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Berkeley is struggling to retain city workers, both rank and file and key top administrators. Even the city manager left unexpectedly.
The problem has been exacerbated by some councilmembers who have placed excessive demands on staff and overstepped their authority.
At a time when important city revenues are flattening while expenses, especially in personnel-related costs, continue to rise, the city needs elected leaders who will stay in their lanes and prioritize balancing the books and providing foundational city services.
For that, Berkeley residents should cast their votes for Adena Ishii for mayor and for Terry Taplin for council in District 2, Deborah Matthews in District 3, Todd Andrew in District 5 and Brent Blackaby in District 6.
Mayor – Adena Ishii
Adena Ishii (Photo courtesy of Adena Ishii)
An education consultant, Ishii holds degrees in business and law and has a long volunteer record. Not only was she president of the local League of Women Voters chapter, she also served as first vice president of the organization’s statewide board.
She steers thoughtfully through some of the city’s policy issues. For example, she rejects some councilmembers’ past suggestions of severely cutting police funding, but she’s willing to look at creative ways to more efficiently deliver public protection. And she wants to expand housing throughout the city, but she’s mindful of the potential fire risks in parts of the hills.
We were impressed by her temperament, desire to bridge compromises and recognition that the council needs to rein in its focus.
That stands in sharp contrast to the two other major mayoral candidates: former Councilmember Kate Harrison and current Councilmember Sophie Hahn.
Conversations with about 10 current and former city employees made clear to us that both candidates have treated staff poorly and bypassed the city manager to directly make demands on city staff.
It’s mindboggling that Harrison is running for mayor. She abruptly quit her elected City Council seat in January after reading off a perplexing list of grievances. Now she wants a seat on the same council that she just declared she couldn’t stomach, this time holding the gavel.
As for Hahn, she has wielded power with an inflated sense of self. Barry Fike, a retired Berkeley teacher and former president of the teachers’ union, described to us and in an op-ed for Berkeleyside a meeting in which Hahn disclosed that she had been the driving force behind the departure of multiple city employees. Fike’s account buttressed what we had heard from others who didn’t want their names used for fear of retaliation.
The two other candidates in the race are not serious contenders. Logan Bowie did not return our messages, and Naomi Pete declined our interview request.
District 2 – Terry Taplin
Terry Taplin (Photo courtesy of Terry Taplin)
Seeking his second term, Taplin is thoughtful and reflective about his role on the council. He has been focused on the city’s needs rather than political ambitions that consume some elected officials.
In the end, he said, his West Berkeley constituents want their streets paved and their neighborhood safe from speeding vehicles and shootings. That’s what he aims to deliver first.
For that, it’s important that councilmembers develop a long-range infrastructure plan, he said, rather than jamming tax measures onto the ballot at the last moment, as they did with the unsuccessful Measure L in 2022.
He clearly deserves a second term. His opponent, Jenny Guarino, declined to be interviewed.
District 3 – Deborah Matthews
Deborah Matthews (Photo courtesy of Deborah Matthews)
This is the third consecutive race that includes attorney Ben Bartlett, currently the incumbent, and real estate broker Deborah Matthews. We recommended Matthews in 2016 and Bartlett in 2020. The decision was close each time.
This year, Matthews is clearly the better choice for this South Berkeley district. She has more than two decades of service to the city, including seats on the Planning Commission, Zoning Adjustments Board and Housing Advisory Commission.
She has prioritized public safety, affordable housing and a more sustainable city budget. She’s knowledgeable about details in each area and realistic about the challenges.
As for Bartlett, we regret our support for him in 2020. We gave him a pass then on his infamous attempt to cite his council position as he tried unsuccessfully to get out of a traffic ticket.
However, since then, he has been disengaged and not candid. When running unsuccessfully for county supervisor earlier this year, he claimed he had been an advocate of hiring and retaining a full Berkeley police force; in fact, in 2020 he voted for a resolution calling for cutting funding by 50%.
Chip Moore, the third candidate in the race, is running on a platform of affordable housing and police accountability — laudable goals — but makes no mention of the city budget and avoided directly answering questions about the adequacy of police staffing.
District 5 – Todd Andrew
Todd Andrew (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)
As Hahn runs for mayor, two candidates are vying to replace her in this North Berkeley district: Todd Andrew, a retired real estate agent, and Shoshana O’Keefe, a Berkeley High School computer science teacher.
Both are thoughtful about city issues and have similar positions on most. But Andrew is better prepared and has a much stronger focus on the city’s finances, specifically the need to focus more on funding core city responsibilities.
When it came to bond measures to pay for streets and other infrastructure repairs, Andrew had a solid understanding of how the money borrowed would be paid back. O’Keefe, surprisingly, did not understand that bond measures, like the one she supported in 2022, require property tax increases.
The third candidate in the race, Nilang Gor, declined our interview request.
District 6 – Brent Blackaby
Brent Blackaby (Photo by Kinberly Teske Fetrow)
Councilmember Susan Wengraf will retire after 16 years representing Berkeley hills residents.
Her departure set off a two-person race between Brent Blackaby, a relative political newcomer for Berkeley who is deeply engaged and rooted in the district, and Andy Katz, a long-time East Bay politician who moved to the district after Wengraf announced her retirement.
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Blackaby, the co-founder of a digital privacy startup and of digital marketing companies to assist political campaigns, serves on the Berkeley Police Accountability Board and the Berkeley school district safety committee, and he chairs the Cragmont Elementary School Site Council.
Katz has served on the East Bay Municipal Utility District board since 2006. In five elections, he’s never had an opponent. He ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2002 and garnered just 5% of the vote when he ran for state Assembly in 2018.
The two candidates hold similar positions on most policy issues. But while Katz boasts about being a policy wonk, it’s Blackaby who has a strong reading of Berkeley problems, recognizing the dysfunction and dissention challenging city government and vowing to bridge the divides. Blackaby is the fresh candidate the council needs.