Palo Alto City Councilman Cory Wolbach and challenger Alison Cormack have taken an early but significant lead in the race for campaign cash, with each raising more than $35,000 as of the end of June, according to newly released campaign-finance disclosures.
Wolbach, an incumbent who strongly favors pro-housing policies and who is one of five candidates running for three seats, led the way with a total of $37,467 in raised cash, which includes sizable contributions from local housing advocates, tech professionals and elected officials. Aside from Cormack, a community volunteer who raised $35,299, no other candidate came close.
Wolbach's largest contribution came from real estate broker Monique Lombardelli, who contributed $2,500 to the Wolbach campaign. Members of the citizens group Palo Alto Forward, which supports a more aggressive approach toward building new housing, also supported the Wolbach campaign. Group co-founders Eric Rosenblum, a former planning commissioner and economist Stephen Levy each contributed $1,000, while Palo Alto Forward co-founders Elaine Uang and Sandra Slater gave $500 and $250, respectively.
Wolbach also received $1,080 from Jason Matlof, an investor and tech adviser, and $1,000 from Drew Dennison, founder of the firm Return to Corporation. Realtor Amy Sung also contributed $1,000, according to the finance documents submitted Monday.
His campaign also received a boost from other elected officials, including his council colleagues, Mayor Liz Kniss ($500), Greg Scharff ($500) and Adrian Fine ($250). Mountain View Councilman Ken Rosenberg gave $250, while Menlo Park Councilwoman Kirsten Keith gave $100.
Cormack, who was the second candidate to announce a council bid (Wolbach was first) also received significant support in the early months of the campaign. The former Google employee who led the city's successful 2008 campaign to pass a library bond received $1,000 checks from a variety of tech professionals, including Daniel Russell, research manager at Google; Lynne Russell, her campaign manager; and Google employees Sophie Bromberg and Allan Thygesen.
She also received support from numerous former elected officials, some of whom were in office at the time of the library drive. Former mayors Larry Klein ($1,000), Nancy Shepherd ($250) and Peter Drekmeier ($100) all supported her campaign, as has Joe Simitian, current president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
The other two incumbents in the November race -- Tom DuBois and Eric Filseth -- received $355 and $250 in total contributions, respectively. Unlike Wolbach and Cormack, who launched their campaigns in March, both DuBois and Filseth (who make up the council's slow-growth "residentialist" wing) didn't announce their re-election plans until late May and June, respectively.
Patrick Boone, who announced his campaign two weeks ago, has not filed a campaign-finance statement.
Comments
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Jul 31, 2018 at 10:51 am
Registered user
on Jul 31, 2018 at 10:51 am
Not surprising where the big money's going.
Weekly, could you publish the links to all candidates' sites so we can review their positions and also to see where we can contribute to the candidates of our choice? Thanks.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jul 31, 2018 at 11:50 am
on Jul 31, 2018 at 11:50 am
In this age of social media, it is likely that getting one's name out is no longer going to be done by lawn signs and junk mail deliveries.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are all much cheaper than the printed manifesto of the past and there is no added waste.
I suggest that virtual campaigning will make more impact than expensive bumf.
Registered user
Midtown
on Jul 31, 2018 at 12:37 pm
Registered user
on Jul 31, 2018 at 12:37 pm
[Post removed.]
Midtown
on Jul 31, 2018 at 5:37 pm
on Jul 31, 2018 at 5:37 pm
Alot can be deciphered from who donate & supports a candidate. Based on what is written in this article, my opinion is that McCormack & Wolbach are supported by pro office development crowd.
Just remember that Wolbach's first campaign theme was "civility", and he camouflaged his pro-developer bias.
I was hoping Arthur Keller would make another run.
Charleston Gardens
on Aug 1, 2018 at 8:56 am
on Aug 1, 2018 at 8:56 am
I hope Wolbach wins. We need dynamic, tech savvy entrepreneurial folks spearhead Palo Alto. We need denser housing as well as low income housing to cut down on traffic and carbon emission. Urbanization is eventual, let’s do it the right way.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 1, 2018 at 9:03 am
Registered user
on Aug 1, 2018 at 9:03 am
I'd like to know a lot more about Alison Cormack besides her role with the libraries which suffered massive cost over-runs, delays and problematic construction.
