control [and] attempts to force high density apartments into single family neighborhoods" at the top of her list of reasons she's running for office. She says she would not have voted to join the MEA. "The party line that is currently being touted happens to be marketing genius," she responded to a question posed about climate change, "and [it's] a money maker for certain industries." Despite recent negative press, Peterson-Schwarze believes Novato is as neighborly as ever. "Just ask my neighbors," she quips.
We like that Manny Fernandez places "environmental sustainability" on the list of his priorities--the only Novato candidate to do so--and his experience as director of Marin Family Action helping families and individuals through difficult financial times, with a goal toward home ownership, would certainly be of value with any affordable housing issues before the council. His work with lower-income earners would also bring to the council a much-needed voice--as evidenced in the recent affordable housing debate--to some of the more marginalized citizens in town. However, his decision to decline an invitation to a recent Chamber of Commerce candidates' forum at Southern Pacific Smokehouse has damaged his visibility in this campaign. His absence of a candidate's statement on the Registrar of Voters' sample ballot leads us to wonder if he's dropped out of the race.
Novato native Eric Lucan is a customer-relations manager for Kimpton Hotels in San Francisco; he wants to see more cops on the city's mean streets and thinks the time is nigh to begin financial planning for when the sun sets on the Measure F sales-tax boost in four years. He, too, believes the proposed Old Town city offices would eat up too much parking and suggests the downtown needs to woo a greater mix of retail and restaurants if it is to reestablish itself as a driving force in the local economy. He wouldn't have supported joining the MEA, but is somewhat kinder to the current council regarding its handling of affordable housing. "I don't think the controversy could have been avoided, but it could have been mitigated," he says. He adds that establishing the affordable housing working group was the right move, but laments that the council undercut it by not adhering to its recommendations. He acknowledges Novato has many "angry residents" and says, "I don't know if I can make everyone happy, but through transparency and open communication, I hope I can at least make them not angry."
Known to Novato residents as the City Council's gadfly from hell, and for his thus-far failed attempts to put an E-Verify anti-illegal-immigrant-contractors measure on the ballot, Jerome Ghigliotti is running on a platform to stop illegal-alien gangs from taking over the city. He says the current council should be "indicted" and indicates he's proud of Novato's growing reputation for "rage." In fact, he describes the heated protests that have taken place as "restrained." "There has not been a City Council member hung in effigy and burned," he points out.
The more lucid residents of Novato probably aren't seeing the same all-out gang warfare taking place that Ghigliotti seems to envision. Perhaps we're not looking in the right places; perhaps he's seen a few too many TBS reruns of the movie The Warriors. And, despite CLEC's ability to gather the necessary signatures for the E-Verify measure, the council was right not to take action on a proposal that would have been in violation of federal law. And, federal law aside, it should also be said that the E-Verify plan, intentional or not, smelled of a veiled attempt to further marginalize the town's Hispanic community. Novato should be better than that.
To us, the key issue for Novato is to try--once again--to revitalize its downtown. A reopening of the Novato Theater would be a help--but that alone isn't enough to turn the downtown into a destination in the same manner as other Marin towns enjoy--Broadway/Bolinas in Fairfax... Throckmorton in Mill Valley... Fourth Street in San Rafael... San Anselmo Avenue. Novato's identity needs to be linked to Grant Avenue, not the Rowland overpass. Kellner and MacLeamy seem to get this.
Many Pacific Sun readers and Jeanne MacLeamy are probably on opposite sides of the political spectrum--she still says the "debate" over global warming hasn't been resolved by the science community (the science community begs to differ, from what we understand). But the current council's move to bring the city's civic offices back to the downtown is a no-brainer. New city offices aren't cheap--to be paid for through $17 million in redevelopment funds, meaning it won't be a hit against the general fund--but the focus of community life in Novato needs to return to its downtown. Parking is an oft-cited concern. But at the moment, we have no problem parking in downtown Novato--for all the wrong reasons. Architect MacLeamy talks also of expanding the pedestrian area around the new community green next to the community house to create a more plaza-like area for special events; parking may have to go underground. These are big, redefining ideas for a downtown that desperately needs big, redefining ideas.
We waver on all of the challengers. Sluis appears most likely to put environmental considerations high on her agenda--something the town's sometimes lacked.
We recommend Madeline Kellner, Jeanne MacLeamy and Eleanor Sluis.
San Rafael Mayor
For the first time in two decades, San Rafael will go to the polls and elect a new mayor. The ever-dependable Al Boro, 75, decided not to run a sixth time for the post he's held since 1991, leaving the baby kissing for the next four years to contenders Gary Phillips, a longtime former councilman and partner in a CPA firm, and attorney Greg Brockbank, who's currently on the City Council. The mayor steers the agenda in San Rafael and a change in gavel during a prolonged recession and generational shift (at least since Boro took office) in San Rafael should be of keen interest to all residents.
