Above caricature-- Ken Clark, by Tomo Y .

Mayor of Marina

Ken Gray

The citizens of Marina are lucky. They have two competent mayoral candidates to choose from: incumbent Mayor Jim Perrine and challenger Ken Gray. That''s more than some other area voters have.

As a two-term councilmember and a one-term mayor, Perrine has served his city well. However, we think his support of the city''s new general plan, which allows for development of 900 acres of the Armstrong Ranch over the next 20 years, is too reckless given the region''s housing pressure and proven pattern of sprawl. Perrine argues that the 3,500 homes planned for the ranch are needed to support new jobs that will be created by the economic redevelopment of Fort Ord. He also stresses that the city can control growth and link the housing to jobs by implementing a growth management ordinance. Perrine is committed to negotiating with the ranch''s developer to give preference to local buyers. Still, we feel that''s not enough to keep an influx of Silicon Valley commuters from gobbling up the houses, and we think it sets a dangerous precedent for Marina.

We find that Gray, a resource planner with California State Parks, articulates values more closely aligned with those held by this newspaper and the community at large. His approach to growth and economic development is more cautious. As founder of the group Marina 2020 Vision, Gray is the point man for Measure E, the Marina Urban Growth Boundary Initiative, which we also support (see page 27). We believe Gray''s slow-growth approach to development is good for Marina and the county as a whole. His organization''s initiative would allow development of about 1,000 homes on 300 acres of Armstrong Ranch. It would also set clear limits for developers, force the city to maximize urban infill opportunities, and prohibit development of Marina''s environmentally sensitive coastline. Obviously, Marina faces other issues besides development. And in our opinion, Gray demonstrates an intelligence and thoughtfulness that shows us he''s capable of leading the city, no matter what the issue.

Marina City Council K

Bruce Delgado
Michael Morrison

Bruce Delgado, a biologist with the federal Bureau of Land Management, would bring a needed environmentalist voice to the Marina City Council. As a supporter of the Urban Growth Boundary Initiative, Bruce Delgado shares initiative author Ken Gray''s vision for slow growth on the Armstrong Ranch and prohibition of coastal development. We like Delgado''s ideas for creating pedestrian-only villages on Fort Ord. Delgado also stresses the need for Marina to concentrate on redeveloping its Reservation Road downtown area.

Businessman Michael Morrison doesn''t support the Urban Growth Boundary Initiative; he believes it''s too inflexible. However, his commitment to affordable housing and his staunch support of smart-growth concepts, like clustering homes around mass transit centers, won us over. And Morrison''s vision of a European-style, mixed-use downtown, with businesses downstairs and housing upstairs, is intriguing. Morrison also wants to see Marina offer more programs for its seniors.

Mayor of Monterey

Dan Albert

Without even evaluating the record of incumbent Monterey Mayor Dan Albert, we can endorse him for an eighth term merely by process of elimination. Neither of his opponents, Barbara Bass Evans or Bob Oliver, is ready to lead the city. Businessman Oliver demonstrates a vague grasp of city government''s purpose, evidenced by his proposal that Monterey run a toxic waste unit to help gas stations comply with state and federal environmental laws.

As for Evans, she is a tireless activist who has forced important change in terms of coastal protection and historic preservation. But we can''t figure out why she insists on holding the Monterey City Council accountable for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District''s financial blunders. The district desperately needs an estimated $60 million in facility repairs and upgrades, and was forced to slash special programs this year. Evans, a retired school administrator, proposes raising the city''s Transient Occupancy Tax to fund school programs and suggests making redevelopment funds available to the district for school repairs. Yet the district is a separate jurisdiction that has its own means--such as bond issues, developers'' fees, and emergency state loans--to finance school repair. We don''t hear the district clamoring for a handout from Monterey. In fact, the city offered to take over the maintenance of all school buildings and facilities, potentially saving the district millions of dollars. MPUSD declined the offer.

