"Das is Dead"
[ Excerpt from SBN-P article, June 11, 2006 by Joshua Molina. ]
Despite election loss, Williams has no regrets
Tasting his first political defeat [2nd District Supervisor, 6/6/2006], Mr. Williams must now gear up for another campaign next year, when he seeks a second term on the Santa Barbara City Council. While some political opponents have been reveling in his defeat, many of his council colleagues, and other observers, are ready to move on and embrace him.
"Everybody loses. Hell, I lost an election," said Councilman Brian Barnwell, who lost a bid for school board in the early 1990s. "It is like playing a game of baseball. You miss, you commit an error. You strike out three times in a row. OK. The next day you come back at it. And he is a come-back-at-it kind of guy. He is young and healthy."
Mr. Williams spent much of the last six months torn between walking precincts and walking City Hall. His time was divided. He was distracted.
He became a lightning rod for controversy and was blamed for fracturing local Democrats who had to choose between him and Janet Wolf, who beat him by eight percentage points in the June primary. He finished third with 21 percent of the vote.
Cast as a man in a hurry, Mr. Williams usually incites one of two reactions in people: adoration or contempt. He ran for the post in the face of opposition from the political establishment and may never be forgiven by a handful of old-guard Democratic insiders.
Now, the 31-year-old is in the position of attempting to mend fences or he runs the risk of getting shut out a second time when he runs for re-election next year.
... colleagues and observers say Mr. Williams is far too talented politically and too knowledgeable about the issues that affect Santa Barbara to be in any real danger of losing.
"He is a worthy, viable and an active member of the community and he ain't lost none of that juice," said Mr. Barnwell. "Do I think he is going to have trouble getting re-elected? I don't think so."
Mr. Williams never seemed completely at ease on the county campaign trail. Usually smooth, articulate and persuasive, he came off stiff in his campaign commercials and lacking the charisma and magnetism that he frequently displays. His boyish smile was replaced by a mature, serious look.
An urban guy who backs affordable housing and environmental initiatives, Mr. Williams performed well in Eastside and Westside areas when he won his council seat in 2003. But he didn't play as well in the suburbs of the 2nd District.
Santa Barbara voters are more liberal and Mr. Williams has pushed a liberal agenda: living wage, environmental protection and affordable housing, in the city.
Even his political opponents acknowledge that his loss in the 2nd District was more about him being the wrong candidate for that constituency, rather than someone voters don't want in office.
The woman whose post he was trying to win, Susan Rose, said he has done some good work in Santa Barbara, but that her district wants a more seasoned and experienced candidate. She backed Ms. Wolf.
"I believe Das can be successful in the future," said Ms. Rose, who was among the high-profile Democrats who didn't want him to run. "But I absolutely believe he needs to finish what he started on the City Council."
Ms. Rose said that she was impressed with some of the things Mr. Williams did while on the council. But she also was agitated with his political "divisiveness."
"He has been impacted by what happened," Ms. Rose said. "If he wants to continue in politics, he needs to build relationships. The best thing he can do at this point is go back to the council and do the job that he was elected to do. And do his homework. I know he can do a good job if he does that."
It appears that Mr. Williams is already trying. On election night he went to Ms. Wolf's party, hugged her, and threw his support behind her. He and the rest of his colleagues on the council now all support Ms. Wolf.
In an interview with the News-Press, Mr. Williams said that although he feels disappointed about losing, he would feel worse if he didn't run.
He accepts his defeat.
"If it is the will of the voters, that's fine," he said. "If I made the decision (not to run) because of the will of a few kingmakers in the party, I would not have felt I did the right thing."
The councilman said he took a risk and "with risk comes the possibility of defeat."
Although one of his goals during the rest of his council term is to build stronger relationships with those unsure about him, Mr. Williams said he will not worry too much about the political opponents ready to write his epitaph. Whether he ran for supervisor or not, his political enemies still would have found something about him to criticize, he believes.
"The same people who are saying 'Das is dead' would have been saying it anyway," he said. "They would have said 'Das lost his nerve.' "
He is glad that his focus now is solely on the City Council.
"I love this job," he said. "I love being a City Council member. I love serving the people of Santa Barbara."
Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, who is a supporter of Mr. Williams, said she welcomes him back. Next year, he will assume the title of Mayor Pro Tem -- Mrs. Blum's backup and the second-in-command on the council. He also has four strong allies on the seven-member council and is part of the progressive bloc that could shape council policies for years.
"Das has a bright future and his whole life ahead of him," Mrs. Blum said. "His focus now will be on the city."
Friend and colleague Helene Schneider, who took a political risk by backing him instead of Ms. Wolf in the primary, said Mr. Williams will do just fine in his future political endeavors as long as he remains focused.
"His re-election in the city of Santa Barbara should be based on his work in the city of Santa Barbara. Period. End of story," she said. "No one, Das included, should be penalized for exercising his or her right to run for public office."
e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com
Santa Barbara News-Press
Despite election loss, Williams has no regrets
Tasting his first political defeat [2nd District Supervisor, 6/6/2006], Mr. Williams must now gear up for another campaign next year, when he seeks a second term on the Santa Barbara City Council. While some political opponents have been reveling in his defeat, many of his council colleagues, and other observers, are ready to move on and embrace him.