Last year's headline-making issue revolved around whether the city should OK a new Target store in East San Rafael—bringing in cheap consumer goods and about $600,000 a year in revenue, while at the same time adding more competition to struggling local businesses and another unsustainable big-box store to the planet. The council, after much debate, voted 3-2 to approve Target. Brockbank joined fellow councilman Damon Connolly in the minority. Phillips, like Mayor Boro who supports his candidacy, says he would have voted to approve the store--in fact he did as much as chair of the Chamber of Commerce, which lent its approval to the Minneapolis retail behemoth.
Phillips is running a centrist campaign, highlighting his experience--12 years on the council, three on the planning commission, another eight on the Dixie School Board, as well as his endorsements from past councilmembers, Boro and the Chamber of Commerce (did we mention he's chair?). He's lived here 39 years and probably knows the town as well as anybody. Phillips says employee pension-and-benefit reform and the city economy should be top priorities for the next mayor--as well as revitalizing the city's aging facilities, such as the fire stations. (That could be difficult; in 2009 San Rafael voters loudly rejected a measure to fund improvements to emergency services headquarters.) Phillips considers his business background a key point of experience. "We must enhance our business revenues and, therefore, our sales taxes to provide the services our residents expect and deserve," Phillips says.
Brockbank's experience isn't too shabby either. He's been chair of the Marin County Democratic Committee, served on the board of the Chamber of Commerce and, for 18 years, held a seat on the Marin Community College District board. Brockbank names downtown San Rafael economic recovery as his top priority. Second is "continuing the landmark environmental policies" the city is known for--including being a founding member of the Marin Energy Authority, implementing Marin's first Climate Change Action Plan and supporting bike-and-pedestrian-friendly transportation. After initially being on the fence over Target, Brockbank says his "no" vote stemmed from his own personal research that led him to conclude that "Target is much like Wal-Mart in many respects, including their race-to-the-bottom MO, reducing wages not only locally but worldwide, and providing unsustainable products which wind up in the landfill too soon, along with the plastic they're wrapped in." He also found the Community Impact Report on Target, which suggested local businesses could compete by selling products not offered by Target, "distasteful."
Generally, it looks as if Phillips would take the reins from Boro and largely carry on in his footsteps--not necessarily a bad thing. It means Phillips would work hard for the city he loves and San Rafael would have a man of intelligence at the helm. What we haven't seen from Phillips, though, are enough details. When asked for specifics on what he'd do to promote business in the downtown, he responded, "I will actively support new businesses and encourage existing businesses to add new jobs." Well, yeah, but...
Brockbank, however, says that "San Rafael now requires bolder action than [Phillips] seems to be offering." He says we "have to do much more than just tote around cloth bags saying, 'Shop San Rafael.'"
Among his ideas: convening a downtown economic task force, updating the two-decade-old Downtown Vision Plan, wooing a hotel to the downtown, considering adding affordable housing to unused properties, providing shuttle services--he's even floated the idea of a pedestrian mall--a shopping area closed off to vehicles--on some portion of Fourth Street.
If Brockbank were mayor, he says he'd also ask the council to consider eliminating his own position (presumably at the end of his term)—he says San Rafael's mayor charter is an outdated style of town government that gives too much power to one person and not enough to the city council as a whole. Not all of Brockbank's ideas are feasible--pedestrian malls are good urban-renewal ideas in theory, but in Marin someone would inevitably bring up parking and rainy weather and the whole thing would fall apart from there, right?
But at this time, in this economy, we agree that San Rafael needs "bold action"--but action with an eye toward the local and the sustainable.
We recommend Greg Brockbank for San Rafael mayor.
San Rafael City Council
Over the past 15 years, San Rafael has had one of the most stable city councils in the county. Until Greg Brockbank and Damon Connolly joined in 2007, San Rafael's council hadn't had a new face since 1996. Brockbank and Connolly brought a refreshing sustainability-minded voting bloc to the proceedings, but the body basically continued in its dependable, non-muckraking ways. With Brockbank running for mayor, there will be at least one new face on the council. Challenging incumbent Connolly for two open seats are educator Whitney Hoyt, attorney Andrew McCullough and business owner Samantha Sargent.
