Residents in two City Council districts will get to vote on their representatives in November. Here's what to know about the candidates in the two-way races.
All sturgeons aside, I think your assessments make for a very good read. I wanted to add that the 1000 Friends of Martinez held a Q&A forum last week. They have endorsed Brianne but invited all of the candidates and only Bri, Debbie, Ben, and Nakenya showed up. I suppose the other candidates felt like they shouldn’t waste their time. This is the 2nd time Jay Howard has not given Martinez voters his opinions on certain issues. I would’ve have liked to hear him. Everyone held their own in that forum but Nakenya addressed something no one has talked about and that’s the public’s trust. Trust has definitely eroded in town. Now we find out that yet another city manager is leaving. Have we hired a Chief for our police department yet?
Thanks for the update on Martinez losing (yet another) city manager. I long ago lost count of how many city managers we've gone through in the 24 years I've lived here. We've had two mayors in roughly 40 years, but the most important position in the daily lives of residents changes hands more often than Italy changes governments (maybe fitting giving our city's Italian-American heritage). Normally functioning cities change mayors every year or two and keep their city managers around for five, 10 or more. What we have in Martinez is dysfunctional chaos. But, hey, at least we have the Sturgeon!
Speaking of sturgeon, I once heard the following story about this incredible species (which may be just an old fisherman's tale but is telling nonetheless). A fisherman in the Bay was struggling mightily one day to haul one of these behemoths into his boat, but the sturgeon would not relent. Finally, as he tried yet again to wrestle it into the boat, he pulled out a pistol and shot the powerful fish in the head. The sturgeon's skull was so thick that the bullet ricocheted off the head and put a hole in his boat. Suffice to say, the sturgeon got away.
Turns out that the sturgeon (or at least its skull) may be a more fitting mascot for Martinez (or at least Martinez politics) than anyone imagined. Now, we just need a caviar (sturgeon eggs) bar on Main Street to host the next round of candidate meet and greets in two years.
HA! Hey, I have been here for 46 years. We have had 3 mayors since we’ve been here: Sparacino, Eric Shrader, and Rob Schroeder. Rob has held that job the longest. I am glad he has stepped aside.
Oops! Yep, I sure did!🤪 Mike served two terms and I want to correct Eric’s last name. I think it should be Shaffer not Schrader.
Pleasant Hill has had their mayor for a long time but he is very effective. He listens to the business leaders. They have grown exponentially under their council’s leadership and the residents are enjoying the increase in the values of their homes.
I was very disappointed that Jay Howard didn't show up too, but I realized that there were other forums, and some candidates just can't make it to every single one of them. I look forward to hearing him speak at some point. I did see him responding to individual comments on a Facebook post of his regarding hot topics, and that was appreciated. Not all candidates do that.
And I asked about a police chief in R&R recently. Apparently they have been recently interviewing people for the position while we currently still have an acting chief that replaced another person who stood in immediately after Sappal left.
When the Martinez Sturgeon were playing, Joe DiMaggio Field 3 in the Marina was the most racially diverse place in Martinez. We had white, black and Hispanic players, all of whom contributed. Coach Manny Corpas shouted out instructions and encouragement to his players in both English and Spanish. And the fans cheered them all.
Great to hear! Maybe DeLaney and McKillop can link the Sturgeon and racial diversity/inclusion in their platforms now.
I guess everyone who doesn't care about baseball is out of luck, though.
Since the Sturgeon are such a great success story, maybe we can keep it going and bring our own semipro football team to town. We can pattern it after the NFL. Most of the players will be Black, so that's good for diversity, the coaches will all be White, just like our elected leaders and the NFL, and no one will care about the health or safety of the players, because their only job is to entertain us. My suggestion for the team name will be the Martinez Entrepreneuers, in honor of our beloved downtown small businesses!
No, not mocking you. Sorry if it came across that way, Tino. Just trying to inject some lighthearted satire into this project.
That's great if the Sturgeons are creating some diversity and community harmony in town. I'm a baseball fan and went out to see the old Clippers once or twice. I'm just observing that certain politicians in town are more interested in talking about baseball in their campaign platforms than in addressing racial equity efforts that they have been part of over the last few years. After all, didn't they create the anti-discrimination task force? I'm just curious why they're more interested in talking about baseball than this topic that thrust Martinez into the national spotlight a couple years ago? Could it be that they're afraid of losing the MAGA vote in what's shaping up to be competitive races in which every vote will count? And if so, does that really equate to political courage? ("courage" appears on DeLaney's campaign signs).
I'm just offering some food for thought here. Again, sorry for my kneejerk reaction to your comment; the satire/mockery wasn't directed at you. Last thing I want to do is offend folks who take the time to comment on these posts. My apologies, Tino.
According to Debbie McKillop's and Ben Therriault's websites, they are BOTH endorsed by PH Council member and County Board of Supervisor's candidate Ken Carlson.
Thanks for pointing that out! I recall things like this happening before where groups or individuals inadvertently endorse different people in the same race. In my opinion, endorsements should be taken with a heavy grain of salt. My impression is they're often based more on relationships/knowing someone who knows someone than political values/beliefs, and the folks handing out the endorsements often times know very little about the candidate's actual campaign platforms or the dynamics of the race. I believe endorsements in general are highly overrated.
I can see why. Debbie is a great supporter of the community and has generally stood behind values we most support (our council generally all votes together without dissention). Ben is a newcomer to this arena but listening to him fills you with hope. He brings a supportive vision of truth and justice. If we are looking for progress, and heightened community action, it could very well be Ben! And there becomes the dilemma!
