Although Judy Williams said she voted for City Councilman Dan Gjerde in his first council race, any common ground was long gone Friday night at a Fort Bragg City Council candidates forum at Town Hall.
Exchanges between Gjerde and Williams brought out strikingly different views among five candidates on hand about issues ranging from corporate box stores to city subsidies to attract jobs, to the community”s role in shaping the future of the former Georgia Pacific mill site.
Gjerde, after being personally targeted by acrimonious newspaper ads, was on the offensive, particularly against Realtor Paul Clark, whose phone number is on the ads. Gjerde created a picture of the six-way race for three seats breaking into two camps, with himself, challenger Meg Courtney and Mayor Dave Turner in one camp and challengers Don Romelli and Williams in the other. While Romelli and Turner did not put themselves entirely into either of these camps, those in the small crowd on hand said they saw clear choices on the issues among the candidates.
Incumbent Councilman Brian Baltierra, who was not at the forum, wasn”t mentioned by the other candidates.
Gjerde, while on the attack, also described a spirit of fairness by the current council. He didn”t see this as a contradiction. He said the candidates forum was the time to illustrate differences and for the voters to question why all the candidates are running.
“You the voters deserve to know where we all stand on the issues Why am I running? Why is Don Romelli? Why is Judy Williams? We haven”t seen Don Romelli and Judy Willliams at City Council meetings for years and now here they are as candidates. I”m trying to flesh this out as much as possible,” Gjerde said.
The differences
While the other candidates said community input should guide the future of the mill site in an open, public process, Williams said decisions were up to the property owner and that the community could have the opportunity for input after the private owner would propose a use for the 430-acre oceanfront property.
Gjerde and Romelli disagreed on the importance of giving incentives to businesses to relocate to the coast.
Romelli said incentives are imperative. “That could mean overlooking some fees, giving back some fees, finding some grants where if they hire local people and train local people, they receive some tax breaks. We are remote, and for a company to come over here, they have to have some incentive to open a business and hire here,” Romelli said.
Gjerde said he would rather strive to make the city a better place to live than use local tax dollars to attract businesses. He said no amount of “your tax dollars” would compel a business to move to the coast, but, if the town is more and more attractive, more people will want to come and open businesses.
“Look at the businesses that have chosen to come to Fort Bragg. It is a business like Dave Turner”s Flo Beds, people who want to live in Fort Bragg. My mission is to make this the best town in America. In the end, those jobs will be created by people that want to live in Fort Bragg,” Gjerde said.
Courtney agreed with Gjerde and said the community”s future depends on its unique appeal.
“Not to say we stop time. But we need to keep this very unique community we have,” she said.
She described the number of small businesses in town and the jobs they provide. “It”s sneaking up on us,” she said. “Maybe it is not as bleak as we think.”
Williams said Fort Bragg needs more shopping and work opportunities.
“Nobody shops a boutique or an art gallery on a weekly basis. They are not on my shopping list. It is great if they can hire one person, but they are not going to pay high dollars,” she said. She said the city is losing tax dollars when people shop out of town.
Turner described his idea to create jobs by playing off College of the Redwoods” Fine Woodworking Program and the town”s historic lumber industry.
On another point where Williams stood alone, Courtney said “no” and Williams a qualified “yes” when the question was whether they would support a big box store north of town. Williams wanted a smaller box store. The other candidates all said a box store wouldn”t be appropriate or likely for Fort Bragg.
Gjerde attacks in
opening statements
The event, moderated by the League of Women Voters, started with Williams giving a personal story of her years as a substitute teacher and wait supervisor at Perko”s restaurant.
“I don”t want to see Fort Bragg become an elite artist community where only tourism prevails. Because that puts people like myself as just part of the service sector. I would like to see a more viable community where everybody prospers and has a chance at an opportunity,” Williams said.
Turner, who spoke next, challenged Williams” criticism of the city at the previous forum (although he didn”t name her). He said she had asked “why we are messing around with the mill site when the roads need so much work?” and [she] talked about common sense.
“Common sense says you should find out what the community wants when you are developing one third of its town ? That study didn”t cost the city one penny, It was paid for by a grant from the Coastal Conservancy,” Turner said.
“And by the way, we are fixing the roads, too,” he added.
Romelli described his career in Fort Bragg beginning 35 years ago as a commercial fisherman, until he retired two years ago from his job as a sales representative. He said now he wants to get more people involved solving city problems. “The crime rate and gangs is something that has gotten out of hand in the last four years. This was a bucolic community when I moved here 35 years ago,” he said.
Gjerde said he had seen much dishonesty from “developer-backed candidates and from a developer in this town.” He attacked Williams for her criticism about why the city was not fixing North Franklin Street, along with South Franklin.
“This is about the most dishonest bit of political theater that I have seen in all my years of paying attention to politics,” Gjerde said.
