2nd district candidate appears
A candidate to run against Jim Wattenburger in the 2nd supes district next year has appeared. Her name is Estelle Palley Clifton and she was unearthed by the Second District Voters Union which was formed specifically to find such a candidate. Clifton is a young woman with impressive credentials and thoughtful and reasonable views from the one talk I had with her a couple of weeks ago. She is a Mendocino County native, with a BA in forestry from Humboldt State and another from the New School of California in cultural ecology and sustainable communities. She is also a volunteer firefighter and a former Round Valley board of education member. In an official "draft leaked press release" from the voters' union, Palley says she's ready to announce her candidacy at the county board meeting next Tuesday. The union includes local activist Richard Johnson who handed out the releases about Clifton at today's gathering at Schat's. The release notes that Wattenburger won his seat with only 5 votes and has no mandate from Ukiah voters to move forward with the mall at the old Masonite site. Wattenburger repeatedly says he has not made up his mind about the massive development but no one seems to believe him.