There are three open seats on the Redwood City Council, and one is uncontested. That one is for District 5 and will be filled by Kaia Eakin, who has yet to hold elected office. Vice Mayor Diana Reddy is redistricted out, and Mayor Giselle Hale is opting not to run again. This means two strong voices seasoned with the business of the city are leaving the council. In District 6, incumbent Diane Howard is running against Jerome Madigan, a Realtor, minister and member of the Housing and Human Concerns Committee.
In District 2, newly named Planning Commissioner Chris Sturken; Margaret Becker, chair of the Housing and Human Concerns Committee; and attorney Alison Madden are running.
There are times when new energy and fresh ideas overrides depth of knowledge but this is not one of those times. In fact, Redwood City could use more experience from those who have governed or worked toward new policies.
We recommend Howard and Becker for these two contested seats because they have that experience. Madigan has a positive mindset and good ideas, but he doesn’t differentiate himself enough from Howard. Sturken has tremendous upside, and appears he would learn on the job quickly. Madden is focused on affordable housing and issues related to extreme low income residents. Both lend much to the discussion. However, it is Becker who is the most impressive. She knows the issues well and can recount a list of accomplishments in some of the city’s stickiest issues, most notably affordable housing, essential worker housing and establishing a homebuyer program. She would definitely hit the ground running and immediately lend her experience in finding a problem, weighing potential solutions and engaging with the community to find the best step forward.
Proving you can do the job through a depth and breadth of knowledge is always a strong indicator of leadership success. Both Howard and Becker are your best bets.
Becker and Sturken are good fits. Both knocked on my door. Impressed by Sturken's interest in transportation. Redwood City once had a fleet of small buses that were very efficient. Hope he takes a look at the past and learn from it.
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Becker and Sturken are good fits. Both knocked on my door. Impressed by Sturken's interest in transportation. Redwood City once had a fleet of small buses that were very efficient. Hope he takes a look at the past and learn from it.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.