On Thursday, Sept. 27, the Windsor Democratic Club voted to endorse school board and town council candidates, and took positions on two ballot measures.
For school board, the club endorsed Sandy Dobbins, Eric Heitz and Stephanie Ahmad for the three openings on the Windsor Unified School Board of Trustees.
Sandy Dobbins has served four terms on the board, and thus has much experience in dealing with all types of issues that the board faces. Her two daughters graduated from Windsor High. Eric Heitz is seeking his second term. He grew up in this area and is currently a teacher in Calistoga.
Stephanie Ahmad, running for her first term on the board, graduated from Windsor High School as valedictorian of her class. She has a BA from Berkeley and a law degree from Stanford. She is president of the Windsor Education Foundation.
For town council, the club endorsed Sam Salmon and Billy Forrest; the club had earlier endorsed Esther Lemus. There are three positions open on the town council.
Sam Salmon has served six terms on the council. His goals are the same—to preserve Windsor’s small town character and prevent sprawl. Billy Forrest, seeking his first term on the council, previously served on the Windsor school board. He is an architect who works on urban projects, including affordable housing, giving him valuable experience dealing with issues facing the town.
Esther Lemus, currently on the Windsor school board, is an assistant district attorney for Sonoma County. Her interest in public safety and education includes her support for school resource officers and community policing.
The club also discussed one local and one statewide ballot measure. Â Sonoma County Regional Parks supporter Jim Nantell spoke about Measure M, which adds a one-eighth cent sales tax countywide so that $11.5 million of dedicated revenues can flow to county and city parks, annually.
The measure responds to park attendance and park areas increasing faster than funding; it includes about $300,000 annually to the Town of Windsor as a block grant. The measure addresses the need to restore parks impacted by fires and to reduce fuels to reduce the intensity of future fires. The club voted to endorse Measure M.
The club endorsed opposition to California Proposition 6, which repeals the gasoline taxes that were increased in 2017 and requires voter approval for future changes, rather than 2/3 votes in each house of the California legislature.
The club opposes this measure because the revenues involved, $5.1 billion statewide, annually, are needed to keep roads maintained and to complete new projects such as eliminating the Novato Narrows and bringing the SMART train to Windsor.
The club will send out mailers, canvass with doorhangers and use phone and text banks to promote its endorsed candidates and positions on ballot measures.
The Windsor Democratic Club meets the fourth Thursday of every month except November and December. For more info, see windsordemocrats.org.
Rick Massell is a member of the Windsor Democratic Club.