Why is she getting so much financial backing when most of us know so little about her? Has she worked on any other political campaigns?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 1, 2018 at 9:18 am
on Aug 1, 2018 at 9:18 am
I was very interested to hear when Alison stated that she was running but she has been very quiet since then. I blamed that on summer vacations and perhaps I am right, but it seems she must have been busy garnering funds and I wonder if this sounds suspicious.
On the other hand, Rick Boone only announced his intention to run very recently but I have seen activity from him on social media. I like that.
It worries me a lot to think that the candidates that have the most money win. I think there should be limits on money spent in political campaigns. But, that's just me.
Midtown
on Aug 1, 2018 at 2:01 pm
on Aug 1, 2018 at 2:01 pm
>Alison Cormack besides her role with the libraries which suffered massive cost over-runs, delays and problematic construction.
Her silence is strange. Her role on the library financing was to raise money. So she has an address book of major donors. Perhaps that's where her big contributions come from.
Her strategy seems to be raise lots of money and don't say a word. Not a word!
It worked for Liz Kniss, keeping silent about developer contributions, maybe that's Cormack's plan as well. They seem to be good friends, as Kniss compliments her from the dais.
[Portion removed.]
Registered user
Adobe-Meadow
on Aug 1, 2018 at 4:22 pm
Registered user
on Aug 1, 2018 at 4:22 pm
Vote no on Wolbach. He was instramental in saddling us with the Bike Boulevard and Complete Streets fiasco.
Community Center
on Aug 1, 2018 at 5:01 pm
on Aug 1, 2018 at 5:01 pm
These are incredibly big fundraising amounts to report even before when fundraising normally starts for city council campaigns. I hope this does not signal the increasing role of big money in our local elections that took a step up when Kniss ran in 2012 and then Scharff largely self funded his $100,000 campaign in 2014.
Adobe-Meadow
on Aug 1, 2018 at 5:42 pm
on Aug 1, 2018 at 5:42 pm
@Resident - yes, absolutely that's what it represents. There is big money at stake in Palo Alto, particularly in terms of real estate developers. No one who doesn't forswear developer money will get my vote.
Midtown
on Aug 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm
on Aug 1, 2018 at 6:30 pm
I was just speculating about Cormack's connection with Liz Kniss.
Now I see her election page prominently features her photo with Kniss.
That connection tells me almost everything important that I wanted to know about Cormack. Ask her to refuse developer money? ha ha.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 1, 2018 at 10:32 pm
on Aug 1, 2018 at 10:32 pm
Palo Alto Forward wants development of all types, not just housing. The PAF members of the Comp Plan committee were in favor of very loose or no office caps.
Cory Wolbach has been pro-housing, but also pro-office development. It was his motion in January 2017 when the pro-growth contingent took over Council to remove from the Comp Plan the downtown non-residential cap. Since the PTC turned down removing the downtown non-resididential cap from the zoning code, will staff wait until after the election to bring the issue back? Or can we see how the the incumbent Council members up for re-election vote on whether to retain the cap before we vote?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 2, 2018 at 6:50 am
on Aug 2, 2018 at 6:50 am
[Post removed.]
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 2, 2018 at 7:25 am
on Aug 2, 2018 at 7:25 am
Hey Palo Altans,
I’m one of the people who last election did not vote for Kniss or Wolbach or Fine or Tanaka. There was plenty of information back then already and excellent options. Keller, Carl were my favorites.
If you want to avoid another disastrous set of years of having to go to council meetings to have a council fighting residents make sure you think about what standard you set for this election.
Last election people took risks by giving great talkers a chance and relied on who knows what.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 2, 2018 at 8:44 am
Registered user
on Aug 2, 2018 at 8:44 am
This coming election is even more critical since the city counsel will shrink by 2 seats as engineered by former Mayor Nancy Shepherd as her final gesture to Palo Alto when she lost her seat.
Downtown North
on Aug 2, 2018 at 11:53 am
on Aug 2, 2018 at 11:53 am
I think there is a drain the swamp movement here that could be an unanticipated outcome from the establishment's attempt to keep their snouts in the trough a wee bit longer via the 9>>7.
Maybe Boone, Cormack and an August surprise?
I think Tom and Eric, with due respect, are redundant.
Or as David Lynch channeling Ginsburg once said: the Howls are not what they seem.
