March 2010Three More District 10 Candidates Enter the RaceBy Joni EisenPotrero Hill Democratic Club’s February meeting included introductions to three new candidates, who spoke in random order. BART Board Director Lynette Sweet was educated in San Francisco public schools and the University of California, Berkeley. She got her start in politics when Mayor Willie Brown, responding to her concerns about affordable housing, appointed her to the San Francisco Redevelopment Commission. Brown then assigned her to the Taxi Commission, from which her interest in transportation led her to run successfully for BART’s Board of Directors. “My skills are in getting things done,” Sweet said, citing her work on the Trans Bay Cable, which is scheduled to be operational March 1. She thinks economic development and diversity are vital to the district. Longtime Hunters Point community activist Espanola Jackson said that economic development is fine as long as half the jobs generated go to residents of District 10. She said she wants to hear what people have to say, and to ensure that the candidate elected represents the whole City, as well as the District. Jackson asserted that she is not in this race to win, but rather to keep the other candidates honest. She mentioned some of her own endeavors, such as working with other community members to keep peaker plants out of the community. She closed by saying, “Make sure that you get the right person.” ICBM (Irish Catholic Born in the Mission) Tony Kelly is the founder of Thick House, one of the smallest professional union theaters in the country and President of the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association. He characterized District 10 as a place “where the action is” for the big issues, yet he asserted it is plagued with the worst schools, parks, pollution and transit. Kelly’s activist focus has been on land use, which he said, “decides who lives here, who works here, and how they do it.” To solve persistent problems, such as poverty and unemployment, and to ensure a sustainable economy and environment, he stressed listening to the residents of District 10 instead of City Hall and corporations. Recent Potrero Hill Democratic Club meetings have featured introductions by candidates James Calloway, Malia Cohen, Kristine Enea, Marie Franklin, DeWitt Lacy, Geoffrea Morris, Steve Moss, Linda Richardson, Diane Westley Smith and Eric Smith. The Club will host a candidates’ forum as the November 2010 election draws near. For upcoming meetings, and audio of past events, go to www.PHDemClub.org. |
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