2nd District Field
[ Excerpt from SBN-P article 12/5/2005 by BARNEY McMANIGAL ]
... Struggling to hold their party's weakened position in county government, top-level local Democrats are urging Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams to not enter the race for 2nd District supervisor.
Citing concerns about his age, ambition and ability to win the June 2006 contest, retiring incumbent Susan Rose and former Supervisor Naomi Schwartz have rallied behind former Goleta school board trustee Janet Wolf's bid for the Board of Supervisors... While none of the potential candidates has formally begun a campaign, Ms. Wolf and Mr. Williams' Republican colleague on the council, Dan Secord, say they will enter the race.
Mr. Williams expects to make a decision early this month. The 31-year-old started his unofficial bid with an ambitious game plan -- strike early and take the neighborhoods.
That's what the first-term politician said he must do to buffer calls from party leaders for him to step aside.
After shoring up his progressive base in a high-profile push for a "living wage" this fall, Mr. Williams aggressively courted Goleta Valley residents who have opposed the high-density affordable housing proposals many of his supporters demand.
But as the charismatic Democrat contemplates his chances of winning in a suburban district that stretches from Santa Barbara to Goleta, his strategy so far has failed to gain traction.
... The candidate who captures more than 50 percent of the vote would win outright in the June 6 balloting. If no candidate prevails, the top two finishers would face off in November.
Since Ms. Wolf expressed an interest in succeeding Ms. Rose earlier this year, the soft-spoken vocational rehabilitation consultant and mother of three has gained support from several Democratic heavyweights.
First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal, Ms. Rose's sole Democratic colleague, has offered his "unequivocal and full support."
Ms. Rose, who hasn't formally endorsed a candidate, frequently sings her praises -- citing Ms. Wolf's 11 years on the school board, Goleta Valley address and her gender as strong cases for her candidacy.
The supervisor from Hope Ranch has told Mr. Williams and other progressives that Ms. Wolf has the best chance of holding the seat.
But to boost Ms. Wolf's chances, they need Mr. Williams out.
"We shouldn't be competing with each other," said Ms. Rose, echoing a sentiment of several party insiders who would prefer to run one candidate.
As the Democrats try to clear the field, they have taken issue with Mr. Williams' willingness to leave the council after two years.
Some, like Ms. Rose, say he has an obligation to voters to finish his term.
Others question whether he is ready to serve at the county level.
After 12 years as supervisor, Ms. Schwartz argues that the position requires skills and life experience that Mr. Williams doesn't have yet.
"We want people sitting in those seats who have a good balanced perspective and bring some maturity to it," Ms. Schwartz said.
"Das is a young man in a hurry, and I just wish he would slow down."
Mr. Williams said in an e-mail last week that the endorsement of 2nd District residents matters more than that of party leaders.
He said he would run if the South Coast needs his voice to fight runaway development and the policies of the board's North County majority.
"The right supervisor should be someone chosen because they fill a need for leadership against a (board) that has abandoned sound planning practices and our traditional defense of the environment."
... The growth issue could carry great weight in the Goleta and Las Positas valleys, and along upper State Street, where residents have criticized affordable housing proposals based on their effects on traffic, congestion and neighborhood character.
Ms. Rose herself describes the fight over how to address the region's housing crunch while preserving neighborhood character as the leading challenge facing her successor...
Democrats want a clear field for supervisor race
... Struggling to hold their party's weakened position in county government, top-level local Democrats are urging Santa Barbara City Councilman Das Williams to not enter the race for 2nd District supervisor.
Citing concerns about his age, ambition and ability to win the June 2006 contest, retiring incumbent Susan Rose and former Supervisor Naomi Schwartz have rallied behind former Goleta school board trustee Janet Wolf's bid for the Board of Supervisors... While none of the potential candidates has formally begun a campaign, Ms. Wolf and Mr. Williams' Republican colleague on the council, Dan Secord, say they will enter the race.
