Question 10: What is your answer to the one question you've been eagerly anticipating, but have not yet been asked?

Todd Plate

What is the name of your baby on the way? Sophia Marie.

Why do you want to get involved with politics? I very much desire to focus the needs of this District and of this city on issues that will make Oakland better. I am tired of city power that only acts to promote more power. The political machine in Oakland has the power to do make some radical changes and yet they do very little. We need to be focusing on long term positive growth of issues and stop the squabbling and infighting that currently exists. Politics has become a bad word. Let's return to an era of statesman like actions, where cooperation and collaboration yield positive results for the good of all the people.

Aimee Allison

I would like to answer the question, "What is the most pressing environmental problems facing Oakland today?"

One of the biggest environmental challenges facing Oakland is the poor air quality up and down the freeway corridor areas, exemplified intensified by the exhaust from idling trucks at the port. Many of our public schools are located near freeways and our children's health is at risk. I would prioritize examining ways to improve air quality through various means - altering traffic speeds and patterns, traffic calming, enhancing public transit, encouraging bicycle use and pedestrianism, and halting freeway expansion efforts.

Another top challenge is Oakland habitat restoration. It is my priority to protect creeks and wetlands from further development, and to create a long-term plan to expand greatly the restoration that is now planned. Oakland should ensure that our parks provide habitat for native plants and animals. This is possible even in the most urban park areas such as in San Antonio park. I support replacing more some of the high-water use grass with other drought-tolerant native species.

Global warming will have a direct impact on Oakland 's and the entire region's water supply, sea level rise, and air quality. To start with, Oakland should answer Seattle Mayor Greg Nickel's call for American cities to individually comply with work to implement the Kyoto treaty on climate change. There are many actions that Oakland could take to reduce its share of emissions of global warming gases. For example, all of the traffic-related steps I noted above with regard to air quality would be relevant. Oakland can study and change traffic patterns, increase public transportation, and increase bike lines. In addition, the city should move as aggressively as possible to implement community aggregation of electricity that maximizes renewable energy sources, take control (from PG&E) of local energy efficiency programs, and maximize opportunities for distributed generation through local solar electric power. A strong mandatory Green Building Ordinance for civic, commercial and residential buildings should be passed ASAP. The oil shortage is imminent, and Oakland 's policies should advance long-term sustainability and ecologically-friendly energy, water, and transportation policies.

Pamela Drake

More recently I have become concerned about the real possibility that development is lurking on the horizon that would change the face of Oakland and particularly this district. We have been hearing about proposals to build large projects on public land from the lake to the estuary. Two of these projects would have very limited oversight by the residents of our neighborhoods and one, the school district’s 10 acres, probably none. I am not against development of new housing both market and affordable (including low income) but I am against a process that leaves out our residents and small businesses, ignoring local democratic control in favor of big, out-of-town developers who stand to reap windfall profits before we even understand the return of our public dollars.

The other two projects are the oft-mentioned Oak to 9th (thanks to this campaign only) and the Laney College fields project. All of these should undergo strenuous scrutiny before any ground might be broken (if at all) for design, use, environmental effects. It is disingenuous to say that land is not being sold (as Randy Ward asserts) that is going to a 99 year lease. While developers deserve a good return on their investments and hard work, the public deserves many types of benefits for its hard earned dollar, especially when so many of us are struggling here in Oakland

David Kakishiba

"All nine of the candidates sound the same. What is really different about you from the other candidates"?

* My Experience:

No other candidate has nearly the history and track record I have in directly organizing and engaging District Two neighborhood residents - across age, race, ethnicity, language, social and economic background - to find their own voice; hold their elected representatives accountable to the public interest; and to win tangible concrete improvements to their neighborhood.

No other candidate has been an elected official who has been a consistent, accessible, and results-generating advocate for whom they represent.

No other candidate has built and sustained important and valued Oakland community institutions.

* My Independence :

Three years ago, I ran for the District Two Oakland Board of Education seat. Despite running against an incumbent who was heavily backed by Oakland's dominant political establishment, I won that election with 56% of the vote on a campaign of getting real reform and real results for our schools.

Today, I am running once again without the support of the Oakland 's dominant political establishment. In fact, when Councilman Danny Wan publicly announced his resignation, several political insiders recommended to me that I not run - that I and no one else had a chance to win against the political establishment's candidate.

I decided to run for this seat because I - and many other residents - want an effective, dependable, and independent leader to represent the interests of working families and neighborhoods in City Hall. I am simply not satisfied with maintaining politics-as-usual in City Hall when so many of us are in urgent need for positive action.

Shirley Gee

Q. Why does this election matter in the overall scheme of things in Oakland ?

A. It matters because this is an opportunity for District 2 residents to determine the political climate of City Hall for years to come. The person selected for this seat will be the "proverbial" 5th vote. In 2006, we will have a mayoral race with a strong mayor format. Under this format, the City will need a very strong Council, but more importantly an independent City Council. District 2 voters can install a balance of power between City Council members so the Strong Mayor, whoever they are, does not have 5 automatic votes; thereby rendering citizens irrelevant to the political process. Most politically observant Oaklanders already see 4 votes moving in one direction on the City Council. Is District 2 going to install the 5th?

