Editor’s Note: This November, Sonoma residents will chose from among eight candidates to fill three open seats on the five-member Sonoma City Council. To help voters make this decision, the Index-Tribune interviewed each candidate individually, posing a series of questions on issues relevant to city residents. Following is an overview of the candidates based on those interviews.
Madolyn Agrimonti, 67, was born and raised in San Francisco and later lived in Daly City, where she served on the city council from 1990 to 2002. For decades, she and her husband owned a home in Boyes Hot Springs and visited Sonoma often – and in 2003 they moved here permanently.
Now retired from her career as a legislative aide and later a fundraiser, she remains very active locally, serving on a number of boards and committees. She currently is working with Sonoma Splash to bring a community pool to the area, and with the Sonoma Valley Firefighters’ Association to “fine-tune the fundraising process” for next year’s Fourth of July celebration. She also serves on a Health Roundtable tackling diabetes and other issues.
Agrimonti describes herself “in the middle” politically and “a listener.” She was an elected member of the Sonoma Valley Hospital board and continues to work with the hospital foundation. She ran unsuccessfully for Sonoma City Council in 2012.
Asked whether she supports water rate increases for local residents, Agrimonti answered, “We’re retired and we have a fixed income. So I’m not comfortable with an increase.” But she added that two years ago when she ran for council, “I was dodging dogs and hoses. Now I’m just dodging dogs. So I know people are taking it seriously.”
As for dogs, Agrimonti said she is in favor of allowing them into Montini Preserve so long as owners keep them on leash. “Sometimes freedom means other people can take your freedom,” she said. “I just have to trust people. I can’t say they’re not going to do the right thing.”
When it comes to recent controversy over Plaza aesthetics – for example, debates over whether to allow a pink door, pirate flag or “Sonomawood” sign on the Plaza – Agrimonti said, “There’s something special about Sonoma, the way it looks,” but she added, “on my scale of interest that’s probably very low.” She said she believes the process currently in place to vet Plaza displays is working fine.
Agrimonti described Sonoma’s affordable housing situation as “pretty serious,” and said she supports the city’s rent control policies for mobile home parks. She is also in favor of making it easier for residents to set up “backyard cottages” for additional housing.
Agrimonti said she “absolutely” supports controls on vacation rentals in Sonoma, including those booked through online rental services like Airbnb. She noted that about 21 percent of the city’s budget derives from the transient occupancy tax, or TOT, and she is in favor of any efforts to collect that tax.
Asked whether she supports increasing the minimum wage within city limits, Agrimonti said the city should study it: “I don’t think it’s harmful to move ahead and see what that issue can bring.” She did express concern regarding teenaged workers, wage-earners who also make tips, and other complications. “That’s why I’m interested in the result of the report,” she said.
For Agrimonti, the three most pressing issues confronting Sonoma are water resources, affordable housing and tourism/traffic. Regarding the latter, she wondered whether there is an “organized process” for routing tourist traffic such as tour buses, and she believes the city can take a stronger hand in managing Highway 12. She also said she’s disappointed that the council didn’t put a cap on wine tasting rooms on the Plaza.
Ken Brown, 67, is the only incumbent among the candidates, and is currently finishing up a fourth term as council member.
Born in New York City and raised Orthodox Jewish, Brown said he “hated school” but read a lot. He dropped out of colleges in Long Island and Queens before joining the Army and serving eight months in Vietnam. Upon returning in 1970, he says, “I still had some issues.” He came to California soon after and never left, living in Sonoma Valley for the past 40 years and working jobs from grape picker to taxi driver.
Today, Brown says, “I collect social security.” He also sells sponsorships, and hosts a radio show, for KSVY. He has four children and is married to his second wife, Jewel Mathieson, a teacher and artist who co-owns a cannabis club in Santa Rosa.
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