Letter of Support from David Durant, Pleasant Hill City Council Member

By Terri Williamson

A June 2004 political column by Mick Hume, he wrote, "summing up the negative public mood surrounding the US presidential election, the satirical magazine The Onion recently led with the headline 'Many Americans Still Unsure Whom to Vote Against'."" Wow... the more times change, the more they stay the same. Or, maybe not.

In this Mid-Term election year filled with hateful signs, nasty rhetoric and harsh anti-government slogans and bitter sentiment on the State and National level, I would like to turn your attention to the local race for City Council. Most who receive this letter will know that Councilmember Williamson and I have not always seen "eye-to-eye." What you may not know, however, is that I came to respect Terri's work as a Councilmember so much that I endorsed both she and Michael Harris in their 2006 bid for re-election. And, I am doing that again. Today, however, I am writing you today to ask you specifically to vote for Terri in 2010.

It's trite to say it now. But, elections have consequences! It would be too easy to sit home and not vote this year + to think that your vote doesn't count or that the outcome won't matter. And, yet, more than ever, we need you to come out and vote for Terri. That vote will tell all of us the kind of future you want in Pleasant Hill.

There are lots of people who've written great slogans about "protecting our neighborhoods" or "fighting for our children" and so on. No mere slogan-peddler, Terri's the living embodiment of fighting to protect what we value in our community. Terri's vision for and commitment to Pleasant Hill, its neighborhoods, its people and its quality of life, have never waned. She's a passionate, honest, direct, and deeply caring public servant. She fights hard to get things done. She fights for the causes she believes in. And, she fights for YOU!

We have big challenges facing us. The recession has hit Pleasant Hill residents and the City's budget hard. City revenue has been down the past 3 years and is likely to be down substantially again this year. Terri has voted for wise investments in our infrastructure and our future. She's pushed for us to take difficult positions with respect to public employee compensation and benefits, so that we have meaningful tools to keep our City fiscally strong and healthy. She's been a strong advocate for redevelopment, which has built a strong economic base here (just look at the Downtown and the Crossroads Shopping Center)! She's fought for us to maintain good roads, good schools, and a clean environment.

We have such a great community. Our biggest challenge is to maintain our quality of life and our neighborhoods while we find new and different ways to help Pleasant Hill become an event better place to call home. I need a partner like Terri Williamson to win in this election so that + together + we can do just that. So, let me close with this extremely important message. Elections DO have consequences. Your vote DOES count! Please don't vote for pithy slogans or a pretty smile. Please don't give in to the tyranny of discontent with our State and National leaders, the overall economy or even feelings about politics in general. Our City Councilmembers need to be elected based up their experience, the merits of their positions and the content of their character. Please make sure to get out there and show your support for Terri Williamson!

All the Best,

David Durant, City Councilmember