City Council Candidates Rack Up Endorsements

As Piedmont’s City Council campaign begins to take shape for the Feb. 7, 2012, election, candidates are lining up support from other politicians, people active in civic organizations and just plain folks.

Three people -- current council member Margaret Fujioka, who is seeking reelection,  and challengers Bob McBain and Tim Rood -- are vying for two seats in the February election. Candidates don't have to declare for a particular council seat, and Piedmont does not have ranked-choice voting, so the top two vote-getters win.

Piedmont Patch talked with the candidates recently about endorsements and their importance to a campaign and to voters. (You'll find a partial list of endorsements for each candidate at the end of this article.)

All of the candidates believe that their endorsements show where within the community their campaigns have strong support.

Among those who have signed on to endorse their Piedmont City Council candidates of choice are current and former Piedmont mayors, other council members, School Board members, members of government committees and board members of community organizations, along with dozens of Piedmont residents with no formal affiliations.

“All four of my city council colleagues endorsed my campaign,” said incumbent Fujioka. “I’m delighted to have their support.”

Over 250 supporters and volunteers have signed onto Fujioka’s re-election campaign; her list of endorsers includes members of the School Board, Park Commission, Recreation Commission and Planning Commission. “My base of support is pretty broad,” she said. “It ranges through every neighborhood in Piedmont.”

Fujioka’s political goals include focusing on public safety and fiscal responsibility, working with the school district and supporting public and private partnerships such as the . She said that her endorsers reflect these same concerns and goals.

“I would like to think [people have signed on] because people have looked at my record for the last four years,” she said. “I hope they are happy with the way that I’m making decisions on the council.”

says the main reason he decided to run for city council is because of his concerns about the city’s finances, which is why he has looked for endorsements from the . So far, five committee members have endorsed Rood.

“They share my concern that the city’s fiscal situation is not sustainable. The city council has to take action and take action soon,” he said. “That’s really one of the single biggest things that’s motivating me to run.”

Rood, who is an urban planner, also has support from former mayors, council members and planning commission members.

“The diverse group of Piedmonters who have lent their names to my campaign have led to a diverse group of constituencies,” he said. “There are a lot of people who share my concern about fiscally responsibility and an open and transparent government.”

Hundreds of endorsers have also signed on to campaign. McBain is a long-time Piedmont resident, a former member of the Recreation Commission and a current member of the Municipal Tax Review Committee,

“It’s important to get the community around certain issues. I’m very flattered that so many people were willing and eager to endorse me,” he said.

Nine former and current mayors and council members have endorsed McBain.

“I think that it reflects a couple of things,” he said. “One is that it reflects that I’d be a good add to the city council and also that there’s general agreement with the items I’ve emphasized.” Those include making the city fiscally strong, working with the school board and providing leadership to build consensus in the community, he said.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to endorsements. Typically people formally endorse candidates in whom they have confidence and who share many of their ideas for the future of the community.

Endorsement Lists

Here are some names and affiliations from the lists of endorsers supplied by the candidates. This is a sampling only; not all those who have endorsed a candidate to date are included.

Margaret Fujioka: Mayor Dean Barbieri; Vice Mayor John Chiang; city council members Garrett Keating and Jeff Wieler; past Piedmont mayors Michael Bruck, Katy Foulkes, Abe Friedman, Craig Lundin, Valerie Matzger, Ted Normart, Skip Rhoades and Patty White; School Board President Roy Tolles and past presidents Ronnie Caplane, Chuck Chakravartula, Ray Gadbois, Grier Graff, June Monach, Jim Nybakken, Sue Smegal and Dewey Watson; Planning Commission chair Michael Henn; Park Commission chair Randy Deutsch; Recreation Commission chair Richard Hunt; Public Safety Committee chair Ray Marshall.

Bob McBain: Mayor Dean Barbieri; city council member Jeff Wieler; former mayors and council members Abe Friedman, Michael Bruck, Craig Lundin, Patty White, Valerie Matzger, Skip Rhoades and Susan Hill; Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO) officers and directors Andy Ball, Jessica Berg (president), Rod Brown, Murray Davis, MJ Dodds, Steve Ellis, Eric Havian, Margaret Heafey, Dana Kirby, Bob Lally, Anne-Marie Lamarche, Clarence Mamuyac, Conna McCarthy, Mark Menke, Steve Schiller and Rick Smith.

Tim Rood: council member Garrett Keating; former mayors Nancy McEnroe and Al Peters; former council member Walter Schey; Michael Rancer, Municipal Tax Review Committee chair, and committee members Stephen Weiner, Tamra C. Hege, Eric Lundquist and Ryan Gilbert; Planning Commission chair Michael Henn and commission members Melanie Robertson, Jim Kellogg and Phil Chase; League of Women Voters undergrounding task force members Al Peters, Mary Heller, Alex Gunst, Kathleen Quenneville and Rob Hendrickson; Alameda county supervisor Keith Carson.

All three candidates said they will continue  to working on getting more endorsements in the coming weeks.

Candidate Websites

Margaret Fujioka: www.margaretforpiedmont.com.

Bob McBain: mcbaincitycouncil.com and Facebook.

Tim Rood: timrood2012.com and Facebook.

Note to Piedmont City Council candidates and campaign managers: This article reflects endorsements through late November, 2011. Piedmont Patch will be happy to update the article with significant new endorsement information as we learn about it. Please send updates to dixiemjordan@gmail.com.