PD Editorial: Turning things around in Rohnert Park, Cotati

Rohnert Park and Cotati are an odd couple.

They're neighbors, but don't call them twin cities. Rohnert Park sprouted from an old seed farm, with each neighborhood envisioned as a separate, self-contained community. Cotati incorporated for fear of being swallowed by its larger neighbor and revels in its eccentric reputation.

Yet, for all their apparent differences, these adjacent cities find themselves on the same path, headed away from a punishing recession and toward a promising future.

It's a tribute to resilient political leadership in each community.

Come Nov. 4, voters have good reason to return Amy Ahanotu and Pam Stafford to the City Council in Rohnert Park, and Mark Landman and John Moore to the City Council in Cotati.

For several years now, council members in Rohnert Park have set aside personal and ideological differences to work together on finances. They cut millions from the budget and set the city on a sustainable course. Voters expressed confidence in the council in November by extending a half-cent sales tax that generates about $3.2 million annually.

This year, for the first time in a decade, the budget was balanced without selling off public property, and the council will begin to rebuild reserve accounts exhausted by years of deficit spending. In an example of creative bargaining, the city negotiated new contracts that increased pay without a corresponding increase in pension benefits — a trade-off that will help Rohnert Park employees now without further saddling future generations with unfunded liabilities.

Less than a decade ago, Ahanotu noted, 'we were literally talking about bankruptcy.'

Not anymore. Look around Rohnert Park and you will see new apartments rising on the west side of Highway 101, and work is getting started on the long-planned University District near Sonoma State. Meanwhile, the city is working with a developer on plans for the old State Farm campus, which could become the walkable downtown Rohnert Park has always lacked.

Ahanotu, who is running for a second term, brings a background in finance as a manager for Redwood Credit Union. As a former planning commissioner, Stafford, who is seeking a third term, is well versed in development issues. Both are good listeners. Their opponent is Dave Grundman, a long-time resident and observer of Rohnert Park politics. He says the council isn't responsive to citizens' questions at public meetings, but most of his concerns about city policy are rather vague.

Cotati, with 7,300 residents, is the smallest of Sonoma County's nine cities. Like its larger neighbors, Cotati has struggled to balance its books in the face of economic turmoil and the rising cost of employee retirement benefits. Through careful budgeting, and with the help of a voter-approved sales tax, the city has maintained public services with a bare-bones staff.

With longtime City Manager Dianne Thompson preparing to step down, one of the council's first post-election tasks is likely to be choosing her successor. Continuing challenges for the council include economic development and a long overdue makeover for Old Redwood Highway between La Plaza Park and Highway 101.

To meet those challenges, council members need to work cooperatively. But they need not agree on every item on the agenda. At times, debate and collegial disagreements produce better results.

Landman, a former fire captain who is seeking a second full term, and Moore, an insurance adjuster who was appointed last year to fill a council vacancy, have demonstrated their ability to work together and deliver results. The third candidate, George Barich, opposes much of what the council has done to right the city's finances. Barich was elected to the council in 2008 and recalled a year later amid bitter disagreements with his colleagues. He clearly cares about his hometown, but he was a divisive presence on the council, and, unless he gets his way, we fear he would be again.

In Rohnert Park, The Press Democrat recommends Amy Ahanotu and Pam Stafford for City Council. In Cotati, we recommend Mark Landman and John Moore.