Argus-Courier Editorial: King, Albertson, Quinto for council

On Nov. 4, voters will elect three people to represent them on the Petaluma City Council. Incumbents Chris Albertson and Teresa Barrett are seeking re-election, and there is one open seat being vacated by Mike Harris, who is running for mayor. Albertson and Barrett are joined by challengers Janice Cader-Thompson, Dave King and Ken Quinto.

Candidates enter this election amidst an economic recovery which, though pumping more tax revenues into city hall, is not enough to overcome significant challenges, among them a badly deteriorating street system, increasing traffic congestion, severe reductions in police officer staffing levels, an affordable housing crisis and skyrocketing employee pension costs.

All five candidates are passionate about and committed to creating a better future for Petaluma, but bring different levels of knowledge, skill and strategic vision to achieve that goal. Some are supporting Measure Q, the 1-cent sales tax measure on the ballot in November that is vital to fund civic improvements, while others oppose the tax measure, offering little in the way of practical alternative solutions.

When interviewing candidates to make our endorsements, we looked at what we believe the city council needs in terms of leadership, problem solving skills, sound judgment, understanding of municipal government and ability to work effectively with others to get things done. As a result, we believe that Dave King, Chris Albertson and Ken Quinto are best qualified for election to the council.

King, an attorney and longtime youth sports coach, demonstrates an excellent understanding of a wide range of city issues. He would bring a pragmatic, common-sense approach to dealing with municipal matters, along with a strong desire to use his energy and intellect to serve the community in the best way possible.

King fully grasps the vital connection between a strong and diverse local economy and the tax dollars necessary to maintain parks, fix roads and support other vital city services. As a former board member of the Petaluma Youth Commission, Petaluma Chamber of Commerce and the Petaluma People Services Center, King has a well-earned reputation for collaboratively finding solutions to problems, a great attribute for city council service.

Albertson, who served as this city’s fire chief for nearly seven years prior to being elected to the city council four years ago, has a solid track record of being accessible to voters and listening thoughtfully to their concerns. An open-minded, independent thinker, he is a longtime proponent of maintaining a strong local economy and the jobs and sales tax revenues it provides to keep the city healthy.

Having served in municipal government for 38 years, 23 of them in management, Albertson has more experience than any other candidate, and has used that experience to make sensible policy decisions during his first term in office. Such experience, coupled with his passion for getting the best for his community, make him a solid candidate for re-election to the city council.

For the third seat, we carefully considered both incumbent Barrett as well as challenger Quinto, a member of the Petaluma Youth Commission and longtime volunteer with local Little League.

In her nearly 12 years on the council, Barrett has dedicated countless hours to the job and been a strong voice for challenging her colleagues to look harder at the environmental impacts of development projects. At the same time, she has demonstrated a rigid ideological stance against development in general, and voted to reject both the Target and Friedman’s Home Improvement shopping centers which have brought several hundred new jobs and millions of dollars in needed sales tax revenue to the community. Barrett is strongly aligned with a hyper-partisan political faction marked by cronyism and a general aversion to solving tough community problems.

Quinto, on the other hand, brings an energetic, can-do approach to his candidacy. With a strong background of volunteer service on numerous Petaluma nonprofit, school and municipal boards, committees and commissions, he is passionate about finding new ways to improve Petaluma. Intelligent and positive, Quinto has a reputation for having worked collaboratively and effectively with others to achieve shared goals

Quinto is strongly committed to fixing roads, improving parks and getting the Rainier crosstown connector built. Also, his profession as a claims analyst with a large insurance company gives him the financial expertise to dig deep on city spending policies, a quality that will be of great benefit to the city should voters approve Measure Q.

The other candidate, Janice Cader-Thompson, served one term on the city council and has been a notoriously fierce opponent of the Rainier crosstown connector. She also opposed the Friedman’s Home Improvement shopping center. These positions, in our opinion, put her out of step with what the majority of residents are looking for in their city council.

For voters looking for a responsive and committed city council who will work collaboratively to implement sound policies aimed at improving municipal services, we recommend the election of Dave King, Chris Albertson and Ken Quinto.