A message from Ken

Twenty years ago, I came to the Emeryville City Council as a citizen activist and owner of a small business. Back then, I was frustrated with our city government's lack of responsiveness to our concerns. Since that time, I have worked with the other members of the City Council and the residents of Emeryville to transform a once-corrupt city into an open, honest, stable and fiscally sound city government. During my time on the City Council, I have strived to be an independent and balanced voice, always putting the interests of Emeryville and its residents first.

Emeryville is a truly unique city. Our size, history, geographic location within the Bay Area, successful biotechnology, software and creative industries, cultural diversity and a thriving arts community all contribute to a unique character which must be preserved, along with our good quality of life. We must encourage a high level of citizen participation in our 2008 General Plan - which will create a vision for Emeryville's future and lay the foundation for upcoming decisions on land use, traffic, housing, conservation, open space, noise, building height and safety.

I am proud to say that as other cities are facing service cutbacks, we have maintained first-class police and fire departments and other vital city services you depend on, while balancing our city budget. Our police department's average response time is the best in the state, and our officers do an outstanding job of reaching out to all Emeryville citizens to keep our community safe.

We have made many improvements in transit, including the Emery-Go-Round and the new Amtrak station. As someone who often uses a bicycle for transportation around our city, I will continue to advocate for bicycle and pedestrian-friendly policies, and increased access and connectivity for mass transit.

We've created new parks for all residents to enjoy, including Temescal Creek Park, Christie Avenue Park, and Stanford and Davenport Parks, and we've built a successful partnership with Emeryville Unified School District as our test scores continue to rise.

Our city has become a nationally- recognized leader in cleaning up toxic waste, and we continue to take bold steps in environmental leadership. Last year we installed solar panels on our new City Hall, which will help to combat global warming by eliminating 1,250 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Above all, our city government must work to include its citizens in creating a vision for our city. With your support on November 6th, I'll continue my work as your advocate. Thank you for your consideration.

Ken worked with residents to identify a location for the
Emeryville Community Organic Garden on 59th and Doyle.