Council field expands

The field of candidates expected to run for City Council this fall is expanding as the deadline to file papers with the city nears.

As of Tuesday, six people had picked up the required paperwork, including former Planning Commission chair Kathy Miller and City Councilmember Mike Healy, neither of whom had previously announced an intent to run.

Miller and Healy confirmed in a joint statement issued Tuesday that both are running, and that they'll be doing so as a "team."

"Both of us are on the same page with respect to most of the major issues facing Petaluma. We both want to fix our streets… create new jobs… maintain public safety… finalize the Rainier cross-town connector… and work in harmony for the betterment of Petaluma," Miller and Healy wrote in the statement.

Healy said in the statement that he thought Miller would bring "additional business sense" to the council, also applauding her work on the Planning Commission and her advocacy for Petaluma's Parks.

In addition to being chair of the Planning Commission for a year, Miller, an attorney, is a founding member of Petaluma Friends of Recreation, the nonprofit organization responsible for putting a parcel tax on the November ballot that would fund specific park improvements around town.

Miller was ousted from the planning commission in 2009 when the City Council controversially consolidated the Planning Commission and Site Plan and Architectural Review Committee and removed all but three of the 12 sitting members on the two boards.

Miller and Healy both cited the other's ability to build consensus as a reason they were running together, as well as a desire to reduce the cost of the political campaign.

In announcing their intention to run, Miller and Healy join business owner and former council candidate Jason Davies, Planning Commissioner Alicia Kae Herries, Councilmember Gabe Kearney, and Councilmember and Vice Mayor Tiffany Ren?.

Three seats are up for grabs in the coming election as Ren?'s, Kearney's and Healy's terms are set to expire Dec. 31. As of now, it appears that six candidates will be vying for those seats.

The candidates have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10 to turn in the required signed nomination petitions and other forms, unless one of the three incumbents does not file completed papers. If this happens, non-incumbents will have until Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. to file papers.

(Contact Jamie Hansen at jamie.hansen@arguscourier.com)

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