Extra

Candidates Come Out for District 4

By Judith Scherr
Thursday July 17, 2008 - 08:33:00 PM

Candidates are beginning to line up to fill the District 4 seat left vacant by the death Sunday of Councilmember Dona Spring: Former School Board President Terry Doran, videographer LA Wood and Commissioner Asa Dodsworth have taken out preliminary papers. 

For Dodsworth, a member of the Zero Waste Commission, taking out the papers is a place-holder while he decides if he will actually run in the race. Dodsworth told the Planet he is concerned with bringing people together to build community. He would like to start a tutoring program for Berkeley High students, build “victory gardens” to provide food security and help neighbors come together in organizations block by block.  

The 2008 race will be the second LA Wood runs for the District 4 seat. He faced Spring in 2000, even though he says he espouses many of the late councilmember’s ideals. He picked up 9.9 percent of the votes in a four-way race in 2000. Spring won with 66.7 percent of the vote. 

Like Spring and Dodsworth, Wood has supported the tree sit at Memorial Grove. Several years ago, Wood and Spring collaborated on a video showing the needs of the animal shelter. Wood said he would champion neighborhood concerns, such as exclusive neighborhood parking on one side of the street near downtown. 

Doran, who serves on the Zoning Adjustments Board, did not return Planet calls before press time. 

As of the Planet’s Thursday afternoon deadline, no new candidates had filed for any other council seat. 

Candidates taking out papers to run in District 2 are incumbent Darryl Moore and Jon Crowder. 

Incumbent Max Anderson has taken out papers for District 3. 

Incumbent Laurie Capitelli will face Jason Ira Magid for the District 5 seat.  

Susan Wengraf is the only person running so far in District 6. The seat is being vacated by retiring Councilmember Betty Olds. 

 

Mayor 

To date incumbent Mayor Tom Bates is facing former Mayor Shirley Dean and Zachary Running Wolf. 

 

Rent Board 

One new candidate, low-income housing advocate Marcia Levenson, has taken out papers to run for the rent board.  

Other rent board candidates include incumbents Jesse Arreguin, Eleanor Walden and Jack Harrison, former rent board members Judy Ann Alberti and Robert Evans, and Jane Welford, Nicole Drake and Judy Shelton. 

 

School board  

School Board president John Selawsky and Beatriz Levya-Cutler have taken out papers to run for the two school board seats.  

Nomination papers for all offices must be returned to the clerk by Aug. 8.