Charleston Meadows
on Aug 2, 2018 at 11:59 am
on Aug 2, 2018 at 11:59 am
Online name- Yeah, except it was the voters that made the decision
Web Link
Charleston Meadows
on Aug 2, 2018 at 12:04 pm
on Aug 2, 2018 at 12:04 pm
Try agsin
Web Link
And another rejection of pasz by the voters
Downtown North
on Aug 2, 2018 at 12:20 pm
on Aug 2, 2018 at 12:20 pm
[Post removed.]
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:10 pm
Registered user
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:10 pm
@Bogus Claims, I never claimed the voters didn't vote to approve Nancy Shepherd's plan to reduce the number of council members; I simply noted that the reduction is going to happen.
With resident satisfaction ratings for the city dropping 20% each year, let's hope more voters are paying attention now.
Charleston Meadows
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:39 pm
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:39 pm
Online name. Yeah except that nancy had little to do with it. She did not write any of the arguments in favor or rebuttals to the argument against.
Voters have been leading attention. Got wobfd think from this forum that voters do not know whom they are voting for and are all thrilled with the pasz slate in office.
On the contrary the voters disapprove of pasz and their candidates. They voted then it off the majority two years ago and they passed measure d which pasz supported.
Not the narrative that the weekly and online name/ Mauricio and others want you to believe.
Charleston Meadows
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:42 pm
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:42 pm
Whoops. Should read that pasz opposed measure d.
And nothing came out of the two years of walking and whining about the need for a recall. The opinions expressed by online name et al represent a minority of voters.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:54 pm
Registered user
on Aug 2, 2018 at 2:54 pm
Web Link
"The proposal to raise compensation for council members came out of a colleagues memo penned by Mayor Liz Kniss, Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd and Price, the same memo that also recommended extending term limits and cutting the number of council seats from nine to seven. On Monday night, the council agreed to pursue the latter proposal on the November ballot but balked on the former, with both decisions coming by a 5-4 vote. The issue of compensation was not considered on Monday night."
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:21 pm
Registered user
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:21 pm
@Bogus, many of us got involved with the PASZ ballot initiative to curb office growth ONLY because we got so tired of the congestion, parking and traffic problems so vehmently ignored by the pro-growth Council Majority and many city officials at a time when commuters outnumber residents 3:1, where costs of that growth are shifted from businesses to residents and where under-parked buildings are justified by "car-light" magical thinking. etc.
Contrary to what Mayor Kniss and her Liz Kids say, we DO have severe traffic problems.
Many people signing the ballot initiative petition wanted a total ban on office construction and had never heard of PASZ which lacks the budget of Palo ALto Forward.
So please stop blaming everything on PASZ and try paying attention to the what the residents are saying.
I respect the research that PASZ and former PA officials like Greg Schmidt have done and the hard numbers they've provided and hope those numbers inform the election campaign vs the magical thinking that we've got no traffic problems and that there's no relationship between the number of commuters and our city's problems.
Charleston Meadows
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:23 pm
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:23 pm
You are grasping at straws, online name- in your attempt to drag Nancy into the current council decision. So she helped write a colleague's memo. Not like she singlehanded got the measure on the ballot etc. The council voted for the measure to be on the ballot and the voters decided.
Time to move on from her.
Charleston Meadows
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:27 pm
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Online name- I have not blamed pasz for anything. I just pointed out that the voters do not approve of then add much add you would like us to think. The residents spoke at the last election and with measure d.
[Portion removed.]
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Registered user
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:33 pm
[Portion removed.]
Midtown
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:39 pm
on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:39 pm
Sometimes there is inadvertent humor in the news. such as
Contributors to Alison Cormack
Daniel Russell, research manager at Google;
Lynne Russell, her campaign manager;
(chuckle)
and Google employee Allan Thygesen who lives in Menlo Park, not in PaloAlto
Registered user
Adobe-Meadow
on Aug 4, 2018 at 9:16 pm
Registered user
on Aug 4, 2018 at 9:16 pm
Seriously, vote them all out, except, perhaps, Kou. The majority of Palo Altans are not at all happy with the direction our city is going.
Vote them all out.
Christmas in November.
Midtown
on Aug 14, 2018 at 2:45 pm
on Aug 14, 2018 at 2:45 pm
[Post removed.]
