Council contenders step forward

They range from an octogenarian former city manager to a relative unknown.

There are four seats up for grabs come Nov. 2, and so far two incumbents—conservatives Larry Wahl and Steve Bertagna—have pledged to run for re-election. Dan Nguyen-Tan has not yet decided if he will do so, and Coleen Jarvis, nearing the end of her second four-year term, died of cancer last month.

So far, the potential list of contenders includes: Fred Davis, Jolene Francis, Andy Holcombe, John Merz and Sharon Nichols.

Davis is perhaps the best-known of the bunch and is regarded by many as the institutional memory of city politics. Now 80, Davis was hired as the city public works director in 1953 and retired as city manager in 1992.

His retired status and good health, Davis said, mean he will have plenty of time and stamina to serve the city. His government consulting jobs, he added, mean he’s kept up on the issues.

During his years on city staff, Davis said he played a neutral role and has been both a registered Democrat and, more recently, a Republican. “I don’t think anybody could really understand what my politics are,” he said.

Davis said he’s frustrated by the stalled Humboldt Road Burn Dump cleanup but would set as a priority the update of the city’s General Plan—especially its transportation element, which he feels is not matching the growth patterns of the city. He also supports infill development but thinks the city needs to come up with a policy on the density of the houses in such projects.

Interestingly, Davis has promised that he will not accept any donations to his campaign. “I’ll spend a little bit of my own money,” he said. “There’s a perception when someone gives you money that you’ll do their bidding.”

Francis, a banker and native Chicoan, hasn’t set any restrictions on her potential donors but said she would never promise them anything. She also said, “I have no plans to participate in any kind of a slate.”

Acknowledging that the council is technically a nonpartisan job, Francis called herself a moderate and said, “I don’t really have an agenda, so to speak.”

Francis, who has nearly eight years as a planning commissioner under her belt, also said she’s been eyeing a council seat for some time. “I’ve been putting it off based on family and career issues,” she said. “I think people have been expecting me to run for some time now.”

Francis expects key issues like the dump and the proposed Wal-Mart expansion to be settled by the time new councilmembers take office, so she expects the big issue on their plate to be the budget.

Holcombe, a tenant-rights attorney and close friend of Jarvis who also volunteers for homelessness causes, said he decided to run almost a year and one-half ago, in part due to his frustrations with the process in serving on the city’s Housing Element Task Force.

“I just have different priorities in terms of the need for housing and long-range planning,” Holcombe said. “And I’m not a no-growther.”

He called himself “somewhere between progressive and moderate” and referred to his experience working with various groups in town. “I have a proven track record working for positive change.”

He said he spoke before the progressive Esplanade League but doesn’t want to be on any slate. Holcombe is also hopeful he can secure an endorsement from the Chamber of Commerce.

Merz, the executive director of the Sacramento River Preservation Trust, has been urged to run for council for years. In the 1980s, he served on two city commissions, but it’s not until now that the council fit into his life.

Likely to be label progressive, Merz is interested in development issues, but, “I do regard myself as fiscally conservative.”

Outsider candidate Sharon Nichols is retired, a Republican and considers herself politically moderate. Her background is in the Navy and as a city employee, working under Fred Davis in the City Manager’s Office from 1971 until 1988.

She said her strengths include a knack for organization and the ability to “keep a cool head.”

“I’m basically a moderate,” she said, noting the need for “balance” on what is now a divided council. “I don’t have strong political affiliations, and I don’t tie myself to any particular organizations.”

Nichols supports the Greenline protecting agricultural lands, low-income housing, a well-funded library, volunteerism and park improvements. Though she’s never run for public office, she said her years of administrative experience in the Navy and, locally, at the Stansbury Home qualify her for a council seat.

Last week, conservative councilmembers failed to appoint someone to fill the remainder of Jarvis’ term and city staff is still sorting through the legal ramifications of leaving the seat unfilled. Jarvis’ husband, Michael Stauffer, the progressives’ pick for the appointment, has said he will not seek a four-year term in November.

Candidates may pick up papers to run as early as July 12, and then they have until Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. to return them to the City Clerk’s Office.