As the Davis City Council Elections come closer, the candidates are busy campaigning and advocating their stances to the public. The city council elections will be on June 5. Three seats on the council are open for election and five candidates are vying for those positions.
The five candidates include Brett Lee, Lucas Frerichs, Stephen Souza, Sue Greenwald and Dan Wolk. The last three are incumbents.
In this election, all of the candidates are focusing heavily on a few key issues, the first being the economic stability of the town. Second is environmental issues, in particular the Davis water supply.
“We have a need to improve the long-term economic viability and sustainability of the community. Additionally, we need to pursue the unfunded liabilities and needs we have and address them to make sure that we are economically stable for the future,” Souza said.
Most of the candidates are addressing environmental sustainability in Davis. In particular, the question of clean, solar energy is being debated. A few candidates are also concerned with improving the water supply of Davis.
“We need to come up with a more affordable, voter-approved solution to our water needs. The city’s water plant proposal was oversized and more expensive than necessary. This is important, because as proposed, the city water bills were going to double, which would affect homeowners and renters alike,” Lee said.
Many candidates say they want to focus on building a more positive relationship between the City of Davis and UC Davis.
“To be frank, the city hasn’t done as good of a job as it could on promoting a positive relationship with the university and its students. Its relationship with the University as a whole remains less close than it could be. The city needs to see the University and its students as the partners and assets they are. Davis would not be Davis without them,” Wolk said.
The relationship with the University is important for implementing solar energy and a clean water supply. According to Souza, by capturing the technology created at the University and implementing it in Davis, a beneficial relationship can be built between UC Davis and the City of Davis.
This election is significant for the variety and diversity of the candidates. All come from different backgrounds and professional fields.
“The number of young new candidates makes this election unique. I think that’s a very positive development and it is still important to have one experienced voice,” Greenwald said.
Additionally, the type of issues being addressed have a common thread.
“This particular race has, in my opinion, a focus on economic development, and that’s probably because of where we’re at as far as the economy of not only this city, this nation, but this world. We’re all seeking to do things more efficiently to create that sustainability environmentally, economically and socially,” Souza said.
As election day approaches, the candidates are making their positions known and reaching out to the public. There are a number of forums and meet-and-greets with the candidates scheduled for the upcoming weeks.
Tonight at 7 p.m., the League of Women Voters is hosting a candidates night in the Community Chambers at Davis City Hall. The debate will be televised on channel 16.
Additionally, Saturday evening there will be a Meet the Candidates event in Downtown Davis from 6 to 8 p.m. Lastly, on May 9, a candidates forum is scheduled at the Davis Community Church at 8 p.m.
PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
