PD Editorial: Hagele, Kelley and Palacios for Healdsburg council

Healdsburg voters have six outstanding candidates for City Council on the Nov. 3 ballot.

But there’s a catch: They can only choose three.

As with most other small communities, serving on the council in Healdsburg is a volunteer job that requires a big commitment of time and a willingness to take on many of the same economic, fiscal and cultural challenges that can vex elected officials in much larger cities.

Healdsburg continues to struggle with the need to provide affordable housing for people working in a community where $1 million listings are common and the median home price is approaching $800,000.

There’s tension between a business model that made Healdsburg a destination for upscale tourists and residents who feel priced out of local stores and restaurants.

This summer, fallout from the George Floyd shooting in Minneapolis reached all the way to Healdsburg, where young Black and Latino residents described racist behavior, and Mayor Leah Gold stepped down under pressure after dismissing a fellow council member’s request for a discussion of the Police Department’s use-of-force policy.

With the appointment of Ozzy Jimenez to complete Gold’s term, the City Council added its first Latino member in nearly three decades.

All six council candidates say they’re committed to social justice and equal opportunity in Healdsburg, a city of 12,000 people where 30% of the residents are Latino.

Charles Duffy, a retired college administrator, works on the Healdsburg 2040 project, a volunteer effort to identify housing, parks, arts and other needs over the next two decades. He sees a bright, experienced community that can be enlisted to help shape the city’s future. Duffy also believes Healdsburg needs an economic development director to help attract new businesses.

David Hagele, who is seeking a second council term, applied his finance background to help the city acquire and upgrade two apartment buildings,

saving the homes of low-income tenants who were facing eviction, and to establish a loan program to help local businesses survive the pandemic. Hagele also is on the board of the Northern California Power Agency, the publicly owned utility that provides electricity in Healdsburg .

Doralice Handal, who has many years of experience in the food industry and works with a nonprofit group that assists homeless people, says the Kincade fire exposed shortcomings in the city’s emergency notification systems and evacuation plans. To fulfill housing needs, she said Healdsburg should reconsider its restrictions on development, encourage granny units and provide safe parking places for people living in cars and RVs.

David Jones, a financial adviser, wants to make Healdsburg more pedestrian and bicycle friendly as a check on climate change, allow smaller lots and other flexibility to provide more housing, and he sees an opportunity to diversify the local economy by attracting kayakers and other recreation-oriented tourists to the Russian River.

Ariel Kelley may be a first-time candidate, but she is no stranger to civic affairs. A lawyer by training, she is acting executive director of Corazon Healdsburg, a nonprofit group dedicated to bridging cultural and economic gaps. She’s also a member of the Sonoma County Planning Commission, giving her a solid background in land-use planning and economic development. She previously served on Healdsburg’s Parks and Recreation Commission.

At 25, Skylaer Palacios is the youngest candidate on the ballot. She is running to be a voice at City Hall for residents of color and for young people who struggle to rent or buy homes in the town where they grew up. “My age group is really struggling,” said Palacios, who has identified several locations in town that might be suitable for affordable housing.

All of these candidates have something to contribute and should stay active in city affairs. For the three council seats, The Press Democrat recommends David Hagele, based on his first-term record; Ariel Kelley, for her expertise and experience, and Skylaer Palacios, as a voice for youth and diversity.

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