City Council ’08 Candidates, reloaded

Over the last two weeks, we’ve been introducing you to all of the candidates for local office on the June 03, 2008 ballot.  We’ve given you the boilerplate biographies on Don Saylor, Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald and Sydney Vergis.

After the jump, we’ll introduce you to Stephen Souza, Rob Roy, and Sue Greenwald.  Also, get the skinny of future City Council campaign coverage and more editorial disclosures.

Stephen Souza is seeking his second term on the Davis City Council.  Stephen has a long history of community service and civic activism in the City of Davis.  Among many other activities, he is one of those dedicated people who has given up their evenings to serve on our City’s appointed advisory commissions: Human Relations Commission (Chair), Finance & Budget Commission, Recreation & Parks Commission (Chair), and the Tree Commission.

As a local small business owner for over 29 years, Stephen brings a unique perspective to this race.  He not only understands the challenges that face local business owners, but also balances these decisions with an emphasis on environmentally sustainable practices and smart fiscal planning.

“I’ve led efforts to save open space and agricultural land, to secure
funding for public safety services, to balance our city budget and to
address our housing needs while staying in accordance with the city’s
1% annual growth guidelines,” says Souza in an open letter to the community.

Rob Roy, a second time candidate for City Council, emphasizes green practices from an organic angle.  Often, his ideas seem to be from out of the mainstream, but even his opponents admit that his voice is welcome and often refreshing.

Professionally, Rob is a local teacher and part-time employee of Ben&Jerry’s (he managed it for several years.)  Rob has been extensively involved in the Davis music scene for many years with such institutions as KDVS and the Delta of Venus.

Although no information could be found about his current campaign, he focused on the following issues during his 2006 campaign: choice voting, growth by densification of the core area, and enhanced biking infrastructure.

Sue Greenwald also states that she is a big fan of bikes, going so far as to propose a Bike Museum in the City of Davis.  While that stance dovetails into Sue’s desire to strengthen downtown Davis, her main focus is on the growth of our community.

Sue is seeking the rare third term on the Council (having served as Mayor for the last two years.)

“Our planning decisions have a profound effect on the quality of our lives. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to make those planning decisions that will keep Davis a unique and wonderful town.”

Attracting high tech businesses to Davis seems to be a common thread with this group of candidates, and Sue is no exception.  She focuses her desire for more high tech companies on the old Hunt-Wesson property.

Well, there you have it.  We hope you’ve found this initial primer on the 6 City Council candidates informative.  In the future, we’ll try to not be so dry, ask some tough questions, and get your input on the issues that matter most.

And in the interest of blogger integrity, I must now recuse myself from any further posts on this site regarding the City Council election.  I am honored to announce that, as of two days ago, I am now serving as the Campaign Manager for Stephen Souza’s re-election campaign.

Beginning next week, we’ll have a new regular contributor to the DavisVoice.com who will focus on covering all of the twists, turns, and various -gates of the 2008 City Council race.

For a full editorial disclosure on the Yolo & Davis Election 2008 candidates, click here.