In only his first term, Connolly has established himself as a leader on the council. He says a councilmember's duties don't end at maintaining roads and buildings. "What a city also represents is the best that is in all of us; the aspirations and dreams we have for ourselves and our children about what kind of society we want to be and what kind of culture we want to be." Yeah, it's a little corny, but Connolly has backed it up with his vote against the proposed Target in East San Rafael, his support of SMART through admittedly tough times, his championing of the Marin Energy Authority of which he's currently chair and his role in San Rafael adopting the county's first Climate Action Plan. Whether a major investment in sustainability will bear its organic fruits anytime soon remains to be seen, so Connolly also has his eyes on the here and now. He says the next four years should be about lowering the 10 percent vacancy rate in the downtown business district. He believes "vibrancy and activity" are key to spurring business on and around Fourth Street--he'd love to see it become more walkable and bikeable; he'd also approve of making it more parkable, by lowering parking rates. Connolly also wants to redouble efforts to promote the city's special events and make the town Marin's destination for nightlife. He also has plans for revitalizing the Canal neighborhood—included in them is developing commercial opportunities along the waterfront and establishing a day-labor center, two ideas we'd like to hear more about.
Whitney Hoyt works at San Rafael High, but came to the city from the south--she'd served two terms on the Sausalito Marin City School Board, which, she says, gave her experience managing complex budgets that would make her ready to serve on the San Rafael council "on day one." Among her ideas to spark business in the downtown are designating certain days for free parking, and expanding the city's San Rafael Connects info and resource-sharing website to include local business. "San Rafael is a real city--there aren't many in Marin," she says. "We have workers who are underutilized and space that is empty. San Rafael is ready to lead economically--I am ready and willing to be a part of the next council that honors our history but embraces our future."
Andrew McCullough has worked for Syufy Enterprises, the San Rafael-based company that launched the Century Theaters chain, for 16 years. Before that he says he was a supervising deputy city attorney in San Francisco. Locally, he's chaired the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, served on the Marin Economic Commission and was an appointee to the Pickleweed Community Center Task Force. He's casting himself as the "true moderate" in the race for council and his priorities are mostly fiscal-related: finding funding for infrastructure improvements, addressing cutbacks to public safety and social services, and upping the "dangerously low" budget reserves. To promote the downtown, he says the council needs to "develop an outreach plan to bring select anchor-type retailers and other high-value businesses to central San Rafael." McCullough is thumbs-up on the East San Rafael Target, and hopes to be able to cheer on a San Rafael pro baseball team at Albert Park. "The revised proposal from Centerfield Partners addresses the major concerns of the neighborhood," says McCullough, "and yet I fear that the lingering opposition of a few vocal critics may doom an idea that has much merit."
One of those critics is Samantha Sargent. She returned to San Rafael four years ago, after seeking gold in the Silicon Valley in the Roaring '90s, and now lives in Gerstle Park; in fact, she's on the Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association board and helped found the group Communities for Albert Park, which formed as a check and balance to the pro-ball proposal. She's dubious about the benefits baseball will have for the city. She doesn't mind noise from a public park--that's what they're there for. "My concerns as a neighbor are more about—is this a gift of public lands to a for-profit corporation?" Still, she doesn't name baseball as one of the primary concerns of the town in the next few years. Her priorities are the budget and pensions, transparency in government and the revitalization of the downtown.
We think Connolly has earned another term on the council. As for the second seat, it appears Sargent and Hoyt are relative newcomers to San Rafael politics and, while we like their overall platforms, would like to see them get their feet wet on a lesser board or committee before shooting for the council of Marin's biggest town. McCullough's got a stellar resume and thoughtful ideas. We'd have liked to see more of an environmental, or at least green-business agenda with his platform. And we hope his moderate, pro-business politics don't result in being a yes-man for the Chamber of Commerce. McCullough may be a case of "proceed with caution." But we're cautiously optimistic about him.
We recommend Damon Connolly and Andrew McCullough.
Larkspur City Council
Word on the street in Larkspur this year was literally "word on the street." In June, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission named Larkspur as having the second-worst roads in the Bay Area. Not surprisingly, the three candidates vying for the two seats open on the Larkspur City Council all name funding road repair as a priority. (Joan Lundstrom announced her retirement too late to put a third seat on the ballot; the council apparently will have to appoint someone or wait until June to hold an election.)
But bumps in the road aren't the only bumps in the road facing Larkspur in the coming years: A Marin grand jury report this summer blasted Marin's emergency preparedness, with Larkspur sitting on the edge of our beloved tinderbox, Mt. Tam; city officials had to hold off on a measure to increase the sales tax when it became clear putting a tax on the ballot alongside a pair of school-tax measures could split the vote and doom all three; and the SMART train's already strained relationship with Larkspur got strained even further when initial plans to run the tracks down toward the Larkspur ferry were temporarily derailed due to sluggish revenue.
