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Former Mayor Joe Krovoza Endorses Larry Guenther and Ezra Beeman

Larry-Ezra

Joe Krovoza (Davis City Council 2010-2014, Mayor of Davis 2011-2014) has given the Davisite permission to publish the following letter, distributed to his friends via email.

Hello, Friends.  I hope and trust this note finds you well.  I am being asked who I support for City Council in 2018 — for the two open seats and it's Larry Guenther and Ezra Beeman.  Larry and Ezra will work tirelessly for Davis.  They understand and will advance what makes Davis unique: school-city connections; supporting seniors; parks; partnerships with UC Davis; a vibrant downtown; and so much more.

Feel free to forward this on.

My view is Larry and Ezra will be the best match for the leadership our new mayor Brett Lee will provide.  Brett will be outstanding; he has all the right values for Davis and the conviction to do what's best for Davis long-term; I want Brett to have a strong council that will contribute to his visionary and his pragmatic approaches. 

Ezra and Larry are thoughtful and earnest; they will listen carefully to the community, and, importantly, make the toughest of tough decisions when needed. 

  • More on Larry, click here: Eagle Scout (like me); UC Davis grad school grad; small businessman in Davis; married to UC Davis Vet Med faculty member Ashley Hill.  To give or volunteer…
  • More on Ezra, click here: 5-generation Yolo farming family; leads his Davis-headquartered energy/technology company; three kids!; worked at the Davis Farmer's Market as a boy.  To give or volunteer…

My thinking behind these endorsements:

  • Independence.  Neither Larry nor Ezra are accepting campaign contributions from those who do business directly with the City Council.  This means developers who seek building entitlements and members of bargaining groups (primarily firefighters who have bundled contributions in the past).  (Candidate Linda Deos is doing the same.)  I believe contributions from these groups are inappropriate at the municipal level.  These contributions are certainly legal, and some say they are small and don't matter.  I adopted a similar position when I ran in 2010; then when I served this practice removed any suggestion of favoritism and improved the integrity of our council's toughest decisions.  Thank you to Larry and Ezra (and Linda) for leading here.  
  • Fiscal Responsibility.  This is the most important issue to me.  Larry and Ezra are both businessmen.  They know budgets and how to balance them, and they have personally implement controlling costs.  They will excel in making the very difficult decisions essential for the city's long-term fiscal sustainability.  Our ability to maintain our roads, parks and all that make Davis special depend on fiscal sustainability being Job One.  Almost everything else we want to do as a city is secondary to having the funds needed to maintain our great, dedicated staff and pursue innovative projects.
  • Environmental Stewardship.  I believe Larry and Ezra have the broadest and deepest commitments to Davis' national leadership for the environment — from transportation and biking, to renewable energy and energy conservation, to habitat preservation.  Ezra comes from farming and open space roots and has exceptional experience in energy (that's his business); Larry's a rafter and regular UC Davis Raptor Center volunteer and has excellent knowledge and passion for community planning, currently serving on our Downtown Plan Advisory Committee.

Please join me in voting for Larry Guenther and Ezra Beeman.  No matter what, VOTE!"  :~)  Vote by mail ballots will arrive this week and the election is June 5. 

Be well,

Joe

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Comments

6 responses to “Former Mayor Joe Krovoza Endorses Larry Guenther and Ezra Beeman”

  1. Nora Oldwin

    I love everyone’s values here, but what about the women? As a woman, it matters who is representing me- if the council is all male, no matter the good intentions, doesn’t that send a message as well? There are two seats. One is being vacated by a woman. I really respect people who pitch their hats into the ring but what do the candidates say to this concern?

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  2. Evan Schmidt

    Representation matters and, given the number of good candidates with diverse backgrounds (both women and people of color), there is just no reason to have a Council in this day and age of exclusively white men. This endorsement is a disappointment.

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  3. Roberta L. Millstein

    I agree that representation matters, and I would certainly prefer to be represented by a woman all else being equal. I actually think that if this were a national vote all of the women running would represent my values well and I do respect each of them. If I thought that any of the women running represented my values for the City of Davis, I’d vote for her in a heartbeat. But none of them do. Two very important issues for me are the anti-Nishi vote (I want to know that a future Councilmember will support safe and wise projects, which I don’t think that Nishi is) and Measure R (which supports citizens’ rights to vote). Ezra and Larry are anti-Nishi and pro-Measure R without qualification. So, they have my vote. I had hoped that one of the women running would fit that characterization, but it was not to be. In talking with Larry and Ezra, I do have confidence that they are sensitive to issues that women and people of color face (as well as issues faced by the LGBTQI community and people with disabilities), that they listen, that they care. So, while I very much respect your choices, Nora and Evan, they are not my choices.

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  4. Rhonda Reed

    Roberta, I totally agree with you. While I am an advocate for women and would prefer to “elect her”, “her” values have to reflect mine. I was so disappointed to hear early on (at the first CivEnergy forum, I believe) that each of the female candidates did not support Measure R/J as it stands. I know both Larry and Ezra personally and in my role as the President of the Old East Davis Neighborhood Association. I consider them to be egalitarian and open-minded in their treatment of PEOPLE and people’s opinions and values. They are respectful, they listen, and they ask good questions to understand our community values. Diversity is irrelevant if diverse people can’t or won’t listen to each other and insist on pushing their own agenda. I am reminded that white men passed the 14th & 19th amendments to the Constitution

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  5. Nora Oldwin

    Roberta, I understand what you are saying, And Sarah Huckabee-Sanders proves your point. Still, Gloria and Linda are not Huckabee-Sanders; and the issue of representation is not so manichaean as our arguments might make it seem. I saw a bumper sticker recently in Berkeley and it does sum up my position here, although it reflects a long-past election: “Bernie has my politics; Hillary has my vote”. We’re in a fluid time; I’m not convinced that housing is “the most” important issue facing our community- police oversight is huge; and as part of the criminal justice reform movement, an understanding of this issue is fundamental. I have not yet spoken with Larry, but I have had conversations with Ezra as well as other white male candidates about the meaning of representation for the marginalized as an aspect of this debate. It is complex. The conversation is important.

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  6. Roberta L. Millstein

    Nora, I agree especially with what you say at the end: it is complex and the conversations are important. I also agree that when it comes to police oversight and social justice issues, representation from diverse peoples (again, race, gender, LGBTQI, disability, etc) is absolutely essential. But what I think is that there are many ways for people to participate and have a say, and what is important is for our leaders to be committed to that inclusion. Again, of course, ideally the leaders themselves also reflect that diversity. But since this is fairly publicly known already, I might as well admit that I supported Bernie over Hillary, in part because I thought he’d do a better job addressing the needs of and listening to those diverse constituencies, based on his past track record. As for the Davis situation, I think the issues are all entangled. How fast we grow and where and how, and how much money the City has, all affect how the police will operate and what kind of social justice goals we can achieve. My view is that Larry’s and Ezra’s track records and values put them in a better position to achieve those many and connected goals for the City.

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