Moreover, to hand over city taxpayers'' money to a district that serves four other cities and part of the unincorporated county would be fiscally derelict, if not downright illegal. Even if the money stayed within the city limits, the inequity created would undermine the basic premise of having a regional school district--to provide equal educational opportunities to kids from an array of economic, social and ethnic backgrounds.

We think Mayor Albert has been reasonably responsive to citizens--including Evans--these past two years. Albert stood firm against the massive Cannery Row Marketplace and the council followed his lead, voting unanimously to turn it down. Yes, the Marketplace is coming back, and we believe Albert will again exercise wisdom in evaluating the new project on its own merits. We''re glad to see a new historic master plan (although it has yet to be implemented) and a council-backed initiative to permanently preserve open space in the city. We endorse Dan Albert.

Monterey City Council

Kathy Clark
Clyde Roberson

We support incumbent Clyde Roberson''s continued commitment to the city''s citizens, neighborhoods and environment. Some local activists have voiced concerns that Roberson is a turncoat when it comes to environmental issues. We don''t see it, his voting record doesn''t reflect it, and we think he offers a voice of reason in those sometimes emotionally charged council meetings.

Kathy Clark seems to be a thoughtful, balanced candidate whose greatest fault is her relative newness to the area--she moved to Monterey six months ago. But we don''t think that''s a reason to write her off. Clark offers creative ideas, including instituting a free, citywide transit system and providing more cultural activities to citizens.

Although 17-year incumbent Theresa Canepa clearly has her supporters, we do not agree with some of her positions, such as her overly staunch defense of property rights and her continued resistance to historic preservation on Cannery Row.

Mayor of Pacific Grove

Sandy Koffman

Nothing would make us feel better than yelling, "Off with her head!" The current and past Pacific Grove city councils'' lack of attention to infrastructure problems, most notably its sewer and storm drain systems, is indefensible. However, doing what feels good is not always the best thing to do.

Sandy Koffman, by Tomo Y.

When incumbent Mayor Sandy Koffman won her seat from Jeanne Byrne in 1994, the city was sharply divided between the environmental and business camps. Walking a tightrope between the two, Koffman was able to create a more harmonious working atmosphere, as evidenced by the 1998 election when she ran unopposed for re-election. For bringing the city together, we applaud Mayor Koffman; for failing to move the city forward on anything beyond the civic center, we give Koffman thumbs down.

Unfortunately, we don''t think Koffman''s opponent would make the city a better place. Susan Goldbeck, as publisher of The Beacon, has been a tenacious critic of the current administration, and for that she deserves credit. She also seems to have a solid grasp on the issues facing the city. But we question her judgment in having used her newspaper as a springboard for her own political aspirations, and with her position already thus compromised, we do not believe she could unite the council and move the city forward. However, as Goldbeck transitions out of her role as newspaper publisher, we encourage her to become more involved in city politics.

Therefore, reluctantly, we give the nod to Sandy Koffman. But we caution the mayor that image fixes--like her Vanna White-esque infomercial pointing out the pretty aspects of "my hometown"--are irrelevant when sewage is flooding Main and flowing into the bay. Mayor Koffman, right now America''s last hometown stinks--literally--and it''s time for you to lead the charge into action and create lasting solutions.

Pacific Grove City Council

Bill Corcoran
Jim Costello
Bob Davis

The amount of feces that has hit the fan (or at least flowed into the bay) in Pacific Grove should serve as a wake-up call for both the citizens and the City Council in Butterfly Town, USA.

Perhaps what Pacific Grove needs more than anything right now is a wonk or two--people who are able to immerse themselves in numbers and find ways to solve the city''s infrastructure problems while maintaining a balanced budget. In that regard, we feel that Bill Corcoran, who has served on the traffic commission and the city''s compensation committee, and who''s making his first bid for elected office, is an ideal choice. We think his neutrality would be a welcome addition to the council.

