Sounds to me like the McGovern Campaign is in trouble! Even though she is running from a safe seat and will probably run again in two years, there's apparently very little support for her candidacy this time around. And I think it's absolutely hilarious when a story like this hits the newspapers ... chalk up another one for the pitfalls (and embarrassment) of e-communications :)

Readers should know that it is not unusual for a campaign to ask supporters to write letters. I'm no McGovern supporter, but I have to say I'm a little surprised that this is something that would be considered for publication. Will the other candidates be given equal "airtime"?

Sounds like a hard working volunteer rallying the troups! I like it.

Sounds like Margo should have sent this "last chance" call for letters weeks ago. It's a little late now to be "rallying the troops," don't you think?

Mayor Hosterman believes that her political support approach... provides Pleasanton its strength for confronting future change to guide sustainablity within our urban growth. She has no problem sharing her ability that provides the real work ethic it takes to drive the idea to practice. She needs no endorsements from Pleasanton residents.
A point to be shared is based on...that Cindy McGovern had no desire to run for mayor but after her supporters asked her and were willing to work for her, she decided to run.That is a tough position to run from.
From within coffee shop news...from a running elected official, the aspect of McGovern becoming mayor would have adverse affects on Pleasanton. Yet their rational to vote for Jerry Brown was based loosely on the fact that Meg Whitman didn't vote. Considering the fact that my father built a large manufacturing business that complimented all national labs within the bay area scene...employing over 100 employees... the finest business man I ever knew.He didn't vote. Not voting has nothing to do with running a business. That appeared to be the main argument to bash Meg and vote Brown.
Is Hosterman/Ahmadi reaching out to community... partnering with others that could provide insight with pictures from school being taken to use as a visual to share with the leading green designers. We already have the capacity within our own school district to develop the "Greening America Schools" I'm sure Jill Buck and others could outline something for you. Anyhow... Mr. Redfords purpose of the conferance is to "transform the vision of the National Green Schools Campaign into an actionable plan" Good Luck I want to go!

The McGovern campaign request for letters is no different from Cook-Kallio's request for people to walk precincts, or McNerney's request for cash, or even President Obama's (through Organizing for America) request for $3. Like Stacey asks - why publish it?

Once again Hosterman believes she knows what's best for Pleasanton. Growth at any cost. Money despite defiling the ridge. Pouplation growth to sully the small town feel. Despite an overwhelming vote to prevent growth and ruining our town, she knows better. She knows better than the majority. Her vast experience in life supercedes her constituents. Gotta love closet liberals. They believe in free speech, as long as they are the ones speaking. Time for a change. She's been a failure and was never qualified for the job.

Never use "desperate" when publicizing a campaign!

Speaking of Harmer. Is he still living in a car under an overpass someplace in the district?

yep, it does seem petty. An article about how different campaigns have approached publicity, with interviews and quotes from residents about their interpretations of how various campaigns have chosen to connect with voters, would seem more balanced and impartial.

Is there a wall between the opinion page and reporters at the Weekly? Or is that an outdated, old-fashioned view of how professional journalists should operate?

This is really tame. Most campaigns write the letters and then find the supporters to sign them.

Wow! What is going on with the Weekly? Sensationalizing political campaign practices? This is campaign 101. It is common place to rally the troops the last week before the election. People don't generally write letters to the editor without being strongly encouraged to do so. I guess the Weekly has decided to ditch good journalism and instead be biased, attempting to sling mud at Ms. McGovern, whom they did not endorse (though all other local papers did).
I am very disappointed in the Weekly for even considering this a newsworthy story.

Pete - for someone to run for the highest office in the state and has not even cared to vote means to me that this person is only interested in the power that comes with the position. By not voting this shows a lack of concern for the issues confronting the citizens of California and for the individuals that have or will govern this state.

Meg Whitman, like your father, did not set a good example in civic responsibility for the younger generation to follow.

