Agrimonti, Stuckey and Wagner for City Council. There you have it; the three candidates we are endorsing for Sonoma City Council in this upcoming election. Suspense over. Our reasons why takes a bit more space, so please read on.
Sonoma, like the rest of the world, is changing in ways large and small. While appreciating our past we need to look to our future, and it is the city council which plays a vital part in what that future looks like. Everyone who serves, and for that matter everyone who campaigns, deserves our thanks and gratitude. In this day and age when politicians are generally subjected to nastiness, suspicion and ridicule it’s a near wonder that anyone’s willing to jump into the ring and subject themselves to the inevitable circus that politics has become.
That said, after reviewing candidate answers to questions we submitted (published over our past two issues) and sitting down with all eight candidates in personal interviews, we’ve concluded that Cameron Stuckey, Madoline Agrimonte and Jack Wagner are the best choices.
Cameron Stuckey literally exudes excitement about joining the city council. We’ve rarely met a candidate with more positive enthusiasm about leadership, and it’s refreshing. We’re convinced it’s no act; Cameron demonstrates depth of thought and a solid political philosophy grounded on having created a meaningful place for himself in life overall and within our community despite urban childhood roots which often lead otherwise. He is brimming over with fresh ideas and sees the city council job as a creative one linked to being well-informed and solidly connected to the public. He’s smart, and will, we feel, be a great addition to the council.
Madoline Agrimonti exudes maturity, not the maturity of age (though she is not young) but the maturity of life experience. Having begun by working with Senator Alan Cranston, she is without question a politician, and though Daly City is not Sonoma, her years of city council and mayoral service there clearly honed her skills of listening, opening up to the concerns of others and problem solving. Her time in this community, particularly on the Hospital Board, have demonstrated her ability to grapple with big problems and develop sound solutions. We need her steady, practical manner as well as her comfort with being in the spotlight, and when elected she will, we’re confidant, hit the ground running.
Finally, Jack Wagner is a terrific example of a local boy who’s making good, literally. Jack was a bit late to our interview because he has no car, and that’s a good indication of the ways in which he is committed to literally “walking the walk.” Jack’s youth is a plus; we need and will need leaders in Sonoma who will be here to live within the effects of a changing world and be able to respond by seeing things in context. Jack has a keen and sharp mind, is willing to bury himself deeply in policy issues and take risks with new solutions. He speaks in part for a new generation in Sonoma, and that generation needs a voice. We feel Jack will provide it.
It’s wonderful to see eight people running for council and we tip our hats to them all; recent elections have nearly gone begging for candidates and public interest seemed to be waning. Between tourism, traffic, water, finances and so forth whoever sits on the council will have their hands full.
At heart, the city council job is leadership and guidance built on listening. Our city manager can handle the nuts and bolts of governance, but it’s the council that must provide vision and policy. We feel Stuckey, Agrimonti and Wagner understand that providing vision and policy are the keys to our successful future, and we heartily support their candidacy.
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