Similarly, we think Bob Davis would complement the current council. When Davis served as a councilmember from 1990 through 1998, he was often considered a swing vote on the then-divided council. Like Corcoran, he is a detail guy who would serve this council well.

And, finally, there''s incumbent Jim Costello, who strikes us as being both independent and a straight shooter, a man who blends environmental idealism with political pragmatism. Costello was appointed to office in 1995 to fill Flo Schaeffer''s term when she resigned, and is now seeking his second elected term to office. With his experience, we think that Costello could--and should--assert himself in the coming years as a leader on the council, driving his cohorts to find solutions to the problems faced by the city.

Mayor of Salinas

Anna Caballero

The city of Salinas has reached a pivotal point at which the decisions made about housing, violence and traffic will profoundly impact the wellbeing of its 140,000 residents. With almost 10 years of experience on the council, attorney and incumbent Mayor Anna Caballero has a strong command of the issues facing Salinas and has taken some positive steps toward improving residents'' quality of life.

Caballero shows genuine concern for residents living in Salinas'' crime-infested neighborhoods, and initiated the "Cultivating Peace" program to unite this community in a peace movement that involves parents in the schools and increased opportunities for youth. She is cooperating with the Salinas Redevelopment Agency to revive Salinas'' faltering Oldtown with new business development. And most recently, Caballero--who has hardly been a development watchdog--has joined her fellow councilmembers in strenuously (and now litigiously) opposing Cisco Systems'' approved development in Coyote Valley.

We have bemoaned Caballero''s willingness to expand Salinas'' boundaries, which has manifested in votes supporting the auto mall across Highway 101 and the Mountain Valley development. But Caballero is our clear choice for Salinas mayor.

Salinas City Council

Gloria de la Rosa
Ernesto Gonzales
Jyl Lutes

The Salinas City Council elections don''t present many tough choices, seeing as each district essentially has only one qualified candidate. We were a bit baffled, actually, at how little some of the candidates knew about their desired post: One candidate had never heard of Cisco Systems or its potential impact to the city, several were unaware that such a thing as the general plan existed, and many had never laid eyes on the city budget. We salute all citizens eager to serve the public good, but we must recommend a bit more background work.

The real pro on the scene is District 6 incumbent Jyl Lutes, an elementary school teacher who brings a wealth of knowledge and spunk to the Salinas race. Lutes'' major issue is growth, and while she has thrown her weight behind several controversial developments, she speaks with authority on the need to beef up Salinas'' hotel tax base and has been a key voice against the Cisco Systems development. Although Lutes'' opponent, J.T. James, is also better informed than most other candidates and has some good thoughts on containing sprawl, we cast our vote with Lutes.

Gloria de la Rosa doesn''t have to do much to shine brightly in District 4. Half of it is due to her opponents: Alice Moe, a staunch conservative who is out of touch with modern thinking on diversity and uninformed about local issues; and newcomer David Martinez, who brought some good ideas on violence prevention to the table but had few thoughts on development. De la Rosa is well versed on the city budget and is committed to increasing affordable housing and mass transit. We endorse de la Rosa, but suggest she invest in a Palm Pilot (she missed two Weekly endorsement meetings).

Ernesto Gonzalez in District 1 doesn''t take a very strong stance on growth issues, but has positive instincts and offers up good ideas in the areas of education and violence. And considering that his competitor, Malvina Torres, appears to be more focused on neighborhood organizing than the functions of city government, we give our vote to Gonzalez.

Mayor of Seaside

Jerry Smith

It''s not as if we have a choice here. Incumbent Mayor Jerry Smith is officially running unopposed for his second term as Seaside''s mayor. Although we think the political process is better served when there are opposition candidates who help shape the political debate in any race, we are relieved that the acrimony that has marked so much of Seaside''s recent past is absent this year.

