Email  Print

Why I support Susan Gorin

Op-ed

  Fifteen years ago, Rosewood Hotels wanted to build a swanky resort in the hills above Sonoma’s Plaza.  Sonoma said no.  Six years ago, the land along Highway 37 was slated to be developed as a casino.  Sonoma said no.  Instead, today we enjoy the Sonoma Overlook Trail and farmland protected in perpetuity by the Sonoma Land Trust.  Folks in Sonoma Valley know good development from bad development.  So does Susan Gorin.

  Susan Gorin is a champion for our environment and has the endorsement of the Sierra Club, Sonoma County Conservation Action and the local Democratic Party organizations.  (Oddly, her opponent is a registered Democrat who is supported by the local Republicans.)  She favors sustainable growth, not urban sprawl.  On controversial matters, she works with neighbors and independent businesses to arrive at decisions. 

  Susan Gorin is a seasoned businessperson and public servant.  She has been on the Santa Rosa City Council for six years and has served as mayor for two.  She has represented the county’s mayors and supervisors on the executive boards of the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.  She has served on the City Planning Commission, the Board of Public Utilities, the Santa Rosa School Board, and as president of the League of Women Voters. 

  Susan Gorin has backbone.  She voted “no” to the Santa Rosa Police Association contract that adds $112 million to Santa Rosa’s pension liability.  Her opponent John Sawyer voted “yes.”

  Susan Gorin will work effectively with the county’s representatives in Sacramento who have endorsed her: State Senators Noreen Evans and Mark Leno, Assemblymembers Michael Allen and Wes Chesbro.

  Susan Gorin will put families and neighborhoods first. Susan’s opponent recently voted against requiring an Environmental Impact Report for the expansion of an asphalt plant located in a Santa Rosa neighborhood. The study would have required the company to prove the plant’s emissions do not harm nearby families. Her opponent rubberstamped the project without the review, putting the company’s profits over the health of neighborhood residents.

  Susan Gorin will support local businesses.  Her opponent touts his commitment to creating jobs. But what his record shows is a willingness to support any development or business venture no matter how bad it is for workers or the community. He has voted to place 24-hour stores and drive-through fast food outlets in the middle of neighborhoods against the wishes of outraged residents.  Susan has consistently supported local businesses by reducing government regulation and fighting the traffic created by big box stores run by out-of-area corporations.

  Susan Gorin gets her support from local grass-roots donors, folks like you and me.  As of this writing, John Sawyer’s campaign has received $47,000 from the California Real Estate Independent Expenditure Committee, a PAC located on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.  Hmmm.

  Everyone who lives in Sonoma Valley knows how important it is to maintain the right balance between economic vitality and conservation.  So does Susan Gorin.

  Visit her website at susangorin.com.

 

--

  Bill Hutchinson is head of Hutchinson Consulting, a hospitality management recruiting firm, and a member of the Index-Tribune editorial board.