The Larkspur City Council has a reputation for the mercurial. It took no shortage of criticism a few years ago when its nonsupport of SMART appeared to be less about policy differences than over allegedly feeling snubbed by SMART's lack of communication with them. Larkspur, as of press time, is one of two county municipalities, along with Corte Madera, to deny residents the choice of Marin Clean Energy; and retiring Councilwoman Joan Lundstrom's late-in-the-game re-decision--as a Larkspur representative on the Transportation Authority of Marin--to fund $8 million toward SMART raised all sorts of Brown Act open-meeting questions when her well-meaning change of heart came after the public had left the forum.
As one former Marin mayor told the Sun last week when we'd questioned some of the decisions of his council: "Well, at least we're not Larkspur."
Larry Chu, currently mayor, is running for his third term on the council. (He's the lone incumbent running; Kathy Hartzell, the 2011 vice mayor, has decided not to seek re-election.) Chu believes his three decades working in the financial services industry give him an edge on guiding city finances through tough economic times. "Everything is tied to finances," Chu says, and his specific priorities in the coming term would be toward infrastructure--not only fixing the streets, but also upgrading the parks, storm drains and seismically retrofitting the City Hall and downtown fire station. He's also got his eye on the Municipal Code, an "outdated" document, he says, that doesn't recognize that "each neighborhood has its own unique characteristic." He also cites disaster readiness as a concern the council and city need to address.
A tax attorney and director of the Greenbrae Property Owners Association, Brad Marsh is hoping to garner the Greenbrae vote and become that neighborhood's representative on the council. (He even suggests asking unincorporated Greenbrae residents if they'd like to be annexed by the city, which would increase the city's tax base.) He's got no shortage of criticisms for SMART, but essentially believes that Marin married the train when it voted for Measure Q, and we may as well try and make the marriage work--he especially wants to protect the measure's plans for pedestrian and bike paths. Along with planning for a campaign for a sales-tax increase in the next year, Marsh believes the council should also focus on seismically upgrading the City Hall and rejuvenating the library, which, he says, "should incorporate a community area that can be a meeting place for all of our residents." Ann Morrison is a passionate community volunteer and says she would put that experience to work on the council by leading a volunteer drive to "fix up downtown and offer more events." She also is the only Larkspur candidate to name "green" as one of her three top priorities, specifically, she says, "more biking, PV solar panels and LEED buildings certified." That being said, however, she's still on the fence about SMART. She says she is not ready to support its repeal "yet."
Larkspur has two solid non-incumbent candidates running; one or both of them will earn a seat, giving Larkspur a much-needed fresh face on the council. Chu has voted conservatively on a few big-ticket environmental issues in the past; after initially opposing SMART, though, he now supports the train and says that even in its initial Larkspur-less phase, the train "remains a viable alternative means of transportation between [Marin and Sonoma]." He's also opposed Larkspur joining the Marin Energy Authority. But, says Chu, if the city's attorney confirms in his final analysis that there's relatively low risk, "I would likely support joining the MEA." A meeting on that takes place past the Pacific Sun's deadline on Oct. 5. While we understand the temptation to take a wait-and-see approach to certain issues, we're also encouraged by city officials who show leadership when potentially risky ideas--especially green ideas whose most important benefits may only be seen by our grandchildren--are in their infancy. We also applaud politicians unafraid to re-evaluate and change their minds.
Bard Marsh and Ann Morrison say that if they were on the council, they'd likely vote to join the MEA. We suggest voters passionate about joining the MEA keep tabs on any pre-election council votes--possibly on Oct. 5--and see where Larry Chu comes down. If he still opposes, we'd advise MEA supporters send their votes toward Marsh and Ann Morrison. But until then...
We recommend Brad Marsh and Larry Chu.
Corte Madera Town Council
In many elections, it's all about the incumbents--and whether a worthy challenger offers a needed change from misdirection of the past. This year, the Corte Madera Town Council has two seats on the ballot, with three candidates vying—incumbents Alexandra Cock and Bob Ravasio and challenger Melissa Gill. Gill, though, was on the council for two terms, from 1997 to 2007. Thus, all three candidates have their fingerprints on the last decade of council decisions, however good or bad voters think those decisions may be. One could say that this election isn't only all about the incumbents--it's practically all incumbents!