Barron Park
on Aug 14, 2018 at 9:46 pm
on Aug 14, 2018 at 9:46 pm
What a surprise that Wolbach and Cormack raised so much money!
Any doubt that they are pro-growth candidates?
I wish they would have the honesty to clearly admit it.
Registered user
Fairmeadow
on Aug 14, 2018 at 10:10 pm
Registered user
on Aug 14, 2018 at 10:10 pm
I like Alison personally, and appreciate all her work raising funds for the library, which we love. But I agree that she is being too cagey about her positions wrt City Council. Given that she is clearly affiliated with Liz Kniss and the other pro-developer crowd, I am not going to vote for her.
I hope others will join me in donating to the campaigns of Tom Dubois and Eric Filseth, who have brought skill and dedication to the council to try to make a difference for our quality of life over the past years. They have no agenda other than improving Palo Alto, and have spent endless hours to that end. I am greatly indebted to them.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 15, 2018 at 10:20 am
on Aug 15, 2018 at 10:20 am
>> I hope Wolbach wins. We need dynamic, tech savvy entrepreneurial folks spearhead Palo Alto.
We are drowning in traffic, thanks to Scharff and Kniss and ... Anyway, we don't really know where either Wolbach or Cormack stand, do we? That's a problem, because, if they were against further office space development, we would know for sure.
>> We need denser housing as well as low income housing to cut down on traffic and carbon emission. Urbanization is eventual, let’s do it the right way.
"Resistance is useless" "Resistance is Futile" "Prepare to be assimilated" "Your culture will adapt to service ours" etc, etc, etc
Oh yeah, sure, let's reduce traffic by building more higher-density office space.
No more office space!
Adobe-Meadow
on Aug 15, 2018 at 10:34 am
on Aug 15, 2018 at 10:34 am
[Post removed.]
Midtown
on Aug 15, 2018 at 6:05 pm
on Aug 15, 2018 at 6:05 pm
You only have to look at the candidate's website to see who their major supporters are.
Then you will know what you need to know.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 16, 2018 at 4:38 pm
on Aug 16, 2018 at 4:38 pm
At the moment, it looks like there will be three open seats. As far as I know, BuBois and Filseth are the only candidates opposed to the current massive office space overbuilding going on. I'm hoping that a third candidate will emerge.
Palo Alto High School
on Aug 16, 2018 at 5:48 pm
on Aug 16, 2018 at 5:48 pm
Alison Cormack is not "cagey." She's honest about her open mindedness, to not take sides but to instead be a rational voice of leadership and evaluate issues on their merits.
Her leadership in the library campaign demonstrated her ability to get things done, and to unite people toward achieving a shared goal. Her role in the library campaign was to lead the funding, not to project manage the construction.
If you're interested in the city council race, you should meet Alison and get to know how she thinks. She's very impressive and would be a great addition to Council.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 16, 2018 at 6:01 pm
on Aug 16, 2018 at 6:01 pm
Posted by Janis Hom, a resident of Palo Alto High School
>> Alison Cormack is not "cagey." She's honest about her open mindedness, to not take sides but to instead be a rational voice of leadership and evaluate issues on their merits.
She may have a very high IQ and be very open minded. That doesn't tell me what her vision for the future is. It doesn't tell me whether she will, or, won't, work to stop the massive office space overbuilding that is going on today.
>> Her leadership in the library campaign demonstrated her ability to get things done, and to unite people toward achieving a shared goal. {etc}
Agreed.
>> She's very impressive
Agreed.
>> and would be a great addition to Council.
Unproven. We don't need another office space advocate. *Especially*, a smart office space advocate who is good at getting stuff built. That is the last thing we need.
We need a smart advocate for us residents, the ones who already live here, and who find the massive traffic buildup is harming our quality of life.
Midtown
on Aug 16, 2018 at 6:58 pm
on Aug 16, 2018 at 6:58 pm
Please watch for Pat Boone (Rick). I think he is somebody we should not discount as a potential councilor.
Midtown
on Aug 16, 2018 at 11:22 pm
on Aug 16, 2018 at 11:22 pm
One way to look at Cormack's library work is to understand that she was raising money for a _construction_ project and the developers and their supporters were in favor. Those same development interests are supporting her today. See her web site.
