Allen to seek Fudge’s LAFCO seat

Supervisor candidate Fudge calls fellow councilmember’s
entry a ‘political move’
By PETE MORTENSEN, News Editor
Windsor Town Councilmember Steve Allen confirmed Saturday that
he will challenge his colleague Debora Fudge for her city
representative seat on the Sonoma County Local Agency Formation
Commission.
LAFCO is an independent agency that makes decisions regarding
requests for changes to cities and special districts, including
annexations, detachments, new formations and incorporations.
Whenever a city chooses to add land into its limits, LAFCO must
approve the change, as Windsor is hoping for with the land north of
Town where Sanderson Ford hopes to relocate.
Fudge was appointed as one of the two city members of LAFCO in
May 2002, and her term ends next month.
The seven-member commission comprises two city members, two
special district members, two county members and one member from
the public, as well as one alternate from each category. Allen, a
civil engineer with the City of Santa Rosa, said he has been
interested in the position for several years, but stepped aside to
let Fudge try for the seat four years ago.
&#8220The last time through, when it came up that Debora
Fudge had an interest in it, I was willing to let that go by,” he
said. &#8220It was somewhat as a trade-off – she was supporting
me for the (Sonoma County Transit Authority) position. I let it go
at that point, but it’s back up again and I jumped into it.”
Fudge said she was surprised to learn Allen would be reaching
for the seat. She ascribed his interest in the seat to outside
pressure. Fudge is challenging Paul Kelley for the Fourth District
Supervisor seat, an election that will be decided in June.
&#8220The announcement that my position was up was out there
for a month,” she said. &#8220Steve called me about two hours
before the deadline (to file) and got his letter in about one
minute before the deadline. When he said this is something he
wants, and he’s not being told to do it by development or real
estate interests, I don’t believe him. I believe this is a
political ploy on the development interests’ part to try to hurt me
before my supervisory election.”
Allen, though he supports Kelley’s re-election, denied strongly
that the development community had pushed him to throw his hat into
the ring for the LAFCO seat.
&#8220I was originally approached by a fellow
councilmember,” he said. &#8220When it looked like I wasn’t
going to be able to run for it, I was contacted by other
councilmembers from other jurisdictions who said they thought I
would do a good job.”
His record on the Windsor Town Council shows that he isn’t
beholden to development interests, Allen said.
&#8220It’s an election year, and you hear that kind of
stuff, but it’s pretty clear if you look back at my record, I have
never exhibited anything like that,” he said. &#8220Anybody
willing to go back and check will see it’s a clear thing. The
people saying that kind of thing would love to attach that label to
me, but there’s no way they’ll be able to make anything like that
stick.”
According to Healdsburg City Councilmember Lisa Schaffner, the
other seated city member on LAFCO, Allen and Fudge are the only
applicants for the position, which will be determined by a vote of
the Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Association on May 11.
Between now and then, each city council in the county must state
its majority support for one or the other candidate, and then the
nine mayors will meet to cast the consensus vote of their councils.
A simple majority of five claims the seat.
Schaffner declined to say which candidate she favored.
&#8220I’m going to wait until I talk about it with my
council,” she said. &#8220Whatever the vote is from Healdsburg,
I want it to be Healdsburg with one voice. I’ve worked with Deb,
she does a good job. I know Steve, and I think he would do a great
job as well.”
The seat will not change hands, Fudge said.
&#8220I have confirmation from a majority of the cities that
they are going to reconfirm me,” she said.
But in Windsor itself, that balance is precarious. Fudge and
Allen cancel each other out, leaving Mayor Sam Salmon, Mayor Pro
Tem Warin Parker and Councilmember Lynn Morehouse to decide what
vote Windsor will make. For his part, Salmon supports Fudge.
&#8220I most likely would be supporting Debora,” he said.
&#8220Mainly, she’s done a good job on the LAFCO board and
represented Windsor well. Again, we’ll take a vote.”
Parker said Monday he expects to support Allen.
&#8220I think, in keeping with the Council tradition of
rotating positions and giving everybody experience, I think in
light of that Council precedent, I think that I would vote for
Steve,” he said.
Morehouse could not be reached for comment for this story. If
Morehouse puts her support with Allen, and the others vote as they
have said they will, Salmon will cast his vote at the meeting May
11 for Allen, though that doesn’t reflect his current personal
preference.
&#8220In a case like this, I make sure I have very clear
direction,” he said. &#8220For sure, whatever direction the
Windsor Council takes, I will make sure I have clear direction on
how to vote throughout the process.”
Windsor’s Town Council will vote on the decision at its
regularly scheduled May 3 meeting. The April 19 meeting was
canceled.
Fourth District Supervisor Kelley is also a county
representative to LAFCO and the vice-chairman of the organization.
Though he spoke favorably of Allen, he would not comment on Fudge’s
efforts to retain her LAFCO seat during the county election.
&#8220I feel that Steve would be a very qualified member of
LAFCO if the city selection committee chose him,” he said.
&#8220Otherwise, I’m not very familiar with their process.”
Fudge said she also considered Allen’s challenge &#8220a
kind of personal attack.” In early 1998, Parker ran as a recall
candidate to challenge Fudge at the same time that Brian Ling
challenged Salmon and Kim Weerts sought Morehouse’s seat.
&#8220Steve and Warin both tried to recall me eight years
ago,” she said. &#8220I went through mediation with Steve to
work out our feelings so we could move along together as respective
councilmembers. We were able to do that, and we actually created a
friendship. But I consider this political move to be damaging.”
Allen said he supported the recall action at the time with a
sign in his yard but wasn’t active in the effort. He was first
elected to Windsor Town Council in the general election in Nov.
1998 that followed the recall.
&#8220I did go to the first meeting (about the recall
effort), and there did seem to be a lot of anger and a lot of
venom-spewing, and it sounds like someone is starting that up
again, which is odd,” he said. &#8220I made this commitment the
first time I was running for office – I’m not going to be involved
in that.”
Allen said he hoped his working and personal relationship with
Fudge would not be harmed.
&#8220My feeling is that Deb has a lot of integrity,” he
said. &#8220I’m not trying to spread any ire at all. I’m not
after Deb, I’m after the position. She’s well-represented in the
positions she holds already, particularly on (the Sonoma-Marin Area
Rail Transit Board). For a position like LAFCO, different
viewpoints need to be put out there.”