Ziedrich to run for city council
Healdsburg Lumber Company owner has served two prior council terms
Two-time Healdsburg city council member Eric Ziedrich announced this week that he is running for a seat on the council, joining several other candidates who are seeking to fill the two open seats.
Ziedrich, 58, is the owner of Healdsburg Lumber and has served the community in many capacities during the 30 years he has lived in town, including stints on local school boards, the planning commission, the Chamber of Commerce board and two separate four-year terms on the Healdsburg City Council.
He said he is seeking another term because he thinks his experience can benefit the city.
“I’m running because I think I still have things to offer the community,” he said. “I’ve done this before. I recognize it’s neither an easy or necessarily rewarding job and I think in many cases candidates aren’t aware of that.”
Ziedrich moved to Healdsburg more than 30 years ago after becoming the General Manager of Healdsburg Lumber when his father still owned the business. A few years later, in 1985, he bought the business from his father and has expanded it to include several other businesses including Hudson Street Design and Healdsburg Door & Sash.
With a background in finance (Ziedrich has a BS in Finance from California State University Chico and graduate work from Golden Gate University with a concentration in accounting), he said the city’s budget and the local economy are his biggest concerns. “While (finances) still aren’t good, I’m concerned about dipping into reserves,” Ziedrich said. He said when council members don’t have experience with budgets, they are more likely to follow staff’s recommendations, which he said can sometimes be more narrowly focused than a council member’s should be.
“It’s critically important to ask the hard questions,” he said.
Ziedrich acknowledged that that can sometimes mean he comes off as a “curmudgeon” with a more skeptical approach to city issues. But while he won’t be seen as a cheerleader, Ziedrich said it’s his love for the community and his collaborative approach that has led to success in the past.
Ziedrich began his political career on the Healdsburg Planning Commission in the late 1980s, before running for the elementary school board in 1989. He served on that board for a few years, and then was elected to the unified school board in 1992. In 1996, he ran for Healdsburg City Council and served the four-year term. He took a break from the council while his three children were young, before running again and serving on the council from 2006 to 2010.
Now that his daughters are grown and his oldest, Jill, has taken over as General Manager of Hudson Street Designs, he has more time to dedicate again to the city.
Like others in the community, Ziedrich recognizes that Healdsburg is at a unique point as a community.
“It’s more congested, it’s tougher to park your car. We’re a victim of our own success and it’s no small task to figure out how to balance that. You have to be extremely cautious and careful about the steps we take to manage and preserve what we have,” he said.
Two seats are up for election on the Healdsburg City Council. Current members Jim Wood and Susan Jones are both not running for re-election. Other candidates who have declared their intention to run for the seats are Planning Commissioner Jeff Civian, winery owner Tim Meinken and teacher Brigette Mansell. Local business owner Mark Zimmerman announced his candidacy earlier this month, but due to residency issues has dropped out of the race. Zimmerman has also resigned from the Healdsburg Planning Commission.
The final deadline to file paperwork with the city for candidates is Aug. 8, but the deadline is extended an additional week if incumbents don’t file.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