“She knows the reason South Franklin is being rebuilt is that we funded as much of Franklin Street as we could using the sales tax,” Gjerde said. “She also knows that North Franklin is being paid by a state grant that I helped write that we are now receiving and that we can spend next summer. It made no sense to use your tax dollars to rebuild North Franklin knowing we had a state grant that we could only use on North Franklin.”
Courtney told how she fell in love with Fort Bragg when she and her partner Kevin Drake came to the town as part of his attendance at the Fine Woodworking Program at College of the Redwoods. She described her work as an artist at Edgewater Gallery, two years of work as a Fort Bragg planning commissioner, the Toastmasters Club she founded and how she produced an alternative energy forum at Town Hall.
Ads stir controversy
When the subject of the White Property came up, Gjerde described river studies that must be redone before the city can get additional water. The White property is the site of a large proposed housing project north of town, off Airport Road, whose backers hope for annexation by the city. Questions have been raised as to how the city can provide services to the project, especially water.
“A flier issued by the [owner of the White property] stated falsely that the city has a surplus of water and there is plenty of water ? That flier [inserted into the Chamber of Commerce newsletter], as the newspaper ads attacking me, does not attribute itself to the developer of the White Property, or to anyone,” Gjerde said.
“It was anonymous, and it is in violation of campaign rules because it is anonymous,” he continued. There is no campaign committee called Citizens for Fort Bragg”s Future. But if you call the number that appears on the ad you get a voicemail for real estate developer Paul Clark. Before tonight”s debate Clark was talking for about 10 or 15 minutes to Don Romelli and Judy Williams.”
Clark who, along with his wife, Barbara, owns Century 21 offices in Fort Bragg and Mendocino, stood up and waved to the crowd after he was named.
When Gjerde named Clark, the audience became hushed. A businesswoman whispered to this reporter, “That took some real [guts].”
Clark said he and his company have “been attacked by Dan many times. He seems to gain some backbone behind the microphone and camera, but it doesn”t last long,” Paul Clark said in an interview after the meeting.
“He never showed me and the rest of us citizens” any respect, and he certainly hasn”t earned any from me by his actions for the last eight years.”
Prior to Friday”s forum, Clark publicly endorsed Romelli, Williams and Turner on the MCN listserv, a Web-based community conversation. Clark”s personal recommendation came after Tom Wodetzki, an Albion resident and Alliance for Democracy member, personally recommended Turner, Courtney and Gjerde on the same list.
“I did get a kick out of Gjerde assuming that Don Romelli is somehow tied to me. He isn”t, but Dan obviously feels threatened by Don and Judy. I have known Don and his wife Marilyn for years, and enjoyed the chance to chat,” Paul Clark said.
As to the violation that Gjerde claimed, Clark said, “We have not met the requirement ? to file and have until the 26th per FPCC phone call ?. It”s the best money we have spent.”
Gjerde blames Paul Clark entirely for the ads.
They are full of unsubstantiated allegations, distortions and outright lies,” Gjerde said.
Williams said she knew nothing about the Chamber of Commerce insert Gjerde was upset about. She said she had never attacked anyone”s good name and she resented the attack on hers by a young man she once supported.
“Over the years I have watched the city grind to a halt on some of our activities and activities go on that shouldn”t go on and should be open for debate,” Williams said.
After the meeting, she said she had raised just $1,100 in her campaign and had less money to spend than Gjerde.
“I am only accepting small campaign donations of less than $100 per person, Gjerde responded later. “The fact that more than 140 people have donated to my candidacy simply demonstrates that I have support from a wide cross section of our community.”
Romelli responded to Gjerde”s comment about talking to Clark by saying, “Negativity is not going to get anyone anywhere.” He said he talks to everyone he can and knows many people after 35 years in the community.
“I have known Paul for a number of years. If you don”t have dialogue, pro or con, you won”t know where everybody falls on the issue,” Romelli said.
White Project gets
little support
The White Property development got mostly wait and see responses from the candidates and no direct support. Early in the campaign season, the city attorney had cautioned the candidates about taking a position on the project that could later be considered prejudicial.
Romelli said, “As it stands right now, the infrastructure probably can”t handle it. If you can”t take care of your own backyard right now, why acquire more yard?”
Turner promised to read all studies of traffic, water and other issues before formulating a position.
Courtney seconded Romelli and Gjerde and said she hadn”t met anyone yet in her door-to-door treks who wanted to see the large scale development. “We have this huge mill site property where we don”t know what is happening. We should be taking care of that,” which brought the lone cheer of the night, and admonition to the audience from the moderator.
Williams said she would wait for all studies before making a decision on the White Property.
And just what does Paul Clark have to do with the White Property?
“Barbara sold the property to John Reynen, and that was the end ? We have nothing to do with the development, other than our continued concern for lack of housing for purchase,” Paul Clark said.
Mill site ideas abound
Romelli said he would like to see light industry, such as a smaller mill, plus some land for public use on the mill site.