"Everybody loses. Hell, I lost an election," said Councilman Brian Barnwell, who lost a bid for school board in the early 1990s. "It is like playing a game of baseball. You miss, you commit an error. You strike out three times in a row. OK. The next day you come back at it. And he is a come-back-at-it kind of guy. He is young and healthy."
Mr. Williams spent much of the last six months torn between walking precincts and walking City Hall. His time was divided. He was distracted.
He became a lightning rod for controversy and was blamed for fracturing local Democrats who had to choose between him and Janet Wolf, who beat him by eight percentage points in the June primary. He finished third with 21 percent of the vote.
Cast as a man in a hurry, Mr. Williams usually incites one of two reactions in people: adoration or contempt. He ran for the post in the face of opposition from the political establishment and may never be forgiven by a handful of old-guard Democratic insiders.
Now, the 31-year-old is in the position of attempting to mend fences or he runs the risk of getting shut out a second time when he runs for re-election next year.
... colleagues and observers say Mr. Williams is far too talented politically and too knowledgeable about the issues that affect Santa Barbara to be in any real danger of losing.
"He is a worthy, viable and an active member of the community and he ain't lost none of that juice," said Mr. Barnwell. "Do I think he is going to have trouble getting re-elected? I don't think so."
Mr. Williams never seemed completely at ease on the county campaign trail. Usually smooth, articulate and persuasive, he came off stiff in his campaign commercials and lacking the charisma and magnetism that he frequently displays. His boyish smile was replaced by a mature, serious look.
An urban guy who backs affordable housing and environmental initiatives, Mr. Williams performed well in Eastside and Westside areas when he won his council seat in 2003. But he didn't play as well in the suburbs of the 2nd District.
Santa Barbara voters are more liberal and Mr. Williams has pushed a liberal agenda: living wage, environmental protection and affordable housing, in the city.
Even his political opponents acknowledge that his loss in the 2nd District was more about him being the wrong candidate for that constituency, rather than someone voters don't want in office.
The woman whose post he was trying to win, Susan Rose, said he has done some good work in Santa Barbara, but that her district wants a more seasoned and experienced candidate. She backed Ms. Wolf.
"I believe Das can be successful in the future," said Ms. Rose, who was among the high-profile Democrats who didn't want him to run. "But I absolutely believe he needs to finish what he started on the City Council."
Ms. Rose said that she was impressed with some of the things Mr. Williams did while on the council. But she also was agitated with his political "divisiveness."
"He has been impacted by what happened," Ms. Rose said. "If he wants to continue in politics, he needs to build relationships. The best thing he can do at this point is go back to the council and do the job that he was elected to do. And do his homework. I know he can do a good job if he does that."
It appears that Mr. Williams is already trying. On election night he went to Ms. Wolf's party, hugged her, and threw his support behind her. He and the rest of his colleagues on the council now all support Ms. Wolf.
In an interview with the News-Press, Mr. Williams said that although he feels disappointed about losing, he would feel worse if he didn't run.
He accepts his defeat.
"If it is the will of the voters, that's fine," he said. "If I made the decision (not to run) because of the will of a few kingmakers in the party, I would not have felt I did the right thing."
The councilman said he took a risk and "with risk comes the possibility of defeat."
Although one of his goals during the rest of his council term is to build stronger relationships with those unsure about him, Mr. Williams said he will not worry too much about the political opponents ready to write his epitaph. Whether he ran for supervisor or not, his political enemies still would have found something about him to criticize, he believes.
"The same people who are saying 'Das is dead' would have been saying it anyway," he said. "They would have said 'Das lost his nerve.' "
He is glad that his focus now is solely on the City Council.
"I love this job," he said. "I love being a City Council member. I love serving the people of Santa Barbara."
Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, who is a supporter of Mr. Williams, said she welcomes him back. Next year, he will assume the title of Mayor Pro Tem -- Mrs. Blum's backup and the second-in-command on the council. He also has four strong allies on the seven-member council and is part of the progressive bloc that could shape council policies for years.
"Das has a bright future and his whole life ahead of him," Mrs. Blum said. "His focus now will be on the city."
Friend and colleague Helene Schneider, who took a political risk by backing him instead of Ms. Wolf in the primary, said Mr. Williams will do just fine in his future political endeavors as long as he remains focused.
"His re-election in the city of Santa Barbara should be based on his work in the city of Santa Barbara. Period. End of story," she said. "No one, Das included, should be penalized for exercising his or her right to run for public office."
e-mail: jmolina@newspress.com
Santa Barbara News-Press
Posted by Malcolm on
6/12/2006
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2 Comments
Malcolm-the title of your post, "Das is Dead" wrongly and I believe dangerously suggests these are the words of some third party. In fact, these are your son's words, and were not the title of the article nor a quote by anyone other than Das himself.
Dangerous spinning.
Anonymous:
Thanks for keeping me on my toes. The title is only an attention getter; kind of like "Wolf Leads the Pack" -- meant to spark interest in reading the post, which clearly identifies the quote as coming from Das. No spin intended; more like tongue-in-cheek.
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