Ravasio, who's worked in advertising and real estate, is the relative newcomer on the Town Council scene—he's ending his first term. Gill is a real estate consultant and Cock is president of Wealth Plus financial consulting firm. All three are somewhat on the same page with a majority of issues facing the town: Despite a troublingly low amount of funds in its reserve coffers the town does not need to consider a measure to increase sales tax; further cost savings through service consolidations with neighboring towns is a good idea; and they're all sympathetic to medical-marijuana use, but don't want dispensaries near inappropriate places such as schools (a moratorium on dispensaries is expected to go before the council this fall).
A Marin grand jury report earlier this year was particularly scathing toward Corte Madera officials who, according to the report, did not adequately prepare the town's reserve funds in the event of a major recession--the 2008 economic slump hit sales tax-revenue dependent Corte Madera like a sledgehammer when shops in the Village and Corte Madera Town Center suffered. All three candidates describe the report as only partly justified, but having overlooked the town's balanced budget and the fact that much of those reserve funds have been spent upgrading infrastructure. "The implication was that [the reserves] were frittered away," says Ravasio. "In fact, the town invested heavily in flood control programs and roads... when the Ross Valley was flooded on New Year's Eve in 2004, Corte Madera was spared. That wasn't luck, it was all that investment paying off."
Still, the three candidates agree that Corte Madera should always be prepared in the event of a recession. Ravasio says the best way is through controlling costs; Gill, through a strong partnership between the city and the business community. Cock says the town should focus on "which businesses will do well going forward and work with landlords to attract those businesses."
Corte Madera, along with Larkspur, is--at press time--one of two Marin municipalities that haven't yet joined the Marin Energy Authority. Ravasio says MEA's track record over the last two years has alleviated a lot of his concerns over the financial risk of the energy ventures; he also says he's hearing from a lot of town residents who say they want the choice of energy offered by joining the joint powers authority. Gill remains opposed to joining the MEA and Cock points out that she was the only vote in favor of joining the last time it came before the council. (Note: Joining the MEA is on the agenda for the Corte Madera Town Council meeting Nov. 1.)
We've seen no reason to believe the election, or re-election, of any of these candidates would alter the way Corte Madera does business. As Ravasio points out somewhat frustratedly: "We don't like change. Any kind of change—whether it's adding a stop sign, or letting people keep chickens..." His point being that the town should be a little bit more open to change. "It's not all bad," he says. Still, if you're unhappy with the last 10 years of Corte Madera Town Council decisions and would like to see a major shift, you're probably out of luck.
We recommend Bob Ravasio and Alexandra Cock.
Fairfax Town Council
Thank goodness for Fairfax. If it weren't for the idiosyncratic town of 7,500 at the foot of Mt. Tam, this election would be all about school bonds and pension reform.
In Fairfax, it's about electromagnetic sensitivity.
OK, that's an exaggeration. But the biggest story out of Fairfax last year was its town-imposed moratorium on SmartMeters and the subsequent fight with PG&E over whether the utility would be allowed to install them. While we at the Pacific Sun haven't been convinced there are serious health risks associated with the radio signal-emitting wireless meters, we agree that the onus of proof should lay with the utility--and they've done a horrible job of not only convincing anyone that the risk doesn't exist, but that they even care if they're putting their customers at risk. Just ask the residents of San Bruno. And two years of PG&E malfeasance in Marin--with its below-the-belt battles against community choice aggregation and adolescent "spying" on those dubious of SmartMeters--haven't inspired a lot of trust or goodwill from an energy company that seems to think it has a right to be Marin's energy overlord.
That being said, we don't advise basing your vote for Town Council on SmartMeters—because, if PG&E is correct and a moratorium can't trump its provider-agreement with the county, the town may not ultimately have a say in what happens regarding the meters. Incumbent Larry Bragman, vying to retain his seat for a third term, seems to think the moratorium has teeth. Bragman, an attorney, believes the Franchise Act of 1937 along with the town's Wireless Communications Ordinance are precedents that could hold up in court if PG&E chooses to violate the SmartMeter moratorium. We'll see.
The two candidates challenging Bragman for a pair of open seats in Fairfax—longtime Councilman Lew Tremaine has decided not to seek re-election--are landscape gardener Chris Lang and Ryan O'Neil, who's part of O'Neil KG Bags, the travel-bag manufacturing company his father founded in 1984.
Both Lang and O'Neil have experience on the town's planning commission; Lang, a self-described avid bicyclist, separates himself from his opponents as likely the strongest cyclist proponent of the group--a critical political base in that town, to be sure. He says he'd lobby for an expansion of the Safe Routes to Schools program, more bike racks, resurfaced sidewalks, better crosswalks--a beautification of the downtown in general. All good ideas, if you ask us. He's open to consolidation of emergency agencies with other towns, but only if the budget benefits outweigh any loss to local control. He does not support Measure D's half-cent raising of sales tax in town, and says ideally "any major policy decision should be voted upon by the entire town, not just the council." As for SmartMeters, he suggests concerns over the meters could perhaps be addressed by the town initiating its own objective electromagnetic field testing. (We wonder what the California Public Utilities Commission would say about that.)