Gjerde said, “The important thing is there are three of us running for City Council who have consistently supported the idea that you should decide what happens on the mill site. Don”t elect candidates who would passively wait for some developer to come up with a proposal and then force you to come to public hearings and react to that proposal.”
Courtney said, “I”d like to keep its industrial character. Fort Bragg is not a Mendocino. We are a blue collar, working town.” She advocated continuing the public process.
Williams gave an answer that contrasted with the other candidates: “We don”t even own the land. It is not up to us to plan it. I think it is up to the owner of the property to decide what to do, maybe that is where the community input comes in. The developer and the community work together.”
Turner said, “The city doesn”t own it. But it is the city”s responsibility to plan it. That is why we have cities ? to make sure that development works for the citizens. Otherwise you don”t need us.” He described at length the open, public planning process that has been under way. He mentioned a high-end hotel, conference center, trails and an art center as possible uses.
Affordable housing strategies
Gjerde said he had done something about affordable housing by helping to revise the general plan to allow more commercial and residential mixed uses downtown.
Courtney said she supports alley-house renovation, as she herself has done, and more inclusionary housing. “We need restrictions or covenants to keep affordable housing affordable.”
Williams had a different take: “We have building permit fees that are astronomical.” She said a local church had to pay the city $20,000 for permits for a gymnasium project.
“Think of what the fees are doing to our home builders. If you had lower fees, you might have more people come forward and build homes.” She pointed out that less than a half dozen houses have been built in each of the past two years in the city. “With the number of people competing for them, how do you keep the prices down?”
Turner described the city”s inclusionary housing costs that mandate low and very low income housing. He praised mixed uses and alley houses.
Romelli said, “You have to have an economy that supports the building of homes. That means job creation. We should put more emphasis on creating a job base and not in the service industry. Most of these people can”t afford to buy a house here.”
Grants or jobs?
One question challenged candidates to say if they would spend more time on jobs or on procuring grants.
Turner, who said the city should do both, explained grants are the federal and state government”s way of returning local tax money to local communities.
“Grant money sounds like we”re begging,” he said, but added, “It is our money. We get 6 percent from the property taxes. The income tax money goes up … We have to write a good grant to get our own money back. Can we stop doing that? That would be insane. We are doing good things with grant money.”
Gjerde emphasized throughout the night how much time he has spent applying for grants for the city for parks and streets. He listed numerous grants that he has helped secure. He asked the audience to remember the 1980s and 1990s when council candidates spent their time promising to bring jobs. He asked how many jobs had resulted from all those promises.
“I think we all know the answer to that question,” he said.
Courtney said, “Everything is gained by grants.” She brought up the cost of the Iraq war as being a reason more moneys are not available to local communities.
Williams said grant money “comes with strings attached. One of the reasons it is so hard to do business with the city of Fort Bragg is we have gotten so much grant money for things and the strings and rules and regulations, we have to follow them or we lose the money.” She cited an unnamed business that had given up without trying because the city was said to be too tough to get a “permit” from.
Romelli said the city should apply for available grants and that city departments must be accessible and user friendly and that incentives should be offered.
Williams
fires closing salvo
Williams used her closing statement to criticize the current city council for “going around in circles,” taking 12 years to make a decision on a Habitat for Humanity matter, and for “using uncertified laws.”
She hit Gjerde on the “North Cliff debacle” in which the city lost a lawsuit to the developer of the hotel on the west side of the Noyo River Bridge.
“We have lost a lot of bed tax over that. I didn”t do that, but my opponent did,” Williams said. “Why do we still have these same people that cost our town a lot of money?”
“Those problems were created before I was elected to the city council and I have spent a lot of time and energy changing the planning process and hiring good people to ensure that those kinds of mistakes will never happen again,” Gjerde responded later.
Fourth District Supervisor Kendall Smith, who isn”t endorsing any candidates in the November election, said this forum was very revealing in differentiating where candidates stand on the issues.
“It really gave the city”s voters the chance to see how the candidates” ideas are different,” she said.
City Councilman Doug Hammerstrom, who has signs for Turner, Gjerde and Courtney in his front yard, wasn”t ready to declare a winner, other than the audience. He also said those who watched this forum got a clear picture of the candidates” positions.
Clark said the attacks on Williams were inappropriate but that she had “set him straight.” Local peace activist John Fremont thought Gjerde was “brave in citing Paul Clark”s attack and that Clark looked bad.” He wondered if the negative ads might hurt Williams rather than Gjerde.
Fremont said he would have liked to have seen a real debate. “The League doesn”t like candidates to question one another, but I think it would make for a spirited and enlightening evening,” he said.
The forum was sponsored by KZYX, the Alliance for Democracy, the League of Women Voters, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the Peace & Justice Center. It was shown live on public access station MCTV; check the station”s schedule in the newspaper and online for rebroadcasts.
