Zane wins Conservation Action endorsement

Conservation Action, Sonoma County's leading environmental political group, decided late Saturday to pass over two candidates it had previously endorsed and back Shirlee Zane for an open seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

Denny Rosatti, executive director of Conservation Action, said the group's endorsement of Zane was based on the group's belief that she has the best chance to beat Sharon Wright, the former Santa Rosa councilwoman who is widely acknowledged as a front runner in the race to succeed Tim Smith. Smith is retiring after 20 years of holding the central county seat that covers much of Santa Rosa and parts of Rohnert Park.

“It is critical that we have a Supervisor in the 3rd District who will be able to form strong coalitions to shape the environmental future for Sonoma County,” said Rosatti. "Conservation Action) believes that Shirley Zane has the best chance to defeat opposing candidate Sharon Wright whose track record on both environmental and good government issues can be judged, for example, by her ballooning of Santa Rosa’s Urban Growth Boundary line in the ballot language.”

Zane is chief executive officer of the Council on Aging and has picked up significant union support in her bid for office, although she has no previous elective experience.

The group's endorsement acknowleged the difficulty of passing over two candidates it had previously supported, Veronica Jacobi for Santa Rosa city council,and Tim Smith (no relation to the incumbent) for Rohnert Park city council.

However, Rosatti said the group "is endorsing a strong opposition stance to Sharon Wright," which forced it to look for the strongest candidate to defeat her.

The group's statement said: “Sharon ‘Wrong’ is one of the worst politicians our local environment has encountered in recent memory.”

It added: “After giving the real environmentally responsible candidates (Smith, Jacobi, and Zane) serious consideration, it is our opinion that Shirlee Zane is the best candidate to prevail over Sharon Wright, which is vital to protecting our Sonoma County environment and achieving transparent and responsible government during one of the most critical political moments of our time."