Although I consider Cindy a good person, I have known her for many years and still believe she is a puppet for Kay Ayala and groupie. It saddens me to think of her as a pawn. Kay's group which includes the likes of Sullivan, Brozinsky, Ann (last name eludes me), Morrison, B Arkin, etc are predators with a personal agenda. They refuse to see what the majority would like. Many of them already enjoyed (ie downtown activities).

I certainly hope Hosterman wins for she cares about the big picture of Ptown. Many businesses have suffered because of all the games this above-mentioned group have caused. They have cost you, the taxpayer, plenty.

I wonder if this Marcia person is the same person who compared Kay Ayala to Osama Bin Laden when Kay questioned the wisdom of the school board signing the Neal school agreement (which the courts ultimately invalidated)?

What an over the top post! Calling Cindy McGovern a groupie and a pawn and talking being predators? Oh boy. This Marcia person seems to like personal attacks.

I know the school board candidates always ask people for letters to the editor.

Have to question the wisdom and purpose of the Weekly running this as a newsworthy story. Perhaps a story that outlined what each of the local candidates were doing in the final days before the election would make more sense, rather than singling out an individual candidate. Another option would be to allow each candidate the opportunity to provide a 50 word written statement about how they are racing to the finish line.

Thanks Bill! I understand your point of view regarding...running for the highest office in the state. The power aspect that comes with the position...is yet to be seen...if ever. That must be a push...in my book.
Taking the civic responsibility issue...in terms for me to understand,and relate to you... goes something like this. My Dad had a responsibility to himself to follow his passion... that our country offered. As a child, early 60's, I was with him when he outbid others...to purchase his first single shot duplicator. Prior to that, everything was transfer punch... and open. Long story short...if the responsibility of my Dad to build his business was dependent upon teaching...the cognitive approach of teaching based on the theory of learning in context... was certainly the approach he took. Recognizing a work ethic... worth hiring,brought gas station employees,Vietnam Vets, high school kids, future entrepreneurs together to work together for a common goal. Over the years, Dad was responsible for empowering hundreds of people to go off on their own with confidence.
Civic responsibility was not the right term to group my Dad. Respect your opinion though!

Just in! McNerney's desperate, too. Not enough volunteers.



Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:04:01 -0700
From: Adam Ruben, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>

Volunteers needed in Dublin: 141
Volunteers signed up so far: 47
Dear MoveOn member,
Let's face it: With so many races too close to call, this election is going to come down to the ground game. Luckily, our side is usually better at the final get-out-the-vote push than the Republicans.
Why? Because of YOU—progressive folks who care enough about America's future to get up, leave the house, and do something about it.
But some people who've volunteered in the past elections have been sitting this one out. As of today, we don't have enough volunteers to win all the races that are winnable, like Jerry McNerney's.

If half the registered voters, who are absentee (like myself) haven't already voted, your theory would make sense. The ballots are in, and it's too late!!!

"But some people who've volunteered in the past elections have been sitting this one out"

There is a reason for that: we are disappointed in Obama and the democrats but do not like the republican alternative.

I will not help McNerney because I am disappointed in his performance, I will vote for him because I do not like Harmer. But I will not help the democratic party to make calls, etc. My spouse, a registered democrat, is throwing the vote away (will not vote for either McNerney or Harmer). I am an independent and would have liked to vote republican this time around, but Harmer is too extreme for my taste.

There you have it folks. MoveOn.org, the radical left-wing-loon outfit that is a political action tool of billionaire Communist George Soros, is trying to get out the vote for McNerney. What a news flash! There is lots of speculation as to whether Soros is the real power behind the talking head Barack Obama (never without his teleprompters, even when talking to a class of 1st graders).

The Commies and the Socialists are for McNerney. If, as a voter, you care for this country, you will vote to throw McNerney out of office. Get rid of the puppet for Queen Pelosi and King Soros.

There are many opinions here I don't agree with, but name calling does not a civil debate make. We need to restore sanity to our political system. Saturday in SF will be the Rally to Restore Sanity.
Also, the whole idea of being upset with the system and not voting to make a point, has never worked. If you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain.