I recall her saying in an interview that she was 'embarrassed' to show that library branch to her visiting friends. Embarrassed because it wasn't shiny and spiffy enough.
Those of us who used that library and found it comfortable and pleasant and altogether fine, did not agree with her. But the development interests were in charge.
Now you can hear noisy kids when you are trying to read. And there are other important shortcomings there as well.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 17, 2018 at 7:07 am
Registered user
on Aug 17, 2018 at 7:07 am
I still use and prefer Rinconada rather than Mitchell where the sounds of kids playing in their 1st floor open playroom echo upstairs and throughout the building. The open-space idea may have looked spiffy in the plan but not in reality. And the Mitchell parking lot is an absolute disaster at certain times of day. But the curves are pretty.
Even the Rinconada redesign shows failure to think of how it's used as I discovered one rainy evening when I parked on the art center side and went dashing through the rain to drop something off only to discover they'd only put drop-off slots on the other side.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 17, 2018 at 10:36 am
on Aug 17, 2018 at 10:36 am
Posted by Silent candidate, a resident of Midtown
>> One way to look at Cormack's library work is to understand that she was raising money for a _construction_ project
That is a stretch. FWIW, I somewhat like the new library.
>> I recall her saying in an interview that she was 'embarrassed' to show that library branch to her visiting friends. Embarrassed because it wasn't shiny and spiffy enough.
Really? Then, who is it that is promoting the use of ugly corrugated "chicken coop" siding in new projects around the city? It this case, blue corrugated metal, so, you can't miss it. If "they" like corrugated siding, they should have left the spice drying works on Park Blvd alone instead of turning it into condos and office space. In that instance, it looked utilitarian and comfortably quaint.
Posted by Online Name, a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
>> I still use and prefer Rinconada rather than Mitchell where the sounds of kids playing in their 1st floor open playroom echo upstairs and throughout the building. The open-space idea may have looked spiffy in the plan but not in reality.
The new library is a different vibe, but, I don't mind the sound of kids. :-) What I do mind are all the adults crunching on chips and loudly slurping drinks in the "quiet zone". :-( When did it become OK to use libraries as lunchtime break rooms?
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 17, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Registered user
on Aug 17, 2018 at 12:15 pm
"The new library is a different vibe, but, I don't mind the sound of kids. :-) What I do mind are all the adults crunching on chips and loudly slurping drinks in the "quiet zone". :-( When did it become OK to use libraries as lunchtime break rooms?"
True.
Either way, the sound travels and those responsible didn't consider the acoustics in their design any more than they considered user convenience while spending so much money.
"Embarrassed because it wasn't shiny and spiffy enough."
Glitz over substance. And expensive glitz at that.
Barron Park
on Aug 17, 2018 at 3:33 pm
on Aug 17, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Can we blame Cormack for the awful acoustics of the over-priced, sterile library? Plus for the in-door kids play ground?
Midtown
on Aug 17, 2018 at 4:24 pm
on Aug 17, 2018 at 4:24 pm
BP asks>
Can we blame Cormack for the awful acoustics of the over-priced, sterile library? Plus for the in-door kids play ground?
> the awful acoustics of the over-priced, sterile library? Plus for the in-door kids play ground?
And the weird parking.
To BP: The library is her claim to fame and what the publicity repeats about her. So yes, I think adding a little real world experience is justified. For people who have not experienced the warmth of a more traditional (or better designed) library, this seems ok.
I stopped using this branch, it is so vacuous-feeling, lots of empty wasted space, just the opposite of what I expect in a library, where books surround you and cozy places to sit are traditional.
Registered user
Fairmeadow
on Aug 17, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Registered user
on Aug 17, 2018 at 5:16 pm
If you've worked on a sizable project, you know there are always compromises needed due to budgets, codes, competing visions, time constraints, and more. It makes no sense to "hang" the various things you don't like about the library on Alison. I give her considerable credit for pushing the project forward during difficult times, and creating a facility that many people enjoy every day.
But that doesn't mean I want her on City Council. I am very concerned about over-development of office space; over-population of high-earners and non-essential workers and under-population of low-earners and essential city/school workers; a lack of prioritization of quality of life for people who live here; and a focus on developers' interests vs resident's interests. I do not believe that Alison is a fit for my interests. She wants to be elected, and has powerful friends, and is being careful with her words. But her associates and her track record do not look promising wrt my interests.
