Posted on 09/21/2008 3:32:07 PM PDT by SmithL
It's Groundhog Day in Berkeley: Tom Bates and Shirley Dean, battle-scarred veterans of East Bay politics, are in another slugfest for mayor.
The longtime rivals - both now in their 70s - are squaring off for the second time to lead the Bay Area's most progressive, eccentric city. It's Dean's fifth run for mayor and Bates' third, and their second race against each other.
"If there's any place that's inbred, it's Berkeley," said City Councilwoman Betty Olds, who's preparing to leave office in November. "But I'm endorsing them both because I think they've both been fine mayors."
Kriss Worthington, who's served on the City Council for six years under both candidates, is endorsing neither.
"We're trapped in a time warp," he said. "I'm happy to support candidates who push for progressive causes, but sadly, neither of these two do."
Dean's and Bates' rivalry and entrenchment in local politics spans nearly four decades. Bates' first major elected office was to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 1972, while Dean spent four years on the Berkeley planning and zoning boards before winning her first term on the city council in 1975....
...His only regrets are the Marines recruiting debacle in February and the lawsuit against UC Berkeley over the sports training center next to Memorial Stadium.
The Marines flap resulted from the city telling the Marines they are "unwelcome intruders," inciting the wrath of thousands of pro-military demonstrators nationwide. The ensuing protests cost the city nearly $100,000 in police overtime, and the council later apologized to the Marine Corps.
...The lawsuit against UC Berkeley, which the city lost, cost $250,000 in legal fees. Bates said he and UC officials should have put more effort into finding a solution before heading to court.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
If it weren’t for the U.S. Constitution, Berkeley would resemble Moscow in the 1940s.
Spelling error detected. Correct spelling is as follows: W h a c k o
Kind of ironic that when I left there in 1972, a conservative, John DeBonnis was Mayor, and the place was pretty weird then.
These two idiots were already ossified idiot liberals when I went to UC Berkeley back in the early 80s.
Now which one would be the least LIBERAL? If I was caught DEAD in Bezerkley, I want to know which of these two KOOKs my dead body should vote for. Matter of fact, I’ll only be in that town if 2 things happens — Berkley elected a CONSERVATIVE mayor and UCONN was playing Cal. Now since I don’t see them getting smart - and elect a CONSERVATIVE mayor or Cal and UConn in the near future play a football game - I’ll stay out of that Commy town!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.