Taking The Fifth: Top Ten Reasons I'm Voting for Eric Hammer

Not a Letterman list and in no particular order, here are ten reasons I'll be casting my vote for Eric Hammer for the County Board of Supervisors for the 5th District:

1. He’s local.  Eric lives in the San Lorenzo Valley.  He was born and raised here, went to the local schools, played in the local parks.  Now he’s raising his family here.  He drives on our roads, shops in our stores, and enjoys and suffers all of the same things the rest of us in SLV enjoy and suffer.  I like the fact that I see him all over the Valley, if I want to complain about something or share my opinion I can do it in person.

2.  He’s a Democrat.  Eric shares the predominant values of the community regarding the environment, human rights, and economic justice.

3.  He has a work ethic.  Eric is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and go to work.  He doesn’t ask anyone to do anything he’s not willing and ready to do himself.

4.  He’s realistic.  Eric understands that you can’t just call Sacramento and expect someone else to solve a problem.  

5.  He’s transparent.  You might not always agree with him but you can count on him to let you know how he feels and why.

6.  He respects the past but represents the future.  Eric knows how close SLV came to becoming overrun by developers, how fragile the watershed is and how much the river needs to be protected. He turns 44 on Saturday.  

7.  He’s respected by the community.   Eric has stood for election twice and won both times with overwhelming support.  His colleagues elected him chair and all support his election to Supervisor.  State Assemblymembers Bill Monning and Luis Alejo have endorsed