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To the Editor: 

Mayor Dean recently sent out a campaign flier alleging that if Tom Bates were elected mayor, we would return to trash and graffiti in downtown Berkeley. This is pure political garbage. The Clean City Program was initiated by Tom Bate's wife, former Mayor Loni Hancock, and cosponsored by Councilmember Maio and myself. We also advocated to have homeless people given jobs to do these tasks.  

There was a time before the mayoral election in 1994, when the funding for the program ran low and cleanup slowed, with obvious results. After her election as mayor, Dean joined me in urging the public works director to find some additional funding for the program. Additional funding was taken from the refuse fund, which is comprised of fees that residents pay for garbage pickup. 

In 1998, when Mayor Dean was again running for mayor, the staff told the council that there was not enough money to continue the additional service of trash and graffiti cleanup on the commercial corridors without a fee increase. Mayor Dean voted against the fee increase. It was the progressive majority who saved the day by having the political courage to raise the fees (even though it was close to the election) so that the Clean City Program could continue to be adequately funded. We also added San Pablo Avenue to the commercial streets getting the program.  

It is irksome to have Ms. Dean continually trying to take credit exclusively when it was under the progressive majority leadership that the cleanup and blossoming of the downtown happened. Without the progressive majority votes, there wouldn’t have been funding for the Clean City Program or for subsidizing the arts district. Without progressive council members voting, there would not have been a $4 million subsidy to the Berkeley Repertory and financial assistance to the Aurora Theater and Freight and Salvage folk music club.  

Dona Spring  

8th District City Councilmember