Hey Oakland kossaks: which mayoral candidate are you voting for?
From my apartment in San Francisco, as I sort the glossy direct mail into the recycling pile and swim through the voter guides and ever-slinging mud, deciding who to vote against in our pathetic gubanatorial primary, I look across the bay only to experience a spell of Oakland envy. This year, the Oakland mayoral primary offers a surprising array of good choices who actually talk about their own vision for their city, instead of how much their opponent will raise taxes.
One thing I like about this particular race is the contrast of the three front-runners, which makes for good drama (and voter usability, as a web designer might say.)
Meet the candidates on the flip.
Ignacio De La Fuente. De La Fuente immigrated from Mexico (illegally) many years ago, obtained legal status, worked his way up and eventually ran for Oakland City Council, on which he has served for the 13 last years. The protege of current term-limited out Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, who is currently running for state Attorney General and under heavy criticism for Oakland's rising murder rate, some fear De La Fuente is too friendly to real estate developers. The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed this candidate as the one which had "by far" the clearest vision for Oakland and the most specific policies that would take his city into the future.
Ron Dellums. Tall, regal, the former Congressman was almost as beloved by his consituents as his staffer, protege and successor Barbara Lee. The septegenarian Dellums has spent the last few years as a lobbyist in Washington, but returned to Oakland and was enticed to jump into the race by grassroots draft-Dellums movement. None of the papers that failed to endorse Dellums speak ill of him, but say he's too big of a star to be mayor, think he'd take too long to get back up to speed on the local politics of his home city, and does not have the hunger to prove himself. The San Francisco Bay Guardian, however, endorsed Dellums as a true progressive, and the guy who will stop De La Fuente.
Nancy Nadel. Technically this is a six-way race, but if you follow the polls, Nadel rounds out the top three. Chip Johnson describes Nadel as a progressive loved by her district and one with unwavering principles. The problem is, Johnson says,
"Her progressive ideals have often put her at odds with her colleagues, making it tough for her to get things done."
Which is puzzling because only two grafs later Johnson says
"Her compassionate legislative hand and steadfast support for the disenfranchised has earned her a reputation as the council's social conscience, but that moniker doesn't tell the whole story. With almost a decade on the council, Nadel knows how to make things happen, even if some of her initiatives have fallen short."
But from what I understand, she actually walks the streets of Oakland, meets her constituents, shows up, and wouldn't be a half-bad mayor in my town or yours.
So there you have it. A race where it's actually a tough choice, no presumptive nominee, no pre-ordained frontrunner. As the East Bay Express said, "A funny thing happened on the way to the Ron Dellums' Oakland coronation: A campaign broke out."
So, let's have it, Oaklanders - who you votin' for? And give us the inside scoop - you're up close, what's really happening? We're watching from across the water and have to rely on the so called librul media, and we all know how that goes.