My name is Nancy Sidebotham and I am running for Mayor of Oakland. I have been a resident of this wonderful city for 50 years and have lived in District 6 for 34 years. I have an investment in working with residents to make this city safe and economically self-sustaining. Having run for the District 6 council seat a number of times, I do not consider myself a loser because I am still here working to improve our quality of life despite those who moved to Oakland and tried to shift the dynamics. Working to improve Oakland is my passion. I have for the last 32 years been an advocate for open space and creeks, economic revitalization, jobs, Community Policing, full strength police and fire departments, Neighborhood Watch, CORE, and open/transparent and fair government representation. I led the charge to build a new animal shelter, campaigned successfully to disallow “big box” development at Leona Quarry, formed a Merchant Association in the Foothill/Seminary area and have been involved one way or another on numerous issues that have impacted our neighborhoods, districts and the City as a whole.
I continue to work for the community as Chair of the Beat 29X (Millsmont/Evergreen/Millsbrae) Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and a member of the Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee (NWSC). Through the use of an extensive email network, I disseminate information regarding issues that affect neighborhoods and citizens throughout Oakland. I raised awareness about the management problems at the animal shelter, the proposed 50% raise in garbage fees, and the questionable funding of the wildfire assessment district as well as many other issues. I worked with neighbors and businesses to clean up problem locations. I formed Merchant Associations and sat on the board of Shop Oakland. I am against parcel taxation in order to fund programs and services that residents are already paying for with hard earned scarce dollars. The City’s budget is out of control and there is a leadership vacuum. Councilmembers do not listen to staff nor residents but to their own self-interest. I am seeking a full audit of Oakland's books, conducted by an independent auditor that is overseen by the federal government going back a minimum of 10 years. We cannot continuously ask property owners to be held responsible for Oakland’s financial woes. To date there has not been an open discussion or honest/true depiction of how and where Oakland spends its huge budget. Residents have a right to know what is happening with their tax dollars. To obtain loans, documentation and disclosure is required. Continuing to ask property owners to pay for services with little or no oversight is disgraceful and an insult to the residents of this wonderful City.
One might ask, as mayor what will I bring to the City if I am elected. I will bring passion, hard work, honesty, integrity, and a demand for open/transparent government run by professional and knowledgeable department heads. Backroom deals need to stop and honest, open discussions with stakeholders have to be at the forefront and the guide for developing the future of Oakland.
I am a very strong advocate of hiring qualified individuals to become Oakland Police officers and fully staff the department to a level that represents the population of this wonderful city. The police department needs to operate on its own without interference from individuals not trained in law enforcement. The laws are very clear, the police department’s function is to uphold the laws and to serve and protect the citizens of Oakland. Once the police department is allowed to function as a full department vs. one of maintenance, Oakland will start to see positive change; this in turn will bring down crime; through great programs such as Neighborhood Watch (NW), Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council's (NCPC) and the Community Policing philosophy. Until recently these programs have been the driving force that brought partnership to a new level between the community and the police. This partnership along with the Community Policing philosophy needs to be integrated throughout all City departments. There has to be interdepartmental communication that starts with a strong City Administrator and “hands off” approach by the City Council who blatantly break the laws, which in Oakland is governed by the City Charter.
Crime has to be curtailed so retail businesses will return to Oakland. Our industrial areas need to be protected from questionable developers and our neighborhoods not made to be sacrificial lambs. Lack of jobs and businesses has allowed crime to run rampant in this city. Oakland needs to intently focus on retail development, economic growth and addressing blight that is prevalent throughout Oakland.
There are over 400,000 residents in this city and one of the constant mantras at City Hall is more housing is needed. What is needed is a fix to our infrastructure, filled pot-holes, repaired sidewalks and taking care of the needs of individuals who have kept the faith, continued to fight for diminished services and who love and believe in Oakland.
The mentioning of issues that residents are concerned about and unique to their neighborhoods could continue, but the complaints, solutions and experiences are yours and part of a bigger picture. I have been honored to work with neighbors and activists throughout Oakland who continue to ensure we are not forgotten or taken for granted.