So where have all of these people been the past few years?
The best part of this selection process for the two vacancies on the Chico City Council isn’t just the names of the six finalists. It was the injection of so much new (and, in some cases, not-so-new) blood into the local political scene.
Twenty one people, a mix of political novices and longtime familiar faces, threw their hats into the ring to replace former councilors Scott Huber and Kami Denlay, who resigned with a week of each other last month.
It was great to see such a range of enthusiastic, dedicated citizens step forward, with many claiming to have no political ambitions or axes to grind (in terms of issues or even “the other side,” which is a nice change of pace).
Now, after Tuesday night’s interview process, we know the names of the finalists.
For the at-large seat, they are Jeffrey Glatz, chair of the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission; Bryce Goldstein, a member of the city planning commission; and Mike O’Brien, the new commander of Butte County’s Inter-Agency Narcotics Task Force and our former chief of police.
District 3 nominees are Dale Bennett, an asset manager who has lived in Chico for 70 years; Amber Howard-Brown, an in-home caregiver with a background in planning and property management; and Sandra Husband, who is a licensing program analyst and application specialist.
We’ll say this first: Each of these people represented themselves well Tuesday. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine any of the six sitting up on the dais with the five current councilors. There’s certainly a lot more political experience among the at-large finalists than the District 3 trio but, honestly, we like that mix of “experience” and “new blood.”
So let’s look at each.
In Glatz, we’ve got a man very familiar with (and passionate about) many of the issues that are of most concern to many people in Chico. We liked his comments about the need for further education on the homeless front and he presented some good ideas about the advantages of a day shelter.
Goldstein made a strong showing in her 3 minutes’ time. Noting the popular refrain of a “Safe Chico,” she suggested the city should start down that path “by making sure families can afford a roof over their heads.” Her thoughts on future elections of councilors and the mayor were thought-provoking as well.
It’s O’Brien, though, that stands out among this group in our eyes. Noting the various crises being faced by the city, he added another to the list: “A crisis in leadership.” Few have faced more tough decision-making moments than O’Brien did during his years as chief of police, and he’s a man intimately familiar with the challenges facing our city. His history of what he called “respectful discourse” is well documented and he’d be a welcome adult in a room that always seems in need of another one.
District 3 attracted just seven applicants but the three finalists are good ones.
Sandra Husband spoke of her concern for children, “appalling” crime and the need for greater respect for law enforcement, words that should go over well with the thousands of voters who supported Denlay in that district. Brown discussed her background in planning, property management and housing and, in a break with most of the applicants, said she would plan to run for re-election if selected.
Bennett’s words, though, struck the strongest chord with us. He described himself as having “an open mind, full of common sense, not left, not right … I know how to listen to people.” It’s exactly the kind of attitude we need to see on more prominent display from our elected officials.
We were also impressed with many of the people who weren’t selected as finalists. When a man as qualified and respected as Larry Wahl — a former city councilor and county supervisor — doesn’t make the final cut for a temporary position, you know you’ve got an outstanding field. We hope more of the newcomers, people like Timothy Lynch and Jesica Giannola, stay involved in the local political scene and that this week’s activities were a beginning, not an end to their desire for public service.
All that being said — Chico should be proud of the people chosen as finalists and all of the people who applied.
We hope to see a few of those names show up on ballots in the future.
