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Town of Fremont made it by way of the worst of the pandemic with out having to put off employees whereas nonetheless offering metropolis providers, together with the opening of a profitable homeless heart.
Whereas different bigger cities are confronting surging crime and long-term funds shortfalls, Fremont is a comparatively protected metropolis blessed with rising tax revenues. That allowed the Metropolis Council in the course of the pandemic to make use of among the funds surplus to scale back debt within the pension and retiree well being care accounts and put aside cash for infrastructure investments.
Town nonetheless has important unfunded liabilities. However the Metropolis Council deserves credit score for correctly setting apart more cash now that may decrease future curiosity funds and, in flip, unlock cash for different metropolis providers. And council members have agreed to proceed the accountable fiscal stewardship.
In the meantime, the town opened a shelter the place homeless folks can stay whereas having a case supervisor assist them discover secure everlasting housing, in addition to join them to different providers resembling employment help, medical remedy and counseling. Opened in fall 2020, the “navigation heart” in its first 12 months had a 66% success price in putting folks in everlasting housing.
It’s that type of mixing of fiscal duty and social help for probably the most needy that voters ought to protect within the Nov. 8 election. Balloting shall be held for seats in three Metropolis Council districts.
We advocate electing Keith Parker in District 2, on the north finish of Fremont, and Kathy Kimberlin in District 3 within the heart of the town. To the east in District 4, voters ought to reelect Yang Shao.
District 2: Keith Parker
This three-way race is for the seat that incumbent Rick Jones should vacate due to the town’s two-term restrict. Parker is the one one of many three with no authorities board expertise, however he makes up for that with the cautious consideration he has paid to metropolis funds and points, together with homeless applications and the town’s police staffing.
He’s working in opposition to Fremont faculty board Trustee Desrie Campbell and metropolis Planning Commissioner Robert Daulton, who ran unsuccessfully for Metropolis Council in 2018. Whereas each could be certified to serve on the council, neither introduced the specificity to their feedback as Parker was ready.
District 3: Kathy Kimberlin
Lawyer Jenny Kassan has held this seat for 4 years and understands the main points of metropolis funds and insurance policies. However she has alienated members of the group and a few of her council colleagues by her dismissive perspective towards those that disagree together with her, texting throughout conferences and her failure to indicate up for ceremonial community-building occasions that council members generally attend.
In distinction, Kimberlin has a decades-long historical past of constructing group relationships. At present a discipline director for Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Kimberlin, who ran unsuccessfully for the council in 2016, has labored as govt director of a non-profit and as a part of the human assets administration staff on the Fremont faculty district, and served as president of the Fremont Training Basis and the Centerville Enterprise and Group Affiliation.
And, maybe most necessary, she is strongly dedicated to the town’s cautious fiscal insurance policies that she appropriately credit with getting Fremont by way of the height of the pandemic.
The third candidate on this race, software program designer Arif Mohamed, stated he needs to make use of his IT administration expertise to handle metropolis tasks, however it wasn’t clear how he would do this as a council member.
District 4: Yang Shao
Shao, a PhD chemist and most cancers drug researcher, served on the Fremont faculty board earlier than his election to the Metropolis Council in 2018. Previously 4 years, he has clearly mastered the town’s funds, with a information of the main points that far surpassed any of different candidates within the three races. He has been a champion of the town’s fiscally prudent funds administration whereas touting the successes of the town’s homeless providers.
His opponent, Bryce Beckel, is a highschool choir director and assistant band director within the Fremont faculty district. He doesn’t have elective workplace expertise and has little or no information of the town’s operations, together with its funds.