O'Neil has two young kids and says he wants to be "the voice for young families" in Fairfax. He lists financial solvency, supporting the local business community and SmartMeters as his three primary concerns if he were a councilmember. He supports Measure D and is even critical of the council for "not pushing for a full-cent sales tax." He claims the support of all five sitting Fairfax councilmembers, as well as Ross Valley Supervisor Hal Brown.
If Bragman wins another term, he'll be, after only eight years, the senior member of the Fairfax Town Council. He says he's tried to run his law practice in accordance with the principles of Atticus Finch, the lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird, who practiced "a respect for people of all backgrounds and a commitment to justice, no matter how unpopular the cause." Bragman puts Fairfax's financial survival at the top of his list of priorities (he voted to put Measure D on the ballot) and says protection of community health and the environment is "a close second." Among those threats he includes industrial pollution, pesticides and aerial spraying, secondhand smoke and electromagnetic sensitivity. When asked to name any mistakes he feels his town's council has made this year, Bragman was one of the few incumbents running this November in Marin to offer a mea culpa: "The clear winner of the 'We Blew It' award was the council's decision to accept a recommendation that we outsource our business-license-fee collection to an out-of-state corporation," he concedes. "In our zeal to save costs, we missed the larger affront that the decision presented to a community which has zero tolerance for corporatization of public services. The public outcry was immediate and well deserved." (The council reversed its decision; license-fee management returns home beginning in 2012.)
Bragman joined the Fairfax Council when it had a reputation for infighting, grandstanding and political one-upmanship. During his tenure, Fairfax has developed into one of the more respectable councils in Marin. He's played a role in that calmer, cooler, more thoughtful shift--while still championing typically Fairfaxian causes like the stand against SmartMeters.
We recommend Larry Bragman and Ryan O'Neil.
San Anselmo Town Council
Four years ago when Ford Greene swept into office during what would become the first of two consecutive "throw the bums out" Town Council elections, the Pacific Sun did not endorse the mercurial attorney. It was easy to admire Greene for his well-documented (in the Pacific Sun no less) legal and personal battles against cults; it was bemusing to cover his sparring match with the town over placing large anti-Bush signs in full public view on a building he owns; it became troubling when litigating against San Anselmo appeared to emerge as more of a pastime than a prerogative. In 2007, we wrote, "Greene has battled demons, both internal and external, throughout his life... we think the potential risk that he could be a disruptive and counterproductive force on the council outweighs the potential reward."
Thus far, Greene has proved us wrong. If anything, the San Anselmo Town Council could be described as "cautious" since Greene's arrival. This year alone, the council declined to follow in neighboring Fairfax's footsteps by placing a moratorium on the controversial PG&E SmartMeters, and it also shelved a measure to raise the sales tax so as not to step on the toes of Tam Union School District's Measure B. The biggest controversy we've seen yet from Greene is when, after saying he'd act on behalf of the council in a Transportation Authority of Marin vote, he instead voted the other way out of personal preference (it didn't affect the outcome of the vote). No big deal, really. In fact, with longtime Councilwoman Barbara Thornton not seeking re-election, if Greene retains one of the two seats open this go 'round, he'll be the senior member of the council. That doesn't mean Greene has completely left his argumentative side behind; the current council doesn't come to many unanimous decisions these days. Greene even responded to one of our endorsement inquiries with "that's a lousy question..." (Hey, Ford, you realize we're making endorsements here, right?) In any event, he names among the most important accomplishments of his first term his subcommittee leadership in the town's adopting a floor-area-ratio ordinance, and legislation he initiated, eventually adopted by the town, to restrict excavation as a way around the town's ordinance about height limits on construction. If elected again, he'd concentrate on maintaining a balanced budget, exploring shared services with other towns, alleviating the burdens of employee pensions and exploring the use of Robson Park. He'd also like to see a bit more nightlife in the sleepy community.
Candidate Doug Kelly also says he'd like a bit more after-hours action in San Anselmo. But the self-described businessman says his main priorities are the budget, flood mitigation and the roads (San Anselmo's roads ranked 100 out of 109 this year in a Metropolitan Transportation Commission survey). He applauds the town's recent agreement to share some services with the Twin Cities police and says he'd look for more opportunities to run services "better at less cost." Among his ideas are for county to pay the San Anselmo Police to patrol some of the nearby unincorporated neighborhoods that the sheriff's department normally has to go out of its way for (saving both parties time and money), and developing a list of pricey town supply needs and seeing if other towns or individuals can donate or discount the same items (we're imagining a kind of freecycle.com for towns). "I think I can make a difference for the better," says Kelly, who has served on the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Sign Committee (created in the wake Greene's signage skirmish). "I think I come at some issues from a different angle than the present council."
