Frankly Speaking — December 11, 2024

Should Tess Albin-Smith apologize for attack on fellow council-member Marcia Rafanan?

Skunk Train snarl, Fort Bragg Forever’s frustration play roles in conservative shift

A younger, and more conservative generation seized control at Monday night’s council meeting, shutting out the two veteran council-members. Tess Albin-Smith lashed out. She strongly criticized the speaking skills of fellow council member Marcia Rafanan. Many, including me, felt she went too far and should apologize to Marcia Rafanan publicly. Surprisingly nobody on the council had much to say about the harsh comments.

Not the audience. Tess’s comments, quoted below, brought strong pushback from several audience members but support from another in the audience. Andrew Jordan who said politicians speaking their mind is a good and rare thing and should not be punished unless the attacks are demagoguery for something else.

This is a conservative council with the ability to get things done. Judging from what I saw Monday their biggest challenge might not be getting affordable housing, getting going on the millsite or winning with a blue economy.  It might be the audience for council meetings they will be facing for the foreseeable future and whether they can control often fearsome special and self-interests inside city hall and in the audience.

On Monday, the three youngest council-members picked Vice Mayor Jason Godeke as the new mayor and Marcia Rafanan as vice mayor, the first self-identified Indigenous person to serve as a leader of the council.

Relative newcomers Jason Godeke, Marcia Rafanan and Scott Hockett overcame nominations from elders Tess Albin-Smith and Lindy Peters. Peters and Albin-Smith are considered the more liberal members as the council has become more conservative over the past decade. 

But calling any of them conservative or liberal is an oversimplification. Lindy Peters is a moderate and he is also an outsized personality which has a lot more to do with his fans and critics than his stance as a moderate Democrat. Tess Albin-Smith could be called liberal, but she gave one of the strongest speeches against changing Fort Bragg’s name before the council punted that ball into the stands. 

Scott Hockett has seven businesses and could be called conservative, according to those who know him but he has a wide range of ideas and will likely surprise many along the way. Scott Hockett acted confidently when he was called on to break a 2-2 tie just minutes after being sworn in. He voted against switching to a rotation system for the council, it was the first 3-2 split, although the next two votes were 5-0 and 4-1, the feelings were 3-2. Fort Bragg has a tradition of everybody being on the same team when a new mayor is picked and everybody supported Jason Godeke.

In the Nov. 5 election, incumbents Peters and Hockett won seats in a four-person race. They joined three sitting council members. By tradition, Fort Bragg picks its new mayor and vice mayor at the first meeting in December, then takes the end of the year off for a holiday break. The vice mayor serves as mayor in the mayor’s absence, such as when the mayor has to recuse themselves because of a conflict.

Mayor Bernie Norvell abandoned national political talking points early on in favor of finding a center where things could get done. How the ferocity of Marcia Rafanan and the obvious high intellect of Jason Godeke can learn from each other and temper any crud from national politics and the culture wars will determine much of the city’s progress. They are good people but how successful at facing the huge challenges ahead is not a given at this point.

The division had been more tense than expected on the rotation debate, which doesn’t seem to have a partisan angle but would result in Fort Bragg having a woman mayor for the first time in the 21st century sooner, be it Tess or Marcia.

During the mayor discussion, Lindy had nominated Tess, and Tess had nominated Lindy. They joined the vote but having lost the first two votes they wanted a victory in the vice mayor and boy did Tess really hit Marcia hard, seeming to criticize her reading and writing skills and essentially calling her a puppet. A lot of this goes back to the very weird vote the council made to allow chain or formula businesses in the Coastal zone but not in the other parts of the city under certain circumstances, resulting in the Grocery Outlet being allowed. Rafanan voted for the ban in the inland zone and against it in the Coastal zone. This split made no sense. But the whole issue really made no sense and was full of mind-boggling passion both ways. It was one of the most confusing moments in Fort Bragg history.

Paul Clark, long the conservative voice in favor of all development in Fort Bragg and a man with tremendous knowledge of the history of everything praised Rafanan for that vote at Monday’;s meeting. The whole thing was baffling but then it turned shocking for many. There were mostly all conservative commentators. Judy Valdano, another sage and knowledgeable conservative commentator returned. Paul and Judy are not the off the deep enders who now dominate council meetings, nor do they have hidden agendas. They are knowledgable old Fort Braggers.

The vice mayor process started with Peters and Albin-Smith being once gain being obviously painted into a corner.

Godeke nominated Rafanan; Albin-Smith nominated Peters. 

That’s when controversy erupted. Peters made a surprisingly strong push He said if the people were voting, they would likely pick him, based on how they had voted.

