PD Editorial: In Windsor, Foppoli and Fudge for Town Council

Windsor, to borrow a phrase from author Carey McWilliams, is Sonoma County’s great exception.

Having built up its reserves to 26% of general fund spending, Windsor was better prepared than most cities for the economic hit that accompanied the coronavirus pandemic and has gotten by, so far anyway, without cutting services or asking voters to approve a local tax.

Indeed, Windsor is one of just two Sonoma County cities without a local add-on sales tax — and it will be the last one if Petaluma voters approve Measure U on Tuesday.

Windsor, meanwhile, is trying to help local businesses survive the pandemic, authorizing outdoor dining through 2021, closing downtown streets to vehicles on Thursday evenings and allowing people to stroll with a glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage.

Mayor Dominic Foppoli added an outside-the-box element, making cellphone videos featuring menus and takeout directions for restaurants, then enlisting celebrity chef Guy Fieri, a Windsor resident, to promote them on his social media platforms.

Foppoli was selected by his council colleagues to be mayor in 2019 and again this year.

On Tuesday, Windsor voters will choose a mayor for the first time. Voters also will fill one Town Council seat as Windsor switches from at-large to district elections.

Foppoli, Tanya Potter, Rosa Reynoza and Sam Salmon are running for mayor. Debora Fudge, seeking a seventh term, is running against Jeffrey Leasure in the 3rd Council District.

As is often the case in Windsor, development is a defining issue, with the candidates divided over plans for a new civic center on the north side of the Town Green.

Among the mayoral candidates, only Foppoli is an unequivocal supporter of the plan, which includes a hotel, conference center and indoor-outdoor performing arts venue, with the developer providing a new town hall, library and police station. Foppoli says aging, undersized city facilities would be replaced at no cost to taxpayers while attracting new customers for nearby stores and restaurants.

Potter, a probation officer and former police officer, said the mass evacuation during the Kincade fire last year prompted her to run. She says Windsor needs to develop and disseminate plans so residents are prepared for safe and orderly evacuations in the event of a fire, earthquake or other disaster. As for the civic center proposal, Potter says the city needs to update a 2016 survey of local sentiment before making a final decision.

Reynoza and Salmon oppose the civic center plan, questioning whether the city needs to replace its facilities and warning that a large commercial development would change the character of Windsor’s signature Town Green.

Reynoza, a familiar face at public meetings in Windsor, says local officials don’t listen to residents and can be outright dismissive of their suggestions. Salmon, the longest-serving member of the council, wants the council to restrict its use of executive sessions and to focus on climate change and ensuring that Windsor remains a small town.

The split is mirrored in the council contest between Fudge and Leasure.

Fudge favors the civic center proposal, saying she ran again to see it through to completion. Leasure, a former planning commissioner, warns that Windsor is growing too fast and wants a feasibility study before moving further on the civic center plan.

All of the candidates are well-informed and passionate, but we believe that Foppoli and Fudge stand out.

A mayor ought to have some experience in office, even in a smaller city. Foppoli has actively promoted Windsor while working closely with elected officials from other communities on fire prevention, economic development and pandemic response.

Fudge is an experience leader who has a record of crafting sensible expansion limits to keep the small town feel residents want without choking off economic development.

In Windsor, The Press Democrat recommends Dominic Foppoli for mayor and Debora Fudge for Town Council.

You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com.