Endorsements Matter!
Even if you go door-to-door, as I have this campaign, you can't meet everyone and you can't talk to everyone. Voters that don't know you need some basis to decide to vote for you. Sure, they can read your position papers and websites, but let's face it--you probably want something a little more objective!!
That's where endorsements play such a critical role. You may not know me, but you probably know someone that has endorsed me and you trust their judgment.
So who has endorsed me? Let me break it out into different categories.
First, elected officials. This is probably the most important. After all, these are people I work with on a regular basis. They're also the people you need to have a good working relationship, if you are going to get things done. I'm proud to have the support of the following elected officials:
Congressman Mike Thompson
State Senator Bill Dodd
State Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Fifth District Supervisor Belia Ramos
Council members Mariam Aboudamous and David Oro
School Board Trustee Joe Schunk
NVC Trustee Mary Ann Mancuso
NC Office of Education Trustee Sindy Biederman*
Napa County Open Space District Trustee Barry Christian*
Former Napa County Sheriff and the first AC Police Chief, Doug Koford
Second, organizations. This can include political, labor and business organizations. For me, it's important to be supported by a wide array of groups, because to be an effective leader, you need to be fair and inclusive. Some of the groups that support me include the following:
Firefighters Association of American Canyon
Napa Farm Bureau
Napa County Democratic Central Committee
Napa County Young Democrats
Napa Solano Central Labor Committee
Businesses such as Wine Direct, Western Wines, Adobe Lumber, Mezzetta Peppers, and Hamati
Financial Services.
Last, but not least, are individuals. Not everyone knows their elected officials or major businesses in town, but they probably know a few people on this list. This is not a complete list, and if you support me but aren't included, that in no way suggests I don't appreciate your support.
As noted above, support from diverse groups is important to me, because it shows that I am willing to reach out and work with anyone and everyone.
Fran Lemos*, Ben Anderson* and Beth Marcus*
Anthony Quicho, Jojo Maglalang and Eduardo Datiles
Paulette Griffin, Mike McCamish and Jim & Carol Potter
Janelle Sellick, Joy Hilton and Karina Servente
Nicolas & Selwa Hamati, Jay & Fayza Hamid and Jamal & Abeer Aboudamous
Jonette McNaughton, Roberta & Steve Labaw and Patti Krueger
Joe & Nancy Nabrynski, Nance Matson* & Sande Sutter*, Powell Helems, Sr.* & Mary Tabbert*
Doug Dawson & Loretta Perry, Kristin Einberger and Anne Payne
Denise Mortimore, Frances O'Donnell, and Alice Dotti
Bob Harris, Bonnie Waxman and David & Cherol Ockrassa
Scott & Liz Corey, Patricia Nijem and Anne Garner
Charlotte Chiolero & Bruce Benson, Beth Goff and Todd Novak
* These are Gateway Award Winners, the City's highest honor for community volunteers. I received the 2007 Gateway Award.
To wrap up, endorsements are an important part in deciding who to vote for this November 6, and I hope the list above will help you make that decision.
