Tuesday was a late night, particularly for the Davis City Council candidates who, because of the closeness of the election and the still unexplained phenomena whereby city of Davis precincts are slow to report, the final outcome was not sealed for anyone other than Mayor Pro Tem-elect Dan Wolk until 1 am.
“I couldn’t be any happier with the results,” Dan Wolk told the Vanguard. “I am very humbled by the outpouring of support I’ve received from all parts of our community and I’m very excited about what the next four years will bring.”
The surprise was that both of the other incumbents, three-term councilmember Sue Greenwald and two-time councilmember Stephen Souza were defeated in their reelection efforts.
Mr. Wolk was quick to praise their legacy, “I want to take the time to heap praise on my two colleagues – and friends – that were not re-elected: Sue Greenwald and Stephen Souza.”
“It has been a real pleasure serving with both of them. They are both dedicated and hard-working public servants who clearly love this community,” he said. ” I do hope they continue to stay active after their terms end. And should Sue write a book, I plan to read it and ask her for an autographed copy! “
The soon to be Mayor Pro Tem was joined in those thoughts by both Mayor Joe Krovoza and current Mayor Pro Tem Rochelle Swanson, whose tenure as Mayor Pro Tem ends shortly though she will remain on the council.
Mayor Krovoza said, “Thank you to Sue Greenwald and Stephen Souza for their years of service on the Council. They both possess valuable insights on what makes Davis unique and so very livable. I hope to continue to draw on their knowledge.”
“I owe a debt of gratitude to Sue and Stephen for the years of service to the community, both on and off the dais,” Mayor Pro Tem Rochelle Swanson told the Vanguard. “Their wealth of knowledge has been truly valued. I hope to continue to discuss policy and issues with them, as I have with past council members.”
” We’ve tackled a lot of tough issues together over the past two years,” Ms. Swanson added. “Our community was very fortunate to have five candidates solidly committed to getting service costs under control and having a long-term sustainable budget.”
But Tuesday was about looking toward the future.
Mayor Krovoza congratulated his new colleagues and the return of Dan Wolk and wrote, “I believe that securing a sustainable budget long-term, and driving down cost for our future water supply, are the paramount issues. All of the candidates were united on these goals.”
He went on to say, “The challenge for any campaign is getting out the vote. We want to know our council in Davis, and the first-time runners certainly accomplished this. The narrow margins from the 2-5 positions demonstrate the difficulty of the final decision for the electorate, and perhaps the challenge incumbents face in making difficult decisions meeting after meeting.”
And concluded, “Standing for election before the community is humbling and empowering. I know everyone looks forward to getting to work soon.”
Mr. Wolk congratulated his new colleagues, “I also want to congratulate Brett Lee and Lucas Frerichs on their victories and I look forward to serving with them.”
Primarily, for Dan Wolk, this is about issues, indeed challenges, that lie ahead.
“As I talked about during the campaign, these next four years will be challenging. Whether in the areas of the budget, economic development, public infrastructure, water, environmental sustainability, or affordable housing, decisions the City Council will make – or not make – over the next four years will have a profound impact on the type of community my daughters grow up in and inherit,” he said.
” It is incumbent on us as a community to face these issues head on and not leave them to our children. I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with my colleagues, staff, and the larger community on addressing these challenges,” Mr. Wolk added.
“And as I looked around the room last night at friends and family, some of whom I’ve known since I was a little boy to community members I have more recently met, I was left with little doubt that, together, we can overcome these challenges and put our city on a solid path for the future,” he said hopefully.
That is a sentiment shared by colleague Rochelle Swanson.
“While we have some looming budget issues before us, we also have some real opportunities to create long-term fiscal sustainability and structural stability for the future,” she said. “I am optimistic that the Council, working with the community, will arrive at a feasible solution for our future water needs and have solid MOU agreements that are equitable to our valuable employees, while preserving our ability to provide valuable services to our citizenry.”
She added, “The blossoming relationship with UCD and other community partners provide multiple opportunities for our City to become fiscally sound without relying solely on cuts. I’m pleased to continue to work with Dan and I’m looking forward to forging a good working relationship with Brett and Lucas.”
The Vanguard has yet to speak to Lucas Frerichs, but looks forward to doing so.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
David, you need a fresh, new mugshot of Dan Wolk. Nothing wrong with the one you use, but you use it a lot.
[img]http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2012/05/19/20/12/16QmT5.Hi.4.jpeg[/img]
I asked for a headshot at the beginning and was given that one. I think it’s better than the Bees that you posted, jmo.
Now that both photo angles are available, it’s clear that he has four extra molars. Studies have shown this unusual characteristic (the M Factor) can increase voter preference by up to 10 per cent. The cuteness factor (CF) that swept Brett Lee into office also likely impacted Dan Wolk’s vote totals, but to a lesser degree.
Outdoor shots are almost always more attractive. I bet he would have won in every precinct if all his shots had been taken outdoors.
Oh, wait…..he did win in every precinct.
Congratulations and best of luck to Dan, Brett and Lucas.
And my personal thanks to Stephen and Sue for their years of hard work on our behalf.
[quote]Mr. Wolk was quick to praise their legacy, “I want to take the time to heap praise on my two colleagues – and friends – that were not re-elected: Sue Greenwald and Stephen Souza. “
“It has been a real pleasure serving with both of them. They are both dedicated and hard-working public servants who clearly love this community,” he said. ” I do hope they continue to stay active after their terms end. [/quote]
[quote]Mayor Krovoza said, “Thank you to Sue Greenwald and Stephen Souza for their years of service on the Council. They both possess valuable insights on what makes Davis unique and so very livable. I hope to continue to draw on their knowledge.”
“I owe a debt of gratitude to Sue and Stephen for the years of service to the community, both on and off the dais,” Mayor Pro Tem Rochelle Swanson told the Vanguard. “Their wealth of knowledge has been truly valued. I hope to continue to discuss policy and issues with them, as I have with past council members.”[/quote]
Well said…