We are impressed that Smith weathered a turbulent first year in office that saw the resignation of a city councilmember and a city manager, as well as a special election to replace the missing councilmember. Also, we are pleased that Smith followed through on his ''98 campaign promise to review city contracts with developers hoping to build in Seaside.

We are less enthusiastic about the mayor''s inability to reach a compromise that would have avoided a special election, for his inability to avoid sometimes childish sparring sessions with Councilmember Darryl Choates, and for his failure to communicate with citizens that the city is moving forward on the many projects facing it.

Now that a new city manager is on board, and it appears that Smith will have a supportive City Council with which to work, we urge the mayor to press forward with a unified plan for redeveloping the city proper--and to keep the public informed of the city''s progress.

Seaside City Council

Tom Collins
Ralph Rubio

We had a tough time making a decision in this race. While voters in other municipal elections are forced to choose the lesser of several evils, Seaside voters get to choose the greater of three--arguably four--goods.

At stake are two council seats: the one currently held by Steve Bloomer, who is running for re-election, and the one vacated by Nancy Amos. Joining Bloomer in the race for those two seats are Tom Collins and Ralph Rubio and former mayor Lance McClair. For us, it was a difficult choice between Bloomer, Collins and Rubio; McClair''s previous accomplishments are noteworthy, but the multitude of legal entanglements and controversies he has generated make it impossible to endorse him.

Next week''s successful candidates will join Mayor Jerry Smith and Councilmember Tom Mancini, both of whom seem to be more process-oriented than visionary, and Councilmember Darryl Choates, who is in a league of his own (that''s not necessarily a good thing). For that reason, the candidates we chose to endorse were those who have enunciated new ideas to energize the city. We feel those candidates are Tom Collins and Ralph Rubio.

We particularly like Collins'' ideas for a business incubator, bike lanes and multiple use (residential and commercial) buildings on lower Broadway. Of all the candidates we spoke to, Rubio was the only one who discussed the importance of a unified city plan that would tie the businesses along Fremont to those on Broadway, creating a cohesive business district that is both attractive and financially viable.

We urge Steve Bloomer to stay involved in city politics, regardless of what happens on Tuesday, and we hope he will run again in 2002 when Mancini''s and Choates'' seats are on the line. He is a competent councilmember and has been a stabilizing voice on the council, but we believe Collins and Rubio better define a vision for the city.

Monterey Peninsula Airport District Board

Steve Dallas
Curt Gandy
Ralph Keill

Days before the filing deadline to run in this election, the news broke that two toxic plumes, the legacy of Naval occupation, were contaminating groundwater beneath the airport and the adjacent neighborhood. The race for three open seats on the airport district board filled up quickly at that point.

The airport district board is responsible for running the airport. That means managing its budget (the airport is financially self-sufficient and not on the tax rolls), determining what class of aircraft services the area, handling noise complaints, and now overseeing the Army Corps of Engineers'' cleanup of the mess.

We are disappointed by the incumbents'' complacency in general and about the contamination in particular. Longtime boardmember Dick Searle failed to respond to several requests for an interview. Twenty-year board veteran Patricia Faul, though knowledgeable about airport operations and sympathetic to neighbors, struck us as an unlikely catalyst for change. Dennis "Tex" Irwin, who has served on the board for eight years, was dismissive of the contamination and of neighbors'' concerns.

Three of the challengers offer qualities that would benefit the airport board. Ralph Keill, a retired physician and medical director of the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, brings thoughtful intelligence and a longtime interest in aviation to the table. Curt Gandy, director of the Fort Ord Toxics Project, is a former military pilot and is a longtime watchdog of the Army Corps'' mop-up of Fort Ord. Steve Dallas, an energetic Carmel developer, has a clear agenda for cleaning up the pollution, reducing noise and bringing back jet service. Dallas is a particularly dynamic candidate who has won a long list of endorsements for this relatively low-profile race and promises to be a force for change. We think these three individuals will provide much-needed perspective and energy on the airport board.