With no less than nine candidates competing for two open seats on the Clearlake City Council, the political waters have been murky ? but after a couple of months of campaigning and three candidate forums a clear picture is starting to emerge. Three candidates ? Frank Taylor, Bill Perkins and Jim Scholz ? support the city”s current policies and administration. All three favor subsidizing the proposed big box retail complex on the old Pearce Field airport site with Redevelopment Agency money, none object to filling top-level staff positions with personnel imported from out-of-county (and paying more than $3,000 monthly in “travel expenses”), and none could be expected to exert the authority that elected leaders rightly possess over a hired city administrator. The election of any one of them would perpetuate policies that would quite possibly leave no alternative to disincorporation.
On the other hand Joey Luiz and Jeri Spittler believe that city government should be responsive to the needs and the will of its citizens, and that the top priority for Clearlake should be the revitalization of the lakeshore business district for the benefit of residents and visitors alike. They”re both smart, articulate, committed, and energetic, and also running strong campaigns that have every prospect of success. To find out more, please visit http://joeyluiz.com and http://spittler4citycouncil.org
Although most of the other candidates ? Ray Brady, Estelle Creel, Barbara Grier, and Michael Walton — are attractive and intelligent, and like Luiz and Spittler advocate significant changes at city hall, none are campaigning seriously and none have any reasonable prospect of being elected. Votes cast for any of them will draw support away from Luiz and Spittler, and increase the likelihood of Taylor, Perkins, or Scholz getting into office. The bottom line: please support Joey and Jeri.
Victoria Brandon
Lower Lake