The other thing to watch out for is the "musical chair" effect and the Council Member who is or will be gone, but still want their finger(s) in the pot. The question is, do we want surrogates on the Council with invisible strings from previous Council Members or do we opt for truly independent, unencumbered representative, who can actually focus on the "people's business"? Past and present Council Members cannot have it both ways; leave and still be involved in Council business.

District 2 residents will want an independent representative who understands the nuiances of the political climate and is vigilant to the erosion of rights and a shifting of the balance of power within a citizen democracy. Such changes are often sutble and beyond the citizens' view until it is too late.

My work with League of Women Voters as a Board of Director has given me a real appreciation for the importance of instituting safeguards to our local democracy and it starts with having a truly independent voice, unencumbered by influences which are created via "quid pro quo". It is up to the citizens of District 2 to be discerning and to review who is supporting who and whether there is a "diverse base" of supporters (where there is parity among supporters) or a "like supporting like" base of supporters (which indicates an emergence of a power base). Too many of one kind of support (e.g., all politicians that are pro-development) foretells the decision making and activities of the 5th vote and this is inherently dangerous to the political process and should be avoided to protect our local democracy.

As has been said before, "in the end, we get the democracy we deserve".

Paul Garrison

The question that I would like to answer that I have not been asked is how am I distinquished from the other candidates and why am I the best qualified candidate? 

I believe that I am the best candidate because of my leadership and varied experience working in the both the neighborhoods, schools and City as a volunteer - not because I was a paid City Hall staffer!

1. I am a leader, as shown in the previous question, by:

• founder of a neighborhood association in a very diverse community - the Haddon Hill Neighborhood Association - on China Hill.
• Board member for Oakland East Bay Symphony - raising money for music programs in the public schools
• Public Ethics Commissioner - ensuring that citizens have the opportunity to participate in municipal government
• Cultural Arts Commissioner tasked with ensuring city funding is spread around to ensure a vibrant cultural scene in Oakland
• school volunteer through non-profits in the legal community - Charles Houston Bar Association & Wiley Manuel Law Foundation - to speak at Career Day and to coordinate a mock appellate advocacy competition for the Oakland public high schools

2. Professionally, I am a lawyer who specializes in equal employment opportunity law, a licensed mediator, and a senior bank executive for a Fortune 100 financial services company headquarted in San Francisco .

3.  I am the only candidate that is articulated a bold vision for Oakland and that is that Oakland should be a full service city.  We should keep our dollars in Oakland by attracting socially responsible businesses to set up shop downtown in order to fund improvements to parks, libraries and schools.  Why should our dollars go to Emeryville and Walnut Creek ?  Why should our property taxes continue to rise?  Oaklanders deserve better - we shouldn't have to travel to other cities.

4. I was also a runner up to the position in 2000 when the City Council had the authority to appoint an individual to the vacancy that was created when John Russo resigned his position.  The Council appointed Danny Wan in a field of four candidates.   I received the second highest number of votes after Danny Wan, who recently abruptly quit without notice.  Now Danny Wan wants to take the power away from District 2 residents to decide who their representative should be by endorsing and solidifying endorsements for his aide.  However, District 2 residents should vote for who they believe is most qualified -- Paul Garrison, a new voice, a new choice for a new Oakland !  Please visit my website at www.peopleforpaulgarrison.org.

Please help me take my experience from working to ensure that our neighborhoods are strong and crime-free, arts community is vibrant, schools are amply supported by the City and that the City government is open and accessible to all by electing me as the next Council representative for District 2.

Pat Kernighan

The question I haven't been asked is "Who is that handsome silver-haired guy who is often seen in your company?"

That would be my husband, Paul Gordon, with whom I’ve been hanging out for 30 years, (25 of them married).  He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Boalt Hall.  He’s been practicing business litigation since 1978.  He now has his law practice, Gordon and Goddard LLP, in Old Oakland.  He is part of a very close family of five siblings raised in Southern California , and is the doting father of our two daughters, Hannah and Ariel, who are now 23 and 21.  He is arguably the most patient and supportive person on earth.  Having urged me to run for this office, he now finds himself manning a phone bank several nights a week and knocking on doors every weekend.  If every kid in Oakland had a dad like him, we could cut the police budget in half.

Peggy Moore

Please join us Saturday April 16th from 12:30-1:30pm for the Community Electric Slide Line Dance!

Next to the Grand/Lake Farmer’s market. (In the field between MacArthur Blvd , Grand, and Lakeshore)

Music, fun, neighbors, family & friends. All candidates are invited, and will be given an opportunity to speak. If you don't know the electric slide, you can learn. If you know it already, you can teach.

Also, Marjo Keller from the City Clerk's office will be present to educate the public about the vote-by-mail ballots and how to fill them out.

Everyone welcome!

Feel free to drop by our campaign headquarters anytime for more information.

3217 Lakeshore Ave , under Monkey Yoga.

Visit: www.greatergrandlake.org