All sturgeons aside, I think your assessments make for a very good read. I wanted to add that the 1000 Friends of Martinez held a Q&A forum last week. They have endorsed Brianne but invited all of the candidates and only Bri, Debbie, Ben, and Nakenya showed up. I suppose the other candidates felt like they shouldn’t waste their time. This is the 2nd time Jay Howard has not given Martinez voters his opinions on certain issues. I would’ve have liked to hear him. Everyone held their own in that forum but Nakenya addressed something no one has talked about and that’s the public’s trust. Trust has definitely eroded in town. Now we find out that yet another city manager is leaving. Have we hired a Chief for our police department yet?
Thanks, Marlene. Appreciate the support!
Thanks for the update on Martinez losing (yet another) city manager. I long ago lost count of how many city managers we've gone through in the 24 years I've lived here. We've had two mayors in roughly 40 years, but the most important position in the daily lives of residents changes hands more often than Italy changes governments (maybe fitting giving our city's Italian-American heritage). Normally functioning cities change mayors every year or two and keep their city managers around for five, 10 or more. What we have in Martinez is dysfunctional chaos. But, hey, at least we have the Sturgeon!
Speaking of sturgeon, I once heard the following story about this incredible species (which may be just an old fisherman's tale but is telling nonetheless). A fisherman in the Bay was struggling mightily one day to haul one of these behemoths into his boat, but the sturgeon would not relent. Finally, as he tried yet again to wrestle it into the boat, he pulled out a pistol and shot the powerful fish in the head. The sturgeon's skull was so thick that the bullet ricocheted off the head and put a hole in his boat. Suffice to say, the sturgeon got away.
Turns out that the sturgeon (or at least its skull) may be a more fitting mascot for Martinez (or at least Martinez politics) than anyone imagined. Now, we just need a caviar (sturgeon eggs) bar on Main Street to host the next round of candidate meet and greets in two years.
HA! Hey, I have been here for 46 years. We have had 3 mayors since we’ve been here: Sparacino, Eric Shrader, and Rob Schroeder. Rob has held that job the longest. I am glad he has stepped aside.
Wow! Pleasant Hill sees more mayors in four years than you've seen in 46! Wonder which city is the better for it? But you forgot Menesini, right?
Oops! Yep, I sure did!🤪 Mike served two terms and I want to correct Eric’s last name. I think it should be Shaffer not Schrader.
Pleasant Hill has had their mayor for a long time but he is very effective. He listens to the business leaders. They have grown exponentially under their council’s leadership and the residents are enjoying the increase in the values of their homes.
I was very disappointed that Jay Howard didn't show up too, but I realized that there were other forums, and some candidates just can't make it to every single one of them. I look forward to hearing him speak at some point. I did see him responding to individual comments on a Facebook post of his regarding hot topics, and that was appreciated. Not all candidates do that.
And I asked about a police chief in R&R recently. Apparently they have been recently interviewing people for the position while we currently still have an acting chief that replaced another person who stood in immediately after Sappal left.
When the Martinez Sturgeon were playing, Joe DiMaggio Field 3 in the Marina was the most racially diverse place in Martinez. We had white, black and Hispanic players, all of whom contributed. Coach Manny Corpas shouted out instructions and encouragement to his players in both English and Spanish. And the fans cheered them all.
Great to hear! Maybe DeLaney and McKillop can link the Sturgeon and racial diversity/inclusion in their platforms now.
I guess everyone who doesn't care about baseball is out of luck, though.
Since the Sturgeon are such a great success story, maybe we can keep it going and bring our own semipro football team to town. We can pattern it after the NFL. Most of the players will be Black, so that's good for diversity, the coaches will all be White, just like our elected leaders and the NFL, and no one will care about the health or safety of the players, because their only job is to entertain us. My suggestion for the team name will be the Martinez Entrepreneuers, in honor of our beloved downtown small businesses!
Hmmmm, I'm reading your NFL proposal as mockery ... of me? ... of a successful, racially diverse sports team that’s a credit to our town?
No, not mocking you. Sorry if it came across that way, Tino. Just trying to inject some lighthearted satire into this project.
That's great if the Sturgeons are creating some diversity and community harmony in town. I'm a baseball fan and went out to see the old Clippers once or twice. I'm just observing that certain politicians in town are more interested in talking about baseball in their campaign platforms than in addressing racial equity efforts that they have been part of over the last few years. After all, didn't they create the anti-discrimination task force? I'm just curious why they're more interested in talking about baseball than this topic that thrust Martinez into the national spotlight a couple years ago? Could it be that they're afraid of losing the MAGA vote in what's shaping up to be competitive races in which every vote will count? And if so, does that really equate to political courage? ("courage" appears on DeLaney's campaign signs).
I'm just offering some food for thought here. Again, sorry for my kneejerk reaction to your comment; the satire/mockery wasn't directed at you. Last thing I want to do is offend folks who take the time to comment on these posts. My apologies, Tino.
Thank you!
According to Debbie McKillop's and Ben Therriault's websites, they are BOTH endorsed by PH Council member and County Board of Supervisor's candidate Ken Carlson.
Thanks for pointing that out! I recall things like this happening before where groups or individuals inadvertently endorse different people in the same race. In my opinion, endorsements should be taken with a heavy grain of salt. My impression is they're often based more on relationships/knowing someone who knows someone than political values/beliefs, and the folks handing out the endorsements often times know very little about the candidate's actual campaign platforms or the dynamics of the race. I believe endorsements in general are highly overrated.
I can see why. Debbie is a great supporter of the community and has generally stood behind values we most support (our council generally all votes together without dissention). Ben is a newcomer to this arena but listening to him fills you with hope. He brings a supportive vision of truth and justice. If we are looking for progress, and heightened community action, it could very well be Ben! And there becomes the dilemma!