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Torliatt to run for county supervisor
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 2:53 p.m.
Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt announced Wednesday she will seek election to the 2nd District seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
The seat is being vacated by the retirement of Mike Kerns of Petaluma, who has represented the south county on the five-member board since 1998.
Torliatt, a councilwoman since 1996 who was elected mayor in 2008, joins Mike O'Brien, a Petaluma councilman from 2001 through January 2009, and Penngrove rancher and accountant John King as announced candidates for the June 2010 primary ballot.
Although the official filing deadline is not until February, two other potential candidates -- both Petaluma City Council members -- have expressed interest in the seat: civil attorney Mike Healy and Mike Harris, a manager at CrossCheck, a national check guarantee company.
If no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote in June, a runoff between the top two vote-getters will be held in November 2010. Torliatt's term as mayor ends in December 2010.
In announcing her candidacy for the nonpartisan post, Torliatt, 42, said she is endorsed by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, state Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, and state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco.
In a statement included in Torliatt's announcement, Woolsey praised the Petaluma native as "hard-working, resourceful and progressive in her thinking."
O'Brien, 55, a former CHP officer and now a fleet safety manager for North Bay Corp. waste disposal company, said Kerns endorses him.
"I don't think that my election would change the tone of the board," he said. "We've had great leadership in Sonoma County with Mike Kerns, and I think very closely to the way he does. I hope to continue that."
King, 53, has advocated for clean and safe water for years, including challenging Rohnert Park's growth plans because of the impacts on nearby Penngrove. He couldn't be reached Wednesday.
Torliatt, who works part time running a Petaluma cattle ranch with her boyfriend of eight years, has been in Petaluma city government since 1992, when she was appointed at age 25 as the youngest planning commissioner in Petaluma history. Four years later, she became the youngest person elected to the City Council.
"I'm certainly someone who has a lot of experience at the local and regional level," she said. "And we're facing a lot of issues at both of those levels."
She cited unemployment, land-use issues and water as some of her top concerns, as did O'Brien.
"I'm really excited about running in this race and being out in the community, which is what I've always done as an elected official," Torliatt said. "This is going to be a lot of fun and it's something that I really enjoy doing."
The 2nd District includes all of Petaluma and Cotati, a portion of Rohnert Park and the unincorporated towns of Penngrove, Two Rock, Bloomfield and Valley Ford.
You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 and lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.
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October 28, 2009 5:34:27 pm
RE: Link
Petaluma Pete for Mayor!
October 28, 2009 5:41:44 pm
You certainly couldn't do a worse job. I'm torn between supporting her bid just to get her out of the Mayor's seat, and hoping she fails so she doesn't destroy the entire county.
October 28, 2009 6:35:10 pm
no need to be torn, i seriously doubt she will be running for mayor (her term will be up!) at the same time she is running for supe! so she must be putting all her eggs in the supe basket. how could she run a convincing campaign for the supe race if she is simultaneously running for mayor? this shall be a very, VERY interesting supe race. who will be next to announce they are running? healy? oh what a race it will be.
October 28, 2009 6:42:49 pm
Unfortunately, she can run for both. The supervisor election is in June. Unless she is involved in a runoff, which would go to voters in November at the same time as the mayoral race, she can lose the supervisor race and still run for mayor of Petaluma again. Based on her previous attempts at higher office, I'm not sure anyone will put up with her other than the voters of Petaluma (who need to pay better attention). Really, to get her out of elected office (which is my goal), she needs to be involved in a runoff for the supervisor race so she can't run for mayor and then she needs to lose the runoff election for supervisor.
October 28, 2009 6:56:15 pm
i believe healy will run....and that will prompt a runoff into nov because i don't think any of them will get the % necessary to wrap it up in june. just my thought on how things will go.
October 28, 2009 6:56:18 pm
She can run on a platform of fiscal responsibility...no that won't work the city finances are in ruins.
She can run on a platform of public safety...wait that won't work because public safety has suffered tremendously under her leadership.
She can run on a business platform...hold on, even the usually Council friendly Chamber of Commerce isn't happy with the Council's anti-business antics.
Her web-site says she will work in the public interest not for special interests. Does that mean that feral cat supporters will no longer get personal meetings? Just what can she point to as a success?
October 28, 2009 7:30:38 pm
Maybe she will run on a platform of open government. She can point to how she fired the Petaluma Planning Commissioners without so much as a public hearing - the ultimate backroom political hack job.
October 28, 2009 7:59:17 pm
I know, she can run on a platform of improving the infrastructure. Heaven knows that our streets, city facilities, parks are all top notch. They could have been even better if that Kentucky Fried Chicken pothole thing had worked out.
October 28, 2009 9:05:08 pm
Run Pam run! GO PAM GO!
October 28, 2009 11:17:00 pm
I believe Pamela Torliatt has done a great job as Mayor. These are crazy times and we have a mayor that is actively trying to balance two worlds, that of an historic town (a treasure of a downtown & and well preserved 1900's homes) and that of a growing town of young families (busy, convenience shoppers, etc). From what I can see things are begining to happen in regards to new development and I wish her the best as Sonoma County Supervisor and will be sad to see her go.
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