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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

January 30, 2005

Supes race gearing up to be exciting

Subheading

Kromm, a powerhouse on the board, coupled his announcement to step down with an endorsement of Fairfield Mayor Karin MacMillan as his successor.

That move prompted longtime Suisun City Mayor Jim Spering, who had been readying a challenge against Kromm, to publicly announce his plans to claim a seat on the board.

The announcements create two wide-open races for the top spots in Suisun City and Fairfield.

And the emerging county contest between the two local political giants - MacMillan is known for her slow-growth stances and Spering for his aggressive redevelopment positions - could be one of the most interesting matchups in a long time.

The positioning has already started, apparently.

"Voters are going to have a real choice," Spering said of the 2006 election. "Because there are stark differences between us."

MacMillan said, in appealing to voters, she will be highlighting the comparison between Fairfield and cash-strapped Suisun City.

"It's going to be a tale of two cities," she said. "Fairfield is sitting in a position where we have flexibility and resources ... We're sitting quite well."

But more than any positioning, the most interesting aspect of the county contest is the two candidates' allegiances to seemingly opposing forces.

MacMillan, who has 10 years on the council, led Fairfield in creating an urban limit line, Travis reserve area and has been supportive of the regional Greenbelt Alliance and its slow-growth philosophy.

Spering, Suisun City's mayor for 18 years, has been aggressive in transforming his city into a burgeoning modern transportation hub, while at the same time representing Solano on the powerful Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The two most recently clashed on a failed half-cent sales tax for transportation, which Spering championed and MacMillan worked to discredit because she feared accelerated growth.

"I like to find solutions and build consensus," Spering said. "I really think that's one of the major differences between us."

Voters also probably will be thinking about Proposition A, which would sun set in 2010 if not renewed, when picking between Spering and MacMillan.

The landmark initiative to keep urban development out of the county's unincorporated area is seemingly ingrained in the philosophy of local political leaders.

However, Spering said there could be some "tweaking" of the measure to give farmers more options, while MacMillan said Proposition A has been very effective in reducing urban sprawl and would continue to do so.

"The legacy of Proposition A is that Solano County does not have the sprawl that other counties have had," she said. "It's allowed the county to grow in a responsible way."

The mayors' moves to grab a seat on county government will leave big shoes to fill in each city.

And while it's still early for Fairfield's November race to be clear - filing dates are this summer - MacMillan's announcement prompted the first play.

Vice Mayor Harry Price announced this week he would run for the top spot. He made the decision to vie for the seat four years ago, he said. The political shake-ups prompted him to announce a little early.

"I would have waited. I would have preferred to do that," Price said. "But I said four years ago I was going to do this, and I have the experience."

Suisun City's next election is 2006, a bit further into the future. No quick announcements were made this week.

However, Spering said he could see Suisun City Councilman Mike Segala being interested in the position. Segala could not be reached for comment.

Jason Massad can be reached at county@thereporter.com.

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