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In the midst of widespread speculation that District 2 Councilmember Margaret Breland will be leaving Berkeley City Council at the end of her term this year, an aide to the ailing councilmember said that Breland will make a decision in the next few weeks on whether she will run for re-election. 

Breland was hospitalized for several days after she suffered a minor stroke in early December. She has not attended a City Council meeting in person so far this year, but has participated in the debates and voted by telephone since the end of January. Longtime aide Mel Martynn said that Breland is “doing much better,” and is expected to return to full City Hall duties by the March 16 council meeting. 

Breland, who is also in remission from a bout with breast cancer, told the Daily Planet last year that she was unsure about her re-election plans and was leaving it “in God’s hands.”  

If Breland chooses not to run for re-election, she would be the second Berkeley councilmember to do so this season. Last fall, Miriam Hawley announced that she would not be running for her 5th District seat. In December of last year, Mayor Tom Bates told a City Council meeting that he expected at least two, and possibly three, city councilmembers to choose not to run for re-election in the fall. Councilmembers Maudelle Shirek and Betty Olds are also up for re-election this year. 

If Breland chooses not to run, it may set up a contest for the seat between at least two political heavyweights. Peralta Community College District Four Trustee Darryl Moore and Housing Advisory Commission Chairperson Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB) member Deborah Matthews—both of whom, like Breland, are African-American—have both announced that they would consider running for the District 2 seat if Breland opts out. Both also stressed that it was Breland’s decision whether to run or not, and asked that their comments not be taken as an indication that either were trying to force her out. 

“I’ve been honored recently that people who have heard of Margaret’s health and heard from her that she’s contemplating whether or not to run again have called and e-mailed me and suggested that I run for her seat,” Moore said. “It’s humbling. I would definitely weigh that, given the response.” Moore said that he would “probably form a small, exploratory committee to see what a run for city council would look like.” 

Matthews called a run for the District 2 “a possibility. But out of due respect to [Breland] and her position in her seat, I would not declare candidacy unless she chose not to run. I haven’t taken it any further, because it is a sensitive issue.” 

Matthews, who was appointed by Breland to both the Housing Advisory Commission and ZAB, said she hoped, however, that the councilmember “will have some sense of what her direction is sooner, rather than later. That would best service the community.” 

“There is a greater likelihood than not that [Breland] is going to run” for a third council term this fall, said Martynn, her aide. “She really enjoys this job tremendously and from all indications I have, she would like to continue. She hasn’t thrown in the towel yet. Margaret feels that she can make a big contribution to the community and particularly to West Berkeley.” 

The 2nd District is in the extreme southwestern corner of Berkeley, bordered by University Avenue, Sacramento Street, the Oakland boundary, and the bay. 

“She’s laying low and trying to get her strength back so she can make a decision,” Martynn explained, adding that while her decision is “dependent on her health, it’s more energy than anything else. It’s just that she’s more tired now. She’s building up her endurance. Once she gets into coming regularly to Council meetings, again, I think she’ll be in a better position to know if she wants to continue doing this, or if it’s going to be too much.” 

As for Moore, he said that a Breland decision did not need to come until early summer. 

“The official campaign season doesn’t start until Labor Day, but I think one would have to be setting the groundwork in early July. One would have to start meeting with people earlier, but the actual fund-raising and other public activity one could easily begin by the first of the summer.” 

Nomination papers for city council candidates can be obtained starting July 12, and normally must be turned in by Aug. 6. If no incumbent files for a council seat, however, the deadline is extended by a week. 

Breland first came on Berkeley City Council in 1996 when she defeated five-term Councilmember Mary Wainwright. In 2000, she beat out four rivals to win re-election with 55 percent of the vote. ˇ