The Independent newspaper tried to interview David Harmer, but he apparently didn't respond to their requests. What a way to run a campaign, not returning calls from newspapers! Maybe that's why the Weekly has said so little about him.

Censorship lives...don't know how long this post will be there but the Weekly keeps removing mine and not even noting that they were there. And no, I didn't say anything bad about anyone or anything other than that fact that the Weekly should be ashamed of running a story like this one.

Looks like the campaign engines are sputtering....

As a follow up to Dark Corners....I remember when McNerney was first running for office. I was downtown for the Farmers Market on Saturday and just south of town were several buses unloading a hodge podge of characters. I approached one of them as they were walking toward the market and was told they had come in form Oakland and Berkeley to pass out flyers in the downtown area and at the market for some guy....and the pay was right!

Did you notice that the largest contributor to the Hippie Mayor's campaign is the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce PAC, and that vast majority of the contributions from this PAC came from developers? We have known for some time that the Hippie Mayor, along with Thorne and Cook-Callio, were pawns of the developers, but this is stark. If you don't want developers controlling Pleasanton, then you need to vote against Hosterman, Cook-Callio and Thorne.

Owe it to yourself to look at the reports yourself. There is NO MENTION of the Chamber PAC anywhere on anyone's report. The previous post is mudslinging and out right untrue. Please vote based on facts!

Do you like living in Pleasanton? Do you think it is a well managed city? Are the parks maintained? Do the streetlights work? How about city streets? Have they laid off any police officers or fire fighters or anyone for that matter? How many homes have been approved or even built in the last four years? In this economic recession has the city attracted new business?

Think about it and vote based on facts. The current city council has done a pretty good job overall!

Vote accordingly. . .

Last minute appeals for support are standard practice, not news worthy.
This should not have been a news story.

The biggest problem with the Rally to Restore Sanity is that you can't "restore" what you never had.

American politics has always been crazy and full of dirty tricks. Anybody who thinks otherwise hasn't studied history.

Pleasanton politics is rather Mayberryish and tame by comparison to most places in the USA.

I looked at the Chamber of Commerce's Political Action Committee campaign report:

Web Link

According to the most recent report filed the Chamber's PAC has spent $3,302.54 on slate mailers for Jennifer Hosterman.

Of course that is not a direct contribution to the mayor's campaign, but it is certainly more money in total than anyone else has contributed to the mayor.

Hey Matt,

Did you happen to see any balance? Like the money that came from labor. What do you say about a candidate that has both Chamber and Labor support? Well Balanced? Two groups who typically don't support the same candidates! What do you make of that?

It's refreshing to see Cindy McGovern has run a campaign based on what we all care about (Education, Environment, Economy).

Ms. McGovern treated everyone with respect when she ran school board meetings as President. I'll look forward to seeing city council meetings broadcast again where citizens will be treated respectfully, and not be insulted and belittled or cut-off abruptly by the mayor. It is embarrassing to have a mayor that gets red-faced and throws binders and papers all over the place in anger and cannot control her temper.

The fact that the issues of the Independent and Pleasanton Weekly were full of McGovern for Mayor letters with not a single one entitled Hosterman for Mayor is really telling.

@Fact Checker: I was merely responding to the "anonymous" comment above that "There is NO MENTION of the Chamber PAC anywhere on anyone's report."

That distorts the fact that Chamber of Commerce PAC has spent nearly $20,000 on their selected candidates this year. The spending by candidate shows up on the PAC's reports.

Howard, yes McGovern had a lot of letters in the paper but the tone of all of them was disturbing to me in so much as they were all so negative and many contained twisted facts such as the letter aluding to lack of rezoning for housing. Its hard to believe that McGovern will treat everyone with respect based on the tone of the letters written in support of her. I have to believe she had at least general knowledge of the content of the letters before they were submitted.