Elect Gilmore, deHaan to the Alameda City Council

Times Editorial Staff, Alameda Times Star, October 21, 2004

INCUMBENT Marie Gilmore and Island business consultant Doug deHaan get our endorsements for the two open seats on the Alameda City Council up for grabs in the Nov. 2 election.

So far, the pragmatic Gilmore has been impressive on the council, filling a seat that opened with the 2003 death of former Councilmember Al DeWitt. She previously served for more than a decade on the Recreation Commission and the last two years on the Planning Board. She says her biggest concerns are balancing the budget and integrating ambitious plans for Alameda Point into the rest of Island development.

A 1983 graduate of Stanford University, Gilmore earned a law degree from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall in 1986. She and husband Rod, also an attorney and ESPN sportscaster, have lived in Alameda since 1989. They have two children.

Even though deHaan has never been elected to public office, he has worked for years to move Alameda from a military-based economy to a more diversified retail center, while preserving the Island's uniqueness. He chaired the Economic Development Commission, the Base Retention Committee and the Base Reuse Advisory Committee. As a senior executive at Alameda Naval Air Station before it closed in 1997, he worked to help the 5,500 civilian workers there make the transition to other jobs.

He has served faithfully on numerous Alameda boards and commissions related to retail district revitalization and Alameda Point redevelopment. He urges smart growth. An Encinal High School graduate, deHaan has degrees from Laney College and the University of San Francisco.

Other candidates in the Alameda Council race impressed us during their interviews with the newspaper editorial board. We liked their ideas and encourage them to run for public office again.

Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, an attorney and longtime community activist, grew up on the Island and knows how to rally Alamedans to get things done. She spearheaded the effort to She speaks out strongly for fiscal accountability, as does up-and-comer Ruben Tilos, a financial analyst for Cypress Semiconductor. He grew up in Alameda, where he says he developed a love for the Island's parks and recreational activities. An Encinal High graduate, he says he values the Island's neighborhoods and small-town feel.

We also appreciate the tenacity of council candidate Pat Bail, another longtime community activist, who advocates taking a hard line on the city budget and land use issues.

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Last modified: Ocotber 25, 2004

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