Mr. Williams expects to make a decision early this month. The 31-year-old started his unofficial bid with an ambitious game plan -- strike early and take the neighborhoods.
That's what the first-term politician said he must do to buffer calls from party leaders for him to step aside.
After shoring up his progressive base in a high-profile push for a "living wage" this fall, Mr. Williams aggressively courted Goleta Valley residents who have opposed the high-density affordable housing proposals many of his supporters demand.
But as the charismatic Democrat contemplates his chances of winning in a suburban district that stretches from Santa Barbara to Goleta, his strategy so far has failed to gain traction.
... The candidate who captures more than 50 percent of the vote would win outright in the June 6 balloting. If no candidate prevails, the top two finishers would face off in November.
Since Ms. Wolf expressed an interest in succeeding Ms. Rose earlier this year, the soft-spoken vocational rehabilitation consultant and mother of three has gained support from several Democratic heavyweights.
First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal, Ms. Rose's sole Democratic colleague, has offered his "unequivocal and full support."
Ms. Rose, who hasn't formally endorsed a candidate, frequently sings her praises -- citing Ms. Wolf's 11 years on the school board, Goleta Valley address and her gender as strong cases for her candidacy.
The supervisor from Hope Ranch has told Mr. Williams and other progressives that Ms. Wolf has the best chance of holding the seat.
But to boost Ms. Wolf's chances, they need Mr. Williams out.
"We shouldn't be competing with each other," said Ms. Rose, echoing a sentiment of several party insiders who would prefer to run one candidate.
As the Democrats try to clear the field, they have taken issue with Mr. Williams' willingness to leave the council after two years.
Some, like Ms. Rose, say he has an obligation to voters to finish his term.
Others question whether he is ready to serve at the county level.
After 12 years as supervisor, Ms. Schwartz argues that the position requires skills and life experience that Mr. Williams doesn't have yet.
"We want people sitting in those seats who have a good balanced perspective and bring some maturity to it," Ms. Schwartz said.
"Das is a young man in a hurry, and I just wish he would slow down."
Mr. Williams said in an e-mail last week that the endorsement of 2nd District residents matters more than that of party leaders.
He said he would run if the South Coast needs his voice to fight runaway development and the policies of the board's North County majority.
"The right supervisor should be someone chosen because they fill a need for leadership against a (board) that has abandoned sound planning practices and our traditional defense of the environment."
... The growth issue could carry great weight in the Goleta and Las Positas valleys, and along upper State Street, where residents have criticized affordable housing proposals based on their effects on traffic, congestion and neighborhood character.
Ms. Rose herself describes the fight over how to address the region's housing crunch while preserving neighborhood character as the leading challenge facing her successor...
Democrats want a clear field for supervisor race
Posted by Malcolm on
12/05/2005
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5 Comments
Either way, the community loses. Das would be just as bad as anyone else!
Das. Go for it. Rose is the kiss of death for Wolfe. You do not want her support.
Hello Das, could you do us web readers a super big favor and fix the formating of this entry?
I have no idea how anyone could imagine that this "centered" text is easy to read. It isn't.
Also, the stark black background makes the bright white text hard to stare at. Its like staring at the sun. Do us a favor, align text to left and change your text color to a more muted white or the black to a color that is easier on the eyes.
This is basic web design stuff.
I stare at a screen long enough every day, and I want to read your site without a headache. The messages in the text are already hard enough to stomach. Please help.
Thank you for your input about the format of the blog. This is Das' dad writing. I am the culprit when it comes to this blog. I've gotten complaints about the black background and white lettering before, so have switched to more neutral colors. Please let me know if you have any further problems reading the DAS Blog and thanks again!
Das is awesome. he is everywhere, and he cares more than most do. We do not need more of the same on the Board of Supervisors...we need someone who will actaully defend our way of life and not compromise their values to protect the environment, our quality of life, and the itegrity of our government. Too often we see the Board of Supervisors not defend what the community wants and give us a bunch of lip-service.
Das in not just a proven listner and proven community steward...he will act!
GO DAS!
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