Lori Lopin has served on the Ross Valley School District board, has been named as an "alternative" to past councilmembers in the event of an emergency and has experience on a host of other San Anselmo task forces and committees. Lopin, whose background is in small-business consulting, is the only candidate who mentions "bringing business" to San Anselmo as a top-three priority. "I hope to find ways to bring more business to San Anselmo and help encourage more local shopping," says Lopin. "I would like to work with all five community business groups to find a shared vision to help accomplish what we all want and need--more revenue for our town." She differs from Kelly in her support, though tentative, for the SMART train, which may be facing a repeal election in the coming year; and she says the beautification plans of the San Anselmo Visioning Committee are probably best kept on hold due to the current bad economy (Kelly would like to get the committee "back on track").
From what we've seen, and according to the people we've spoken to, San Anselmo has three viable Town Council candidates on the ballot. Greene has earned another term at Town Hall. And due to her notable civic experience, we lean toward Lopin.
We recommend Ford Greene and Lori Lopin.
Marin Community College District Board of Trustees
The "teachers' dirty looks" of years past at the College of Marin--with accreditation uncertainty and "class" warfare waging between lecturers and administration--seem to have calmed at Marin's once-highly regarded institute for higher learning. And hopefully soon, the Measure C funds will prove their worth in the New Academic Center--and return the always-engaging academic experience at COM back to its former glory. But attendance is down this year—which is the opposite of what you'd expect for a community college during a recession--and we're dubious that the $10 per unit state hike in fees is the reason, as some have claimed. Truth is, in these days of community colleges competing for students with four-year state and UC campuses, looks are as important as quality of education (if not more, sadly) and it's imperative that the alleged grandeur of what was once called the Gateway Complex (the New Academic Center was originally called that due to its large-scale entrance) is grand enough to impress high school students and their parents more than the venerable SRJC up the road. Some Kentfield neighbors went ballistic as plans for the Academic Center became clearer and, to some extent, for good reason—mostly on a public relations level. Even the process the district has taken in selecting an architect via a design competition has been blasted by critics who thought the winning design was going to be the actual design of the new college entrance (it was merely conceptual). Some say the $250 million in Measure C funds would have been better spent sprucing up the old buildings, not constructing a whole new academic center for the college--but we're dubious that that sort of cautious thinking would be enough to put College of Marin back on track.
There are four seats open on the board of trustees, with incumbents Philip Kranenburg, Eva Long, James Namnath playing musical-board-of-trustees chairs with challengers Jack Wilkinson, a real-estate agent; Joan Lisetor, longtime county journalist; Peter Romanowsky, an entertainer and leader of the Jesus People Movement; and Stephanie O'Brien, who's served three terms on the Lagunitas School District board. We'll concede that the current board hasn't earned an A-plus in putting to rest neighbors' fears of bad design. But we also don't see that as sufficient reason for a major board turnover. Most of the challengers come across as worthy additions to the board, but we think Lisetor's experience on the faculty of the college, as well as several years on the Marin County Board of Education, give her an edge.
We recommend Eva Long, Philip Kranenburg, James Namnath and Joan Lisetor.
Novato Sanitary District
With all due respect to Ross Valley, the Novato Sanitary District has been the most tumultuous sanitary board in the county lo these past few years--with an FBI raid, anonymous "whistleblowers" from within, disgruntled employees and a voter referendum over who gets to run the district's $90 million wastewater treatment plant: private French company Veolia Water, or the district staff who may or may not have the tech experience to do so. And this is all in addition to the usual fines levied against the district by the Water Quality Control Board for leaks and spills so common with aging sewer systems these days.
There are two seats open. Retired architect George Quesada is running as an incumbent; Jean Mariani, who has served a variety of sanitation-agency boards, is an appointed incumbent after filling the seat of retired member Jim Fritz. Challenging are attorney Suzanne Brown Crow, community volunteer John Coleman and retired facilities manager Jerry Peters.
The current board finds itself at loggerheads frequently, with longtime directors Bill Long and Mike DiGiorgio oftentimes at odds with director Dennis Welsh. During the headhunt to appoint a replacement for Fritz, DiGiorgio favored Mariani, the eventual appointee; Welsh lobbied for NSD watchdog Crow.
