Wed 9 Aug 2006
Posted by SOST webmaster at 10:06 AM
Thank You
Thanks to all the many volunteers and supporters who helped make our election to the Albany City Council possible. We are grateful to each and every one of you for your support and insights.
We will be sworn in at a City Council meeting on December 11th at 7:00PM, 1000 San Pablo Ave. Please join us to celebrate our special day and to take the opportunity with us to discuss how we can move Albany forward.
As a community, there is much we can and will accomplish together. Let’s find common ground, bring overdue reforms to address our community needs and to plan for tomorrow.
Change is in the air. We look forward to working with you and to continue to hear your ideas on how to build a better future for us all.
Thank You,
Marge Atkinson & Joanne Wile
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Vote yields majority waterfront view
Most on council oppose large-scale development of city’s shoreline
By Justin Hill
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
The “Save Our Shoreline Team” sweep of the Albany City Council election this week has produced a majority view on a council previously divided over the future of the city’s waterfront.
But the results don’t come with any definitive answers for the future of the shoreline. Opinions of what will happen to the waterfront ranged from nothing to the possibility that the owner of Golden Gate Fields will be willing to abandon plans to rezone the land.
It appears that Marge Atkinson and Joanne Wile will join Councilman Robert Lieber, who shares a similar shoreline vision, to form a majority on the council of members opposed to large-scale development at the waterfront.
“This council is not inclined to approve any malls on the waterfront or gambling or ‘racinos,’” Lieber said.
(more…)
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Thu 2 Nov 2006
Posted by Brian at 7:57 PM
Thu, Nov. 02, 2006
Racetrack inserts itself in Albany council race
By Justin Hill
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Peter Tunney says that in his more than 25 years as general manager of Golden Gate Fields, neither he nor the racetrack had gotten involved in Albany City Council elections.
This year he has — mailing four pieces of campaign literature to Albany residents.
The first piece was a letter dated Oct. 12 in which Tunney wrote to residents, listing “facts about Golden Gate Fields and the Albany waterfront.”
Then, on Oct. 26, another piece was delivered that describes what would happen if the racetrack closed.
On Monday, residents received two pieces: The racetrack’s newsletter that lists “facts” and recent contributions by the racetrack to community organizations and another piece that opens with “4 things (candidates) Marge Atkinson and Joanne Wile don’t want you to know.”
“We just thought it was time to set the record straight,” Tunney said. “I think we have an obligation to correct what are just flat-out lies.”
Atkinson and Wile, running as the Save Our Shoreline Team, are opposed to any large-scale development on the racetrack’s land along the waterfront.
In the letter to residents, Tunney writes the campaigns for Wile and Atkinson distributed fliers to voters that were “tainted with misleading and untrue statements” about the racetrack as well as “outright falsehoods.”
Tunney says Atkinson and Wile’s campaign has spread lies that the racetrack plans to introduce casino gambling. He also argues the two candidates want the racetrack to close, which would mean higher taxes for Albany households.
Brian Parker, Atkinson’s and Wile’s campaign manager, said the racetrack is trying to buy the election. It needs a friendly City Council to accommodate development of a mall and casino at the racetrack, he said.
“They’re bought and paid for in Washington,” Parker said. “I guess they wanted them bought and paid for in Albany. … We deserve better than that.”
Atkinson and Wile have responded to the Golden Gate Fields mailers with their own piece accusing the racetrack of lies. They say they have never stated they want the racetrack to close and that Golden Gate Fields is misrepresenting the impact a potential closure would have on residents’ taxes.
On Wednesday, a separate piece from a union of racetrack culinary employees features an Albany resident who says he was one of the founders of Citizens for the Albany Shoreline and is voting for Caryl O’Keefe and Francesco Papalia.
Reach Justin Hill at 510-243-3578 or jhill@cctimes.com.
Thu 26 Oct 2006
Posted by Brian at 10:15 PM
