Pacifica City Council


Articles Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine Other Authors Contact Us! Letter to the Editor Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine	Pacifica City Council Thomas Paine This week, I met and interviewed all six candidates for Pacifica's City Council, asking them about their positions on issues that affect all of us. More than anything else, I tried to get a feel for who the candidates are and what they would do for our city... 1) Julie Lancelle (left in picture), a TN mother, seems to have a good heart and big plans. Though she seemed to be caught off-guard when answering my questions, she clearly has good intentions for the city. She jokingly said that her daughter would host parties to improve Pacifica recreation. She is critical of curfews, supportive of a skate park, and highly opposed to Measure E, skeptical of the "untrustworthy" developers. Developing the quarry is not out of the question, but she wants more than a "weak housing development." Her main goal is taking "a more active role in getting revenue to provide services to the city." 2) Jim Vreeland (right in picture), avid surfer and Pacifica's '01 mayor, came off as a sharp guy-quick with his answers, but without the facade of a career politician. He showed genuine interest in Pacifica's youth. "I'd like to work with the students," he said, to improve recreational opportunities. Regarding the curfew, he said "I don't think it's a big issue," and argued in its favor. Ardently against Measure E, Jim is "absolutely for developing the quarry," but wants "a better deal." Logical in goals and pragmatic in approach, Vreeland's main concerns in '02 are affordable housing and a central library. 3) Barbara Carr is a real estate agent and the current mayor of Pacifica. Cordial but out of touch with our generation, she said, "I don't think I'm going to do anything," regarding improvement of town recreation: "That's the School Board's job." She is in favor of the curfew. Carr is also strongly behind Measure E, and "was the swing vote" that passed its ordinance. She seems most interested in the real estate aspects of things. Her most pressing concern is a city-wide 9/11 preparedness plan. Of her health, she said, "I may walk around with the oxygen thing...but I get there." 4) Maxine Gonsalves is a former JUHSD School Board member and TN substitute who is seeking a 3rd term on the Council. "I am trying to see to it that a skate park is built," among other recreational activities around town. She has "never liked the idea of a curfew...that's a parent's job," and she is "very supportive of Measure E" because of the revenue it will generate for programs. Affable and circumspect, Gonsalves views fiscal independence from the State and improvements in city-wide transportation as paramount for Pacifica. 5) Bruce Hotchkiss is a relative newcomer to Pacifica politics, and writes the auto section of the Tribune. He came off as very honest, interested more in giving truthful answers than empty promises. Recreational improvements, he admits, "are going to be kind of tough given the budget problems." Though he has no kids of his own he is "open to input" from our generation. "Dead-set against" Measure E because there are "too many houses," Hotchkiss still views retail improvement as a panacea for Pacifica's fiscal woes. 6) Sue Digre (pictured with son Scott) is nothing if not a very amiable, very eccentric woman. She champions an interfaith youth group and favors teen-run programs: "You know what you like." Digre feels ambivalent towards the town curfew. A horse enthusiast and self-admitted "animal person," her dream for the quarry is a park with rock-climbing, stables, and "a dog village...not a village, but a street" where people and pets can enjoy meals, etc., together. Quirky and nature-loving, her focus is "the will of the people."	Archive Back Issues Why? Cartoons Poetry Random Rants Disclaimers Losers and Kudos of the Week Letters to the Editor Editor's Notes Picture of the Week
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Thomas Paine

This week, I met and interviewed all six candidates for Pacifica's City Council, asking them about their positions on issues that affect all of us. More than anything else, I tried to get a feel for who the candidates are and what they would do for our city...

1) Julie Lancelle (left in picture), a TN mother, seems to have a good heart and big plans. Though she seemed to be caught off-guard when answering my questions, she clearly has good intentions for the city. She jokingly said that her daughter would host parties to improve Pacifica recreation. She is critical of curfews, supportive of a skate park, and highly opposed to Measure E, skeptical of the "untrustworthy" developers. Developing the quarry is not out of the question, but she wants more than a "weak housing development." Her main goal is taking "a more active role in getting revenue to provide services to the city."

2) Jim Vreeland (right in picture), avid surfer and Pacifica's '01 mayor, came off as a sharp guy-quick with his answers, but without the facade of a career politician. He showed genuine interest in Pacifica's youth. "I'd like to work with the students," he said, to improve recreational opportunities. Regarding the curfew, he said "I don't think it's a big issue," and argued in its favor. Ardently against Measure E, Jim is "absolutely for developing the quarry," but wants "a better deal." Logical in goals and pragmatic in approach, Vreeland's main concerns in '02 are affordable housing and a central library.

3) Barbara Carr is a real estate agent and the current mayor of Pacifica. Cordial but out of touch with our generation, she said, "I don't think I'm going to do anything," regarding improvement of town recreation: "That's the School Board's job." She is in favor of the curfew. Carr is also strongly behind Measure E, and "was the swing vote" that passed its ordinance. She seems most interested in the real estate aspects of things. Her most pressing concern is a city-wide 9/11 preparedness plan. Of her health, she said, "I may walk around with the oxygen thing...but I get there."

4) Maxine Gonsalves is a former JUHSD School Board member and TN substitute who is seeking a 3rd term on the Council. "I am trying to see to it that a skate park is built," among other recreational activities around town. She has "never liked the idea of a curfew...that's a parent's job," and she is "very supportive of Measure E" because of the revenue it will generate for programs. Affable and circumspect, Gonsalves views fiscal independence from the State and improvements in city-wide transportation as paramount for Pacifica.

5) Bruce Hotchkiss is a relative newcomer to Pacifica politics, and writes the auto section of the Tribune. He came off as very honest, interested more in giving truthful answers than empty promises. Recreational improvements, he admits, "are going to be kind of tough given the budget problems." Though he has no kids of his own he is "open to input" from our generation. "Dead-set against" Measure E because there are "too many houses," Hotchkiss still views retail improvement as a panacea for Pacifica's fiscal woes.

6) Sue Digre (pictured with son Scott) is nothing if not a very amiable, very eccentric woman. She champions an interfaith youth group and favors teen-run programs: "You know what you like." Digre feels ambivalent towards the town curfew. A horse enthusiast and self-admitted "animal person," her dream for the quarry is a park with rock-climbing, stables, and "a dog village...not a village, but a street" where people and pets can enjoy meals, etc., together. Quirky and nature-loving, her focus is "the will of the people."