Oakland's current mayor, Ron Dellums, is essentially non-existent. He did get a lot of press during the presidential primaries--he travelled the state rallying for Hillary. That move ruffled my feathers! How could he make himself so available for a national election, and neglect to actively run his own city? He seems like a good guy, but well past his prime. He was a state representative in the House, and did some good then. Well into his 70's now, he has no game. Oakland is not a rest stop on your way to retirement, Mr. Dellums. This is a busy turbulent city, rife with issues--and needs dramatic reform in many arenas. Why did we elect a respected but depleted and tired mayor? Let's not ask him back, Oakland.
That brings me to the upcoming election. My district's councilwoman, Jean Quan, the underdog in the June election will be battling Don Perata, known dirty-dealer and termed-out member of the CA state senate. He's been embroiled in controversy for the past 10 years. He's never been indicted, but he's plenty scummy. As you can see, I'm not a big fan of Perata. I hope Jean Quan wins. It's a looooong shot. She's very active in the community, a real grass-roots leader. Will Oakland be brazen enough to hire its first female mayor? Someone who's not a career state politician, but knows and is committed to local issues? We shall see...
For little Sadie's future, I hope it's Quan!
JEAN QUAN FOR OAKLAND 2010!
Here's a link to a Chronicle article on the race:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-04-13/bay-area/17194175_1_mayor-s-race-woman-mayor-councilwoman-jean-quan
I agree!! Jean Quan is the most experienced and best candidate for Mayor - she's ready to roll her sleeves up on Day One, because she knows how Oakland works, and how to make it work better!!
ReplyDeleteMr. Perata is retired State Sen; he was termed out in 2008.
i love jean quan! do you get her weekly newsletter. she is everywhere and totally cares! i want her to win! is she really a long shot? what do we do?
ReplyDeleteSo, you recommend choosing what you view as the least of three evils? Jean Quan will bankrupt the City as surely as she did the school district.
ReplyDeleteTo anonymous:
ReplyDeleteJean Quan would be my first choice. She is very active in my district. I really appreciate what she's done to unify our community. I'll have to look into what she did with the school distict. But as an Oakland teacher, I know that our school district's money problems cannot be solely her fault.