In The News
City Council incumbents fare poorly on Election Day
Thursday November 06, 2008
The Watsonville Register-Pajaronian, November 6, 2008
City Council incumbents fare poorly on Election Day
Modified: Thursday, Nov 6th, 2008
Election Day did not go well for Watsonville City Council incumbents.
District 6 incumbent Edward Din acknowledged Wednesday he's been defeated by challenger Emilio Martinez, while District 1's Manuel Bersámin trails challenger Gabriel Gonzalez by a slim margin, with the race still close to call.
In the other council race, Luis Alejo received 78 percent of the votes, easily beating Joe Ortiz. Alejo will take over the District 2 seat currently held by Oscar Rios. Rios decided not to seek re-election.
While voting from all precincts is in, some absentee ballots, provisional ballots and damaged ballots that need to be remade still need to be recorded. The Santa Cruz County Elections Department must certify the results by Dec. 2, and will post updated unofficial results every Friday by 4 p.m. on its Web site, www.votescount.com.
As of Wednesday, Martinez garnered 629 votes from District 6 voters, with Din receiving 524 and Tony Gomez 200. In District 1, Gonzalez has received 232 votes, while Bersámin has been credited with 211. In District 2, Alejo has received 384 votes and Ortiz totaled 101.
...
District 6
Emilio Martinez credited his victory in District 6 to smart campaigning and a large amount of hard work.
"I walked every house in this neighborhood," Martinez said Wednesday as he removed campaign signs from the corner of Martinelli Street and Brewington Avenue. "I think out of 2,000 homes, I might have missed 60."
Martinez said he got "very strategic," moving quickly to get residents to agree to have his campaign signs on their property, and making visits to homes with Din signs to try to get their votes.
"Now that it's all over, I miss it," Martinez said. "I don't know if I want to do it again, but it was such a great time."
Din, who said he was "disappointed" by the results, while saying Martinez's campaign wasn't dirty, expressed concern about Martinez's campaign strategy.
Din was upset about a Martinez mailer that said Din had supported a controversial low-income housing plan on Atkinson Lane. He said he had serious problems with the proposals, adding that development would be years away, if it happened at all.
"He misrepresented my position to the constituents that I'm pro-development," Din said. "That's simply not the case."
Martinez served on the Watsonville Planning Commission on Din's recommendation, but Martinez resigned later after Din called on him to do so. Martinez has called Din a friend in the past, but Din emphatically shook his head no several times Wednesday when asked if the two were still friends.
Martinez said his top priority is to stop Atkinson Lane development. The outspoken private investigator has been critical of city staff, but said he would work with the council and not be divisive, something Din expressed doubts about.
"It's easy to identify problems, but it's hard to govern," Din said, "and he will have difficulty governing in my opinion."
Din, a hospital administrator who has been on the council for two years, said he felt his financial expertise was needed going ahead. He listed his accomplishments as having helped develop the city's strategic plan, working on the city budget, focusing on public safety and mitigating traffic problems in the district.
He said he would likely donate his time to another government board, adding that he would consider running again for City Council in the future.
Tony Gomez, a Pacific Gas & Electric mechanic, ran a small-scale campaign. He said he wanted to ensure growth didn't overcome the capacity of city services.
Martinez said he commended Din and Gomez for their efforts in the campaign.
...
District 1
Gabriel Gonzalez holds a 21-point lead in current voting totals, but recent history has shown that leads can be overcome.
Two years ago in District 5, Daniel Dodge led Greg Caput by a few votes after Election Day, but provisional and absentee ballots pushed Caput to a 396-390 victory.
"It looks like it will be a couple weeks at least until we know who won," Bersámin said.
Gonzalez said he wasn't "ready to celebrate."
"I feel confident, but whatever the result is, that's fine with me," Gonzalez said. "I do feel confident. We have a lot of support. Talking to my opponent yesterday, he thought he (would win by) a landslide, but now it shows he had another thing coming. People are asking for change."
The exact numbers of ballots yet to be counted in the county is uncertain, although Bersámin said about 200 District 1 ballots were left. The Elections Department reported that an estimate of uncounted ballots in the county wouldn't be available until Monday.
