Ex-councilman Eric Ziedrich joins Healdsburg race
By Clark Mason, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Calif. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The former mayor, who served two four-year terms on the council, with the last ending in 2010, announced he is running for one of the two open seats on the November ballot.
Ziedrich said even though it's been four years since he last served, he's been paying attention to the issues facing
"I have a lot to offer. I have a lot of strong experience in areas I think are critically important now, especially with the very slow (economic) recovery, said Ziedrich, who touts his "strong, financial-business background."
Ziedrich, 58, is the owner, president and chief executive of
Periodically, the businessman with name recognition has made noises about running again for council, but this time he said it's for certain.
He is one of three other declared candidates running for the seats being vacated by incumbents
The others vying for a
Ziedrich's first term on the
Ziedrich offers an explanation for his pattern of serving nonconsecutive council terms:
"I take public service very seriously and put a lot into it. That probably explains why, after one term, I'm ready for a recess. I've done that twice now."
"It's healthy to step away from office and get a fresh perspective instead of re-upping and re-running," he added.
He said there needs to be greater vigilance on budget matters and more done to cut pension costs, although "budgets aren't sexy and they don't draw people into council chambers."
Ziedrich perceives "overconfidence or complacency," on the part of elected officials and city staff when it comes to finances and asserted that they are "reverting back to bad habits, overspending and drawing on reserves and most importantly not fixing some serious problems."
In particular, he cited the council's recent decision to add more positions to the city workforce.
Mayor
"I think we've done quite a bit. There's more work to do," City Councilman
During his most recent term, Ziedrich, more than other council members, had to remove himself from some issues to avoid a potential conflict. That included the lengthy series of hearings on the
"I'm a property owner. I own commercial property in
"Obviously I'm very committed to
Ziedrich expects he will have to campaign more actively than in the past when he ran uncontested or as a write-in candidate. And he will eschew political donations.
"I am going to flat out not accept any financial contributions, to eliminate any hint of owing anyone any favors," he said.
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