John Coleman has run for a variety of boards and councils in the past few years--usually eyeballing a contentious race and positioning himself as the "common sense" candidate. But his campaign literature is invariably short on specifics regarding his knowledge of the issues and he has in the past neglected to respond to questions or to seek out endorsements. In that respect he usually gets his wish.
Quesada has served Novato well in his 36 years on the board, though he's never truly taken a leadership position—it sometimes seems as if he lets others set the agenda, and he'll jump to one side of the fence or the other. It's probably time for someone with more rigor to take his place.
Jerry Peters was Novato's 2007 Citizen of the Year. He served a term on the Planning Commission in the mid-'90s and was president of the Chamber of Commerce in 2005. He's been on numerous town-events committees, while working for 20 years as property manager at the Brayton Purcell building across from Fireman's Fund. He supports the contract with Veolia and says the district's biggest mistake has been in not immediately appointing "the most qualified candidate" to fill Fritz's seat, Jean Mariani.
Mariani, as we mentioned above, has served on the boards of two other Marin sanitation agencies, as well as the California Association of Sanitation Agencies and the S.F. Public Utilities Commission.
Brown Crow is an opponent of the Veolia Water contract; she was co-chair of the No on F campaign to reverse the board's decision to hire the French company. We don't question her intelligence, or her passion for the Novato Sanitary District and its customers. But we also feel she would probably further the schism on the board, which is not something the district or the town would benefit from.
Mariani's sanitary credentials are hard to beat; Peters' positive community involvement is quite impressive.
We recommend Jean Mariani and Jerry Peters.
Measure A
This Larkspur-Corte Madera School District Bond would authorize the district to issue up to $26 million in bonds to make significant upgrades to facilities and school infrastructure--and reopen the San Clemente School site. Opponents say we should stop funding a system riddled with state bureaucracy, a self-interested teachers union and the misbegotten No Child Left Behind Act--which is essentially an argument to never pass local funding measure for schools ever again. Meanwhile, according to Measure A proponents, the overcrowded Neil Cummins Elementary has 250 more kids than it was intended to have.
We recommend a Yes on Measure A.
Measure B
The Tamalpais Union High School District is seeking to renew a parcel tax for 10 years at its current rate, plus a 3 percent increase annually. Folks 65 and over would be exempted. Opponents say continuing the $248 per parcel, plus 3 percent a year, isn't "recession-sensitive" enough. Their ballot argument against the measure insinuates teachers are getting a sweet-enough deal already and more money to the district would only further their high-living, swank lifestyle. Thinking like that is reason enough to vote for Measure B. Also, at least two towns decided to forgo their own measure for a sales-tax increase in a show of support for the measure.
We recommend a Yes on Measure B.
Measure D
The Fairfax Vital Town Service Emergency Protection Measure is a hifalutin way of saying "we need a half-cent sales tax increase to offset declining property values, state budget cuts, etc., etc." Novato and San Rafael have successfully passed sales-tax increases in recent years—it's becoming something that most towns are going to have to get used to. Opponents blame the town's financial woes on the council's spend-happy ways. They say Fairfax is "financially whole." We're not convinced. The Chamber of Commerce, typically a fair arbiter of whether a sales tax is warranted, supports the tax.
We recommend a Yes on Measure D.
Measures E and F
County Service Area No. 13 (Lucas Valley) and County Service Area 19 (Santa Venetia) are asking to increase their paramedics taxes from $85 to $95 a year per living unit, and from 11 cents to 13.2 cents per square foot for non-residential structures, over the course of four years. Last year both areas narrowly failed to get two-thirds of voters to approve paramedics parcel taxes; this time, however, both are asking for less than half the previous amount. There's no official opposition from what we can tell.
We recommend a Yes vote on Measures E and F.
Measure G
Marinwood Community Services District is trying to maintain its fire protection services via a 10 cent increase--up to 28 cents max—per square foot of living or working area, and by $30—$90 max—per acre of unimproved land. It needs two-thirds voter approval. Proponents say that after years of a balanced budget, the district is $350,000 in the red this year—mostly, they say, because of reduced property taxes and San Rafael's discontinuation of a contract with the Marinwood fire department. The 20-year agreement between Marinwood and San Rafael would typically bring the district $300,000. The financially strapped city wanted to renegotiate the terms, but Marinwood and San Rafael couldn't come to an agreement. Proponents say "the community has made it clear to the CSD board that it wants to preserve its own, locally controlled fire department." We wonder if, during a terrible economy, it's a bad time to un-consolidate--but we don't know enough about the negotiations with San Rafael to make a responsible recommendation either way.
We recommend Marinwood residents tally the numbers and vote accordingly.
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