“In 2014 I received the most votes in the election. In 2018 I received the most votes. In 2022 I received the most votes, and in 2024 I received the most votes. And even if you go in rotation and do it that way, I think I would be in line to become the vice mayor in rotation, but I have, I think, more institutional knowledge than any of the other council members, which I think is important. And I also think it’s very important that if something happens to our mayor, our new mayor, that we have someone who can run the meeting, right off the bat, who knows how to run a meeting, especially one that’s got a difficult issue before the public.” ~ Lindy Peters

Peters said.. he is semi-retired and had plenty of time for the position while Rafanan is known for having a busy family and work life, as a manager in the food service industry for decades.

Albin-Smith then pushed hard for Peters as vice mayor and hit Rafanan hard.

“Marcia is a very nice person, she’s very friendly, but she’s definitely not a leader, not comfortable with public speaking, and sadly, we know that she is swayed by certain people who tell her what to say. So she doesn’t have original comments. The job of mayor and vice mayor is too important to give to a person who has no leadership skills. We need someone with a firm hand, quick decision-making ability, fortitude, and who doesn’t need or allow others to tell them what to say. I don’t think Marcia is qualified,” ~ Tess Albin-Smith said.

“On the council meetings. They should be able to read, understand and write decisions unassisted. They need to speak on complex city issues and deal with the public city staff and other agencies and officials. They need to know what to do when hell breaks loose. Just a moment, sorry. I don’t think Marcia has these qualities,” ~ Tess Albin-Smith said.

Godeke said Rafanan’s ability to work long hours and juggle family and community involvement makes her ideal for the job. Rafanan then argued her own case. She is known as one of the toughest people you will ever meet. She delivered a professional retort in a steady tone of voice, shaming the created drama by being calm and collected.

“I am not made of money. I know what it takes to live here. We need more jobs, not more walking trails. I understand this is a diverse community. I am part of that working-class majority of Fort Bragg here, like so many of us, I need two jobs to get everything done. That’s who I represent. I know how it is out there. I’m not a polished politician, I’m not a public speaker. I do have disagreements with you. I have my own mind. I don’t let people speak for me. This is just me up here. Anybody that knows me will say that.  I cannot be swayed on what to say or what to do. So I believe I’m a great match to be a vice mayor, because I know what our city needs. We don’t need another polished politician. We need somebody that’s real, somebody that knows the struggle to live and work here. That’s me.”

The council then voted 4-1 on the Rafanan nomination, with Albin-Smith voting no this time. She could have shown the proper boundaries between disagreement and making it personal by making the vote 5-0.

Albin-Smith’s comments drew strong criticism.

“I’m actually blown away at the comment that you made about Marcia not being able to read or her inability to be vice mayor, “ said Judy Martin, the head of the Mendocino Coast Humane Society who said she rarely speaks at meetings.

“I have known Marcia since I was 10 years old, and she is caring. She is strong, and the only way that somebody is going to be a leader is to get the chance and to not be belittled in front of the public and said that she can’t read or lead. So I’ve worked with most of you behind the scenes, and Marsha is pretty strong behind the scenes,”  Martin herself has turned from a shy newcomer to one of the most effusive, funny and strong leaders and speakers in Fort Bragg, running the Ark thrift store and the entire humane society and also being Rotary president twice.

Andrew Jordan praised Albin-Smith for speaking what she really thinks rather than the typical obfuscation that politicians do.

“I’m a very, very strong advocate of free speech. The cure for speech, whether approved or disapproved, is not less speech, it is more speech. I think that our city is better served by honest comments that are not ad hominem attacks. I don’t consider Tess’s comments (about Marcia)

to be ad hominem attacks. She was voicing her reservations and concerns, and it is better that she and every single other council member be honest about how they feel in making decisions for this city, rather than shading or pulling their punches or trying to be diplomatic when they can’t get their point across.”

Former head school bus driver Judy Valdano wasn’t having any of it from former fill-in bus driver Albin-Smith.

“I have never heard anybody talk about another council member and say the things that Tess Albin-Smith just said. It was uncalled for, and it’s actually not true. It may be the way she feels, but that’s not how a hell of a lot of the rest of us feel. Tess, you should be literally ashamed of yourself.”

Next, Hockett nominated Ryan Bushnell to serve on the planning commission. Bushnell finished third in the election behind Peters, who finished first, and Hockett, who came in second. Bushnell, a local heavy equipment operator, has been involved with the council since he joined the city’s official study of whether Fort Bragg should change its name. He was adamantly opposed and in the end, the council nixed the idea. That was a more liberal council than this one. I like Ryan a lot personally. We disagree on politics but we can both cast a shadow across a room like none of the rest of these poor little folks.

