August 5, 1998

Help wanted. Poor pay. Long hours. Frustrations guaranteed.

The city of Pacifica needs several busy persons, preferably under 40, to run for city council. They must be willing to serve diligently if elected, and equally willing to lose gracefully if they're not chosen. The persons we're looking for should be well-educated and intelligent but not overly aware of how smart they are.

They should be both able and willing to articulate good ideas, to give time generously without stint, to attend hundreds of meetings, to vote rationally and intelligently when called on, to respect the rights and the ideas of those who disagree with them.

The persons we seek must have energy, flexibility, a massive amount of tact and a high threshold for boredom. If elected they will attend interminable city meetings, lengthy county meetings, boring commission meetings and repetitive district meetings. Ideally, for every hour they sit in such meetings, they will spend two hours updating themselves by reading newspapers, absorbing Environmental Impact Reports, inhaling General Plan reviews, reviewing Planning Commission minutes, and thoroughly enjoying the minutiae of government.

The persons we seek can be either liberal or conservative. It would be helpful if he or she had some knowledge of accounting and/or the law, so they can understand budgets and ordinances. Some service on city commissions or committees would be helpful. In past elections there've been as many as 10 candidates for 3 seats on the council. While personally distressing to the losing candidates, most of the losers have been valuable assets to the community even while losing.

This, however, assumes the candidate had some ideas and that he thought them out and articulated them carefully and clearly. This is important because, while not every candidate can generate good ideas, often they can appreciate their value. If you as a candidate come up with good ideas for local government and speak up at a candidate's forum, the winners may remember your ideas, even though they forget where they first heard them. You can accomplish a lot for the city if you don't care who gets the credit.

I've suggested those under 40 because the city needs to train new activists to replace those who've devoted decades to the community. If you are the person described above, you have seven days. Mayor Dorothy Edminster is retiring. That means you can sneak in by next Wednesday, August 12. Get a move on if you haven't already taken out your papers and started gathering signatures.

Every successful candidate has an edge.

In Pacifica it might mean being a woman candidate when more men run. It might mean being a Moose, or a member of St. Peter's parish, or having the familiar face of a friendly postman. It might just mean the willingness and the shoe leather to knock on hundreds or thousands of doors. Everyone agrees that's a good idea. Few have the energy to do it, except the winners.

Paul Azevedo would run, but he's over 40 and hopes there are candidates out there smarter and younger than he is.