Midtown
on Aug 17, 2018 at 6:05 pm
on Aug 17, 2018 at 6:05 pm
Web Link">Web Link Please look at the website for Pat Boone who I think will be a different type of candidate. His website says he will not be accepting donations from builders.
That is a good start as far as I'm concerned.
Web Link">Web Link is a link to his website.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 17, 2018 at 8:50 pm
on Aug 17, 2018 at 8:50 pm
>> I hope Wolbach wins. We need dynamic, tech savvy entrepreneurial folks spearhead Palo Alto.
LOL. Tanaka is the tech and startup veteran, and Filseth and DuBois too. Wolbach's experience is state politics.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 17, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Registered user
on Aug 17, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Filseth was a top exec at Cadence, a relatively big company, DuBois is a Google manager snd Tanaka has been CEO/founder of a vc-backed startup for 6 years. Wolbach is currently some type of traffic/parking consultant to San Mateo County after a stint at Jerry Hill's office.
Community Center
on Aug 17, 2018 at 11:23 pm
on Aug 17, 2018 at 11:23 pm
[Post removed.]
Community Center
on Aug 18, 2018 at 11:20 am
on Aug 18, 2018 at 11:20 am
@Janis Hom
I agree that Cormac is smart and I appreciate the work she did on the libraries. But voters should be concerned about her unwillingness to be open about the biggest issues facing the community today. Traffic/transportation, housing/renters and commercial development driving those problems are the big concerns.
Cormac stands out among all of the candidates as being unwilling to share her vision and what policies she would support on these big problems. As a matter of integrity, the voters deserve to know where candidates stand. Even Wolbach speaks out on these issues, it’s just that his positions seem to swing radically according to what he perceives to be his political advantage at a particular time. After the last two elections, many voters are rightly more skeptical about evasive candidates. Fool me once...
The traits you described seem to be those we would seek in a judge rather than the political post of a council member. Candidates should be obligated to have well thought out views on big issues and to share them honestly with the voters rather than to claim “I’ll be thoughtful, trust me”. Hopefully, the press and candidates forums will not accept evasive answers.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Aug 18, 2018 at 11:37 am
on Aug 18, 2018 at 11:37 am
Arthur Keller was a good candidate and narrowly missed being elected, if my memory serves me correctly. I think it is a shame he is not running again as I had hoped. It would be interesting to hear his views on the choices before us.
Midtown
on Aug 26, 2018 at 10:46 am
on Aug 26, 2018 at 10:46 am
Today is August 26.
She remains silent. This is becoming really weird.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 26, 2018 at 11:32 am
Registered user
on Aug 26, 2018 at 11:32 am
Of the 5 CC candidate statements, hers is the most vague.
Web Link
Compare and contrast with the candidate statements by the other 4 cc candidates.
Web Link
Community Center
on Aug 26, 2018 at 12:03 pm
on Aug 26, 2018 at 12:03 pm
@Online
Thanks for the links to the candidate ballot statements. I just read them all and Cormack’s is not only by far the most nebulous of the five, it is vague as any I ever recall.
Her reference to the big issues is just that “we all care” about them without even providing a general sense of what she would try to do about them. And even her statement on finances is murky and meaningless. “What does she mean by “spending money wisely” and working for “realistic budgets”? Filseth has led the charge with support from DuBois on budget cuts to address the big unfounded pension liability. That and the infrastructure project, especially funding the best grade separation options, are the main fiscal issue for the city.
I had really hoped to support her, but I am now giving Pat Boone a hard look.
Registered user
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Aug 26, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Registered user
on Aug 26, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Cormac is copying Wolbach's stragedy from four years ago in which he replied with various platitudes, most notably "We just need to be civil to each other" to all questions about his positions. Many people who were not big development supporters had no idea what he had actually stood for, but voted for him anyway, because how can one not support civility in politics. Since it worked so well for him, why shouldn't she try the same thing?
Midtown
on Aug 26, 2018 at 7:31 pm
on Aug 26, 2018 at 7:31 pm
Given Cormack's experience in Communications at Google I would expect a corporate style campaign. Say nothing until the product is ready, build up expectations, then do a big blitz.
We can expect pictures of pets and smiling children.
None of which has anything to do with the job she is seeking.