Peters opposed replacing Planning Commission Chair Scott Dietz with Bushnell. Peters said he was not voting no because of any issues with Bushnell, but because Dietz was the most experienced member of the planning commission. Dietz is also a former city councilman and although to the right of Peters on many issues, from the same generation, with the Monday night at Town Hall ruled by a younger generation. Losing Dietz is a big deal for the city, I can tell you.  As one of the area’s most accomplished Realtors with extensive city service and who had a great ability to compromise,, he has some great ideas I hope he continues to contribute, despite his Tom Landry like dismissal. The newcomers will find that getting development done on the millsite is much more complex than any of us imagine and they will need to bring the property owners, city, left and right together and build fences. The site is ideal for development but the pollution and the lies, extend back to GP burning industrial garbage from the outside  for two years, lying about it and creating dioxin, which they spread to farms. Some on the left have the crazy, crazy idea to make it all into a park. It will take some Abraham Lincoln-like leadership to solve the Millsite problems and the town needs this council to do that.

Fort Bragg politics have ridden on the rails of the Skunk Train, with the railroad stirring general outrage a few years ago among the public. A lot of that has been the city’s line that the Skunk stole the property out from under them with a secret deal with GP. In fact, the city had twenty years to buy the land and could have taken it by eminent domain, only the Skunk thought of it first.. Peters has taken a hard line on dealing with the railroad, which he said was the will of the voters, if not the council majority Peters drew the ire of the railroad in the last election and Jacob Patterson made it his mission all over the internet to defeat Peters. Instead this backfired and Lindy got the most votes. But people are no longer blaming the Skunk like they were. Hockett and Bushnell ran on a pro-business platform and on ending the Skunk-city stalemate and getting action at the former Georgia Pacific mill site, which comprises the entire oceanfront of the main city area of Fort Bragg. The area has remained the subject of debate but not development for twenty years.

A driving force in local politics has been Fort Bragg Forever, the organization that arose in opposition to the non-profit Change Our Name, which seeks to change the name of Fort Bragg to remove the legacy of slavery and failed Confederate general Braxton Bragg. It was only after both the city and school district considered changing the town’s name that the Change Our Name non profit really got going. The city had consulted with Native American people and tribes and found there was no consensus about name change. Many people of all political persuasions consider it a culture wars effort to whitewash history, literally. Best to remember who we were and to recognize we are just different, not better now. Just look at where we are politically for 2025 folks! I favor creating a Braxton Bragg Annual Fools Festival, with the comically bad husband and general being the clown shoes wearing host of a celebration of history as it really was.

As Change Our Name pressed harder, Fort Bragg Forever signs appeared across town.  A group of local business persons met for coffee at Laurel Deli, helping lead a group called the Alliance for a Better Fort Bragg, which was also backed and sponsored by the Skunk Railroad. The Alliance for a Better Fort Bragg endorsed Hockett and Bushnell while Chris Hart of the Skunk Train openly opposed Peters. In the end, Peters got the most votes while Bushnell and Hockett ended up on the council and Bushnell on the planning commission.

Before the meeting at town hall was a gala send-off for Mayor Bernie Norvell who has left the council to serve as the 4th district Mendocino County Supervisor. There were songs, champagne and dignitaries including Mendocino County District Attorney C. David Eyster, former mayor Doug Hammerstrom, and former supervisor Kendall Smith. There was sparkling wine and lots of laughs. Peters recalled how he was announcing Fort Bragg High football when Bernie played. He said Bernie was pretty good and then remembered some hijinks Bernie had done with other teens, getting laughter and retorts from Bernie, before praising how Bernie started out slow and really learned what he needed to know before he started talking, then never stopped. (Although nobody on the council can outdo Lindy on that one) 

This council had mostly harmony since at least when Mayor Will Lee took over, only to be confronted by the pandemic. The city has had nasty talk from fierce and unfair critics from Rex Gressett forward.

But Tess’s comments crossed a line of incivility that has not been seen before. Some want a recall. Really? That’s rich.

Considering the filth that we hear on the national scene every day,I think the protests from the conservatives have to be joking at this point. Nonetheless, this was still rude. Although Jordan is right, politicians should stop sugarcoating things, we see on the national stage how sewer talk leads to votes and bullying like demeaning. Let’s not do it here Tess and please apologize.

If you think I am a bit wacky for invoking former rail-splitter Abraham Lincoln on the millsite, read the biography Team of Rivals about how he brought together radically different political enemies to get things done.

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