At-Large Candidates for City Council | |
Two candidates are in a run-off election for the At-Large seat on the Oakland City Council. The Metro asked Rebecca Kaplan and Kerry Hamill to introduce themselves to Metro readers. You can find out more about the candidates and their positions by going to their Web sites. Also read their statements in the voter pamphlet. | |
Kerry Hamill
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At-Large Candidate Kerry Hamill
I am grateful to the Metro for offering me the chance to say a few words to the neighborhood.
I have been a member of the School Board for the last eight years. I am a manager at BART and have been active in my neighborhood (Piedmont Ave.) for 20 years.
During the 1980s, I worked in the State Legislature in Sacramento and helped to pass the nation's first gun-control bill—the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons ban.
During the 1990s, I served at City Hall under Mayor Elihu Harris and helped to start curbside recycling in Oakland. I started the MacArthur BART transit-oriented development project. Environmental solutions to urban problems is at the top of my list of city priorities.
I led the effort to restore the abandoned Old Merritt Community College Campus in North Oakland and transform it into one of the country's premier research facilities for the Children's Hospital.
As a member of the School Board, I focused on literacy—and brought phonics, systematic assessments for students, and regular teacher training back into our classrooms. In seven of the eight years I have served, reading scores have increased in Oakland.
I also passed legislation to keep military recruiters off our campuses, to locate health clinics on our campuses, and to build a "Field of Dreams" baseball field as a joint-use project between the school district and the City of Oakland.
All people have the right to feel safe in their own homes, in their neighborhood, on the school playground, and while they are enjoying a meal in a restaurant at night. We need strong leadership from City Hall.
I have a comprehensive strategy to beef up the number of police officers on our streets and change the relationship between our officers and our community to help reduce crime.
Our children need to be matched with services and support before they pick up a gun. I have a plan to better coordinate services between the city and county and school district. There is so much duplication among these agencies that without spending an extra dime we could dramatically improve services for youth.
'Lastly, our planet is in crisis. To successfully combat global warming we must carefully plan and develop urban core cities like Oakland and build new neighborhoods. The infusion of new capital will bring desperately needed new jobs and services to the city.
I'm not waiting for Oakland's renaissance—I have been an active participant over the last two decades. I know many of you have as well. I would be honored to have your support for At-Large City Council. Visit my Web site at www.kerryhamill.com to find out more.
At-Large Candidate Rebecca Kaplan
Dear Oaklanders,
This November, for the first time in more than a generation, the voters of Oakland will choose a new citywide Councilmember. I am seeking this job because I love this city, and I want to use my energy, experience, training, and dedication to help revitalize our community and build an Oakland we can all be proud of. If elected, I will serve Oakland full-time, as my exclusive job.
Eight years ago, at the age of 29, I ran for elected office for the first time. In that 2000 campaign for Oakland's At-Large seat, I was honored to receive 44 percent of the vote.
In the years since, I have continued my commitment to public service. I have worked as a policy advocate for the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, an outreach consultant protecting Oakland residents from predatory loans and foreclosures, a civil rights attorney, and an elected Director for the AC Transit Board. I have learned how to use policy-making to bring positive change to the real world: all-night transit service to cover BART routes after midnight, solar power, sustainable fuel programs, and funding for vital services. I have balanced budgets even in tough financial times and have built strategies and coalitions to turn ideas into action.
My background includes a bachelor's degree in psychology (MIT), a master's in Urban and Environmental Policy (Tufts University), and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. I am endorsed by a wide range of community, business, labor, environmental, and neighborhood leaders—including the Democratic Party, the Sierra Club, the California Nurses Association, OakPAC, and the Alameda Labor Council.
I am grateful to the voters of Oakland for your strong vote of confidence June 3, 2008, (when I came in first place in this primary election), and I welcome your support and your input as we work to build Oakland's healthier future with economic opportunity, public safety, and healthy neighborhoods.