Bersámin said his accomplishments include helping to fight against gangs and working to get a rundown mobile home park - where he recalls children playing in mud puddles in the street - replaced with 26 modular homes.
"I think the difference between me and Gabe is I already have the job, so I need to forget that it hasn't been decided yet," he said. "I need to continue to do my job."
He said he went to church Wednesday morning to pray for strength, whether he wins or loses.
Gonzalez said, if elected, his first priority would be to bring more good jobs to Watsonville. Gonzalez, who ran unsuccessfully against Bersámin in 2004, said he enjoyed knocking on doors.
"This time around I met a lot of new people," he said. "I'm looking forward to meeting people in my district, and addressing any concerns they might have."
...
District 2
Luis Alejo had a feeling that he would win by a good-sized margin, but even he was surprised by the final tally, which showed the 34-year-old attorney getting nearly four times as many votes as Joe Ortiz, a 64-year-old retired carpenter.
"We never thought we'd have more than 78 percent of the votes," he said. "We knew we had a lot of support. We knew were going to have a large margin of victory, but not this large."
Alejo said he thought his legacy of action in the community was the reason for his landslide win. A community organizer since he was 19, Alejo, currently a member of the Planning Commission, helped start the Watsonville Brown Berets in an effort to battle gang violence and has fought a proposal to install an incinerator at the Buena Vista Landfill.
"When I came knocking on doors, people had heard about me, about my work, and they knew I would be an effective advocate for District 2," Alejo said.
Ortiz, running for office for the first time, called his first campaign "very educational." He said getting off to a late start hampered him, adding that he was surprised he didn't get more support.
"I guess I should have been better prepared," he admitted.
Alejo said his first item of business was working to organize the neighborhoods in District 2. A delegate to the Democratic National Convention and a Barack Obama supporter, Alejo said he believed in Obama's call to collective action.
"The foundation to having good local government in any city is to have citizens be more involved," Alejo said.
Alejo said his other goals were to bring in more jobs, improve educational opportunities and to help reduce crime through programs like Neighborhood Watch.
"I can't do it alone," Alejo said. "We're going to have to work together to make big changes in our community."
............................
*Photos by Tarmo Hannula*
(Published in 11/6/08 edition)
District 6 incumbent Edward Din acknowledged Wednesday he's been defeated by challenger Emilio Martinez, while District 1's Manuel Bersámin trails challenger Gabriel Gonzalez by a slim margin, with the race still close to call.
In the other council race, Luis Alejo received 78 percent of the votes, easily beating Joe Ortiz. Alejo will take over the District 2 seat currently held by Oscar Rios. Rios decided not to seek re-election.
While voting from all precincts is in, some absentee ballots, provisional ballots and damaged ballots that need to be remade still need to be recorded. The Santa Cruz County Elections Department must certify the results by Dec. 2, and will post updated unofficial results every Friday by 4 p.m. on its Web site, www.votescount.com.
As of Wednesday, Martinez garnered 629 votes from District 6 voters, with Din receiving 524 and Tony Gomez 200. In District 1, Gonzalez has received 232 votes, while Bersámin has been credited with 211. In District 2, Alejo has received 384 votes and Ortiz totaled 101.
...
District 6
Emilio Martinez credited his victory in District 6 to smart campaigning and a large amount of hard work.
"I walked every house in this neighborhood," Martinez said Wednesday as he removed campaign signs from the corner of Martinelli Street and Brewington Avenue. "I think out of 2,000 homes, I might have missed 60."
Martinez said he got "very strategic," moving quickly to get residents to agree to have his campaign signs on their property, and making visits to homes with Din signs to try to get their votes.
"Now that it's all over, I miss it," Martinez said. "I don't know if I want to do it again, but it was such a great time."
Din, who said he was "disappointed" by the results, while saying Martinez's campaign wasn't dirty, expressed concern about Martinez's campaign strategy.
Din was upset about a Martinez mailer that said Din had supported a controversial low-income housing plan on Atkinson Lane. He said he had serious problems with the proposals, adding that development would be years away, if it happened at all.
"He misrepresented my position to the constituents that I'm pro-development," Din said. "That's simply not the case."
Martinez served on the Watsonville Planning Commission on Din's recommendation, but Martinez resigned later after Din called on him to do so. Martinez has called Din a friend in the past, but Din emphatically shook his head no several times Wednesday when asked if the two were still friends.
Martinez said his top priority is to stop Atkinson Lane development. The outspoken private investigator has been critical of city staff, but said he would work with the council and not be divisive, something Din expressed doubts about.
"It's easy to identify problems, but it's hard to govern," Din said, "and he will have difficulty governing in my opinion."
Din, a hospital administrator who has been on the council for two years, said he felt his financial expertise was needed going ahead. He listed his accomplishments as having helped develop the city's strategic plan, working on the city budget, focusing on public safety and mitigating traffic problems in the district.
He said he would likely donate his time to another government board, adding that he would consider running again for City Council in the future.
Tony Gomez, a Pacific Gas & Electric mechanic, ran a small-scale campaign. He said he wanted to ensure growth didn't overcome the capacity of city services.
Martinez said he commended Din and Gomez for their efforts in the campaign.
...
District 1
Gabriel Gonzalez holds a 21-point lead in current voting totals, but recent history has shown that leads can be overcome.
Two years ago in District 5, Daniel Dodge led Greg Caput by a few votes after Election Day, but provisional and absentee ballots pushed Caput to a 396-390 victory.
"It looks like it will be a couple weeks at least until we know who won," Bersámin said.
Gonzalez said he wasn't "ready to celebrate."
"I feel confident, but whatever the result is, that's fine with me," Gonzalez said. "I do feel confident. We have a lot of support. Talking to my opponent yesterday, he thought he (would win by) a landslide, but now it shows he had another thing coming. People are asking for change."
The exact numbers of ballots yet to be counted in the county is uncertain, although Bersámin said about 200 District 1 ballots were left. The Elections Department reported that an estimate of uncounted ballots in the county wouldn't be available until Monday.
Bersámin said his accomplishments include helping to fight against gangs and working to get a rundown mobile home park - where he recalls children playing in mud puddles in the street - replaced with 26 modular homes.
"I think the difference between me and Gabe is I already have the job, so I need to forget that it hasn't been decided yet," he said. "I need to continue to do my job."
He said he went to church Wednesday morning to pray for strength, whether he wins or loses.
Gonzalez said, if elected, his first priority would be to bring more good jobs to Watsonville. Gonzalez, who ran unsuccessfully against Bersámin in 2004, said he enjoyed knocking on doors.
"This time around I met a lot of new people," he said. "I'm looking forward to meeting people in my district, and addressing any concerns they might have."
...
District 2
Luis Alejo had a feeling that he would win by a good-sized margin, but even he was surprised by the final tally, which showed the 34-year-old attorney getting nearly four times as many votes as Joe Ortiz, a 64-year-old retired carpenter.
"We never thought we'd have more than 78 percent of the votes," he said. "We knew we had a lot of support. We knew were going to have a large margin of victory, but not this large."
Alejo said he thought his legacy of action in the community was the reason for his landslide win. A community organizer since he was 19, Alejo, currently a member of the Planning Commission, helped start the Watsonville Brown Berets in an effort to battle gang violence and has fought a proposal to install an incinerator at the Buena Vista Landfill.
"When I came knocking on doors, people had heard about me, about my work, and they knew I would be an effective advocate for District 2," Alejo said.
Ortiz, running for office for the first time, called his first campaign "very educational." He said getting off to a late start hampered him, adding that he was surprised he didn't get more support.
"I guess I should have been better prepared," he admitted.
Alejo said his first item of business was working to organize the neighborhoods in District 2. A delegate to the Democratic National Convention and a Barack Obama supporter, Alejo said he believed in Obama's call to collective action.
"The foundation to having good local government in any city is to have citizens be more involved," Alejo said.
Alejo said his other goals were to bring in more jobs, improve educational opportunities and to help reduce crime through programs like Neighborhood Watch.
"I can't do it alone," Alejo said. "We're going to have to work together to make big changes in our community."
............................
*Photos by Tarmo Hannula*
(Published in 11/6/08 edition)