Kearney wins Petaluma City Council race

Gabe Kearney won the final seat on the Petaluma City Council, besting challenger Bill Wolpert by 275 votes, according to the official certified results released Nov. 30 by the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters.|

Gabe Kearney won the final seat on the Petaluma City Council, besting challenger Bill Wolpert by 275 votes, according to the official certified results released Nov. 30 by the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters.

Kearney, an incumbent seeking his second full term on the city’s highest elected board, held a narrow 137-vote lead after the Nov. 8 election. That margin doubled after absentee and provisional ballots were counted.

Incumbent council members Mike Healy and Kathy Miller were the top two vote-getters and retained their seats on the council. Healy, who will serve his fifth four-year term on the council, received 16,962 votes. Miller won her first re-election campaign with 14,715 votes.

A real estate agent who was appointed to the council in 2011, Kearney, 34, ran as a slate with Healy and Miller. He received 13,169 votes. Wolpert, an architect and planning commissioner, received 12,894 votes in his first campaign for public office.

Kearney said he was excited to continue his work with the city for the next four years.

“I’m very grateful that I get to serve another four years,” he said. “There are a lot of projects in the works that I want to see completed.”

He said key projects include linking Petaluma Transit buses to the SMART commuter train service that is expected to start next year, and finding funding for large public works projects like widening Highway 101, dredging the Petaluma River and fixing the city’s streets.

A last minute entry into the race that was set to be canceled for lack of a challenger, Wolpert gained support from self-identified progressives who align with Mayor David Glass and Councilwoman Teresa Barrett. He ran on a platform of environmentalism and walkable development.

“I’m very happy with the campaign,” he said. “We had a strong showing for being a novice in politics. If I hadn’t run, they would have just appointed the incumbents. It was a worthwhile experience.”

Wolpert said that his campaign added to the discussion surrounding the types of developments that are appropriate for Petaluma, and how the city will fund priorities like road repair and infrastructure upgrades. He said he would continue to stay engaged in city politics with the planning commission, but did not know if he would run again in 2018.

“It’s too early to say,” he said. “We worked really hard. I don’t think we had the communication network like the incumbents had.”

Wolpert’s strong showing, in part due to a campaign led by Glass that asked voters to cast only one vote for Wolpert, could compel the council majority to take seriously the ideas from the progressive bloc of Petaluma politicians. Kearney said he wants to represent the entire city.

“All residents have something to say and should be listened to,” he said. “Working together and compromising is important.”

Kearney said he hoped Wolpert stays active on the planning commission.

“Bill is a dedicated individual who is passionate about his beliefs and what he thinks is best for Petaluma,” he said. “He has served the community well on the planning commission.”

(Contact Matt Brown at matt.brown@arguscourier.com.)

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