Press Democrat article on developer funds 10/20/2006

Article published - October 20, 2006, in the Press Democrat

Developers having a say in Petaluma City Council races

By JOSE L. SANCHEZ Jr. and TOBIAS YOUNG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Development interests contributed nearly half of the $165,387 that flowed into the campaign coffers of Petaluma's mayoral and council candidates through Sept. 30.

Almost all of the money from development interests went to four of the eight candidates for mayor and City Council, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.

Councilman Mike Harris, Councilman Mike Healy, John Mills and David Rabbitt received a combined $73,034 or 92 percent of the money donated by development interests.

The remaining $6,525 went to Councilwoman Pam Torliatt, Teresa Barrett and Spence Burton. Tiffany Renee received nothing from developers.

While all eight candidates say they support slow growth of the city, those getting little or no development money have said the current rate of growth is a problem unless traffic solutions are found.

Development interests include developers, construction and building supply companies, Realtors, construction unions, engineers and architects, among others.

Companies with projects currently under construction or undergoing review by the city have contributed $9,685 to Harris; $7,657 to Healy; $2,469 to Mills; $1,815 to Rabbitt; and $200 to Barrett. Torliatt and Renee received no contributions from such companies.

Among the contributors are KB Homes-Lomas, Delco Builders, Basin Street Properties and Centex Homes, who are building or plan to build more than 1,200 homes and apartments.

North Bay Construction, which does some street repairs and other work for the city, contributed a combined $4,500 to Healy, Harris, Mills and Rabbitt.

Other identifiable interest groups have contributed, but in smaller amounts. For example, Petaluma Tomorrow, a political group that supports slow growth, has contributed less than $1,000. That money went to Torliatt, Barrett and Burton.

Keith Woods, the executive director of the North Coast Builders Exchange, said the organization contributed to the council campaigns of Harris, Mills and Rabbitt.

"How council members would vote is of some interest but we're looking for people who would more streamline the process at City Hall," Woods said. "We want a candidate that has a balanced approach to community planning. That's all we ever wanted."

Trece Herder, a vice president for Centex Homes, which has a 180-home project in the approval pipeline, said Centex has contributed to some of the Petaluma candidates because they have a "fairly balanced orientation to growth."

Centex gave a total of $2,200 to Healy, Harris and Mills.

Charlie Carson, the executive director of the Home Builders Association, said the organization has endorsed Healy, Harris, Mills and Rabbitt.

Whether it's the environmental group Greenbelt Alliance or the Home Builders Association, Carson said the goal of most contributors is to get "analytical minds on the council."

"The candidates, no matter how much they receive, are still going to be voting their own minds," Carson said. "They're looking at the interests of the city as a whole."

Growth is routinely an issue in elections in Petaluma, where the population has increased from 54,500 in 2000 to 56,727 this year, according to the state Department of Finance.

A general plan proposal awaiting council action projects a population of 73,000 in 2025, an average increase of 1.4 percent annually.
That's about half the 2.7 percent growth rate experienced between 1980 and 2000.

Though the pace of population growth has been relatively slow in recent years, traffic congestion has become a major complaint of residents. The city hasn't built any major access roads in many years and cannot widen most existing roads.

With three seats and the mayoralty on the Nov. 7 ballot, the results of the election will affect what type of growth the city has and at what pace over the next four years.

"If a developer-backed council gets elected, the consequences will be to continue building in the floodplain and exacerbating traffic conditions by continuing to approve developments without requiring appropriate traffic mitigation," Mayor David Glass said.

Contributions do not buy influence, said Healy, who is running to succeed Glass.

"I'm not making any promises to anybody," he said. "I'll exercise independent judgment with anything that comes through, as I've always done."

Healy said support from various interests, including some developers, shows his inclination to seek solutions to problems such as a projected water shortage.

"I guess it reflects my attempts to be a problem-solver as opposed to someone who throws up roadblocks," he said.

Torliatt, who also is running for mayor, accepted thousands of dollars in developer contributions for her unsuccessful Assembly campaign in the spring, Healy said.

Torliatt said the developers may have contributed to her Assembly campaign to get her out of City Hall.