www.montereycountynow.com october 10-16, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 and chair of the board of Housing Authority of the County of Monterey. He’s got an MBA from Stanford and a MPA from Harvard. We think he would bring a measured approach and background of expertise to council. Bob Delves is former managing director of a large tech firm, COO of a residential real estate development company and a former mayor of Mountain Village, Colorado. That small, tourism-dependent municipality adjacent to Telluride is not entirely dissimilar to Carmel, and there he managed to get 525 deed-restricted residential units built. He serves on the Carmel Planning Commission. Candidate David O’Neil is likable and intelligent but 100-percent against change. The other candidates, Danny Hala and Parker Logan, seem unprepared for the job. Marina Jenny McAdams for City Council District 3 One four-year term from now, Marina will look different, with hundreds of new housing units and a new neighborhood up at The Dunes. Marina is lucky to have two smart, committed residents running for this seat at a time this city is transforming. Both Mike Moeller and Jenny McAdams are new to town, and both jumped right in to serve their city. Moeller is a volunteer with a variety of groups including Citizens for Sustainable Marina and Friends of Marina Parks. We encourage him to stay involved and continue playing a role in making his community work better for residents. McAdams was appointed to a vacant seat in February (due to district lines changing, Moeller was not eligible to apply) and hit the ground running. The former Pacific Grove councilmember has learned from her experience and understands longstanding regional challenges. Her priorities include modifying the streetscape on Del Monte Boulevard to slow down traffic. She is advocating for the developer of The Promenade to commit to local restaurants and art galleries so it feels like a real downtown. “Marina has enough big box stores as far as I’m concerned,” she says, and we agree. Yes on Measure U Marina is growing as a city. Its City Hall has long since outgrown its footprint and it’s past time for an upgrade. This $50 million bond would cost about $54.74 per $100,000 of assessed property value annually. Opponents point out that thousands of homeowners have paid taxes for 30 years to construct the existing police and fire station; now the city wants them to pay additional taxes for the next 30. That is exactly right—nobody expected these facilities to last forever, so we are unsure why they are surprised. Besides antiquated public safety buildings that need to be doubled in size, City Hall relies on portable trailers to accommodate (barely) its current staff. Senior programs and youth programs are crammed into one aging space. Measure U requires two-thirds of the vote to pass, unless voters statewide approve Prop. 5—then it will require just 55 percent of the vote. Monterey Tyller Williamson for Mayor Tyller Williamson emerged on to the political scene in Monterey as a charismatic young voice with lofty ideas. He’s moved beyond that. Politics is the art of the possible, and Williamson has demonstrated in his first two years as mayor that he can get things done. With the help of a supportive City Council majority, he has made good on his promises to include the concerns of renters in the political conversation in town. An ordinance requiring all landlords with rental property in the city to enter the specifics on size, location and rent was passed in 2023 and took effect in January. The registry will create a baseline with which to monitor changes in the market as well as a public database to increase transparency. Such registries are often (but not necessarily) the precursor to rent stabilization policies. The passage of this measure in a city whose council has historically prioritized and advanced the concerns of homeowners is a dramatic shift and a major accomplishment for Williamson. His opponent, Monique Kaldy, is a political newcomer advocating on behalf of disaffected landlords and property managers. Jean Rasch for City Council District 3 Comprising Monterey Vista and Skyline Forest neighborhoods, this is an open seat as Alan Haffa is not seeking another term. Jean Rasch says she is the best prepared candidate and we don’t disagree: She comes with reams of experience as a volunteer in the city, especially in the Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program, on which she served for nine years. She was a strong advocate to help get Measure S passed, funding citywide Edition 2024 Anthony Rocha for Salinas City Council
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