FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan 22, 2010

For further information contact Mayor Skip Davies or Councilmember Bill Marble

Woodland Mayor Skip Davies and Councilmember Bill Marble have announced that they will both seek re-election to the Woodland City Council in June of 2010.  First elected in 2006, both Marble and Davies have received the endorsement of every member of the Woodland City Council and the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. 

In a joint statement, Davies and Marble said “We both love Woodland and sincerely appreciate the trust and confidence the community has placed in us these past 4 years.  We would like the opportunity to continue the important work we have yet to do.  These are tremendously challenging times for cities and we pledge our very best efforts to helping Woodland continue to be a great place to live.”

Each of the candidates has resided in Woodland for many years.  Davies was raised in Marysville and moved to Woodland with his family in 1966.  Marble grew up in Davis and moved with his family to Woodland in 1981.

Both Marble and Davies have long and successful careers outside the political mainstream and hold doctoral degrees.   Davies was awarded an Ed. D. from Utah State University.  His career in education spanned 41 years, serving the Woodland Joint Unified School District for 17 years and culminating in service as Deputy Chancellor for the Los Rios Community College District.   

Marble earned a D.D.S. degree from Northwestern Dental School.  Following service as a dentist in the Air Force, he began a dental practice in Woodland.  He serves as an expert and an evaluator for the Dental Board of California and has held key appointments with dental associations at the local, state and national level.

Although both of their names will be on the June ballot, they do not see each other as opponents in the election.  According to Marble, “Skip is exemplary as our mayor.  He is attentive to every detail of government and devotes endless hours to the needs of our community and its individual citizens.  He has been heavily involved in our Energy Committee with a strong focus on sustainability, as well as the Safe Routes to Schools efforts and the Clark Field rehabilitation.  We are all the beneficiaries of his outstanding leadership.  He is a great ambassador and spokesman for our community.  It is important to me to do all I can to ensure he is re-elected.”

In commenting about his colleague, Davies stated, “Bill’s re-election is vital to our City Council.  As Chairman of both the WRA and the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency, he has worked tirelessly to bring focus to water issues important to Woodland, the region and the state.  Under his leadership we are making great strides in identifying an appropriate flood solution and providing quality drinking water for our community.  Bill is extremely dedicated to serving our City and brings an effective focus to fiscal matters for the Council” 

Marble said that “Woodland, like other cities, faces huge fiscal challenges in the years to come.  The economy makes it imperative that we use taxpayer dollars in ways that are both fiscally responsible now and prudent for future generations.  This is no easy task when revenues continue to trend downward.  I have confidence that will reverse, but in the meantime, we are all feeling the pain.” 

Said Davies, “This is a great community that knows how to pull together when times get tough.  We united in a great cause to re-build Fern’s Park, an effort which saved the city a great deal of money and provided quality recreation to our children and youth.  We need to pull together the same way to combat crime and violence while providing positive alternatives for our youth.”

Both Marble and Davies added, “It is tremendously important that individuals of integrity, skill and leadership step up to serve in elected office.  We have done our best during the past 4 years to lend time and talent to the unique challenges we face in Woodland.  We remain focused on increasing job opportunities, strengthening the local economy, the redevelopment in our downtown, the financial issues regarding the Spring Lake development and the challenges that face Woodland to provide the necessary public services with very limited resources.  We intend to ask the voters to allow us to continue to serve.”

If we as a state want to make a New Year's resolution, I suggest taking a good look at the California we have created. From our out-of-sync tax system to our out-of-control civil service, it's time for politicians to begin an honest dialogue about what we've become.

Take the civil service.

The system was set up so politicians like me couldn't come in and fire the people (relatives) hired by the guy they beat and replace them with their own friends and relatives.

Over the years, however, the civil service system has changed from one that protects jobs to one that runs the show.

The deal used to be that civil servants were paid less than private sector workers in exchange for an understanding that they had job security for life.

But we politicians, pushed by our friends in labor, gradually expanded pay and benefits to private-sector levels while keeping the job protections and layering on incredibly generous retirement packages that pay ex-workers almost as much as current workers.

Talking about this is politically unpopular and potentially even career suicide for most officeholders. But at some point, someone is going to have to get honest about the fact that 80 percent of the state, county and city budget deficits are due to employee costs.

Either we do something about it at the ballot box, or a judge will do something about in Bankruptcy Court. And if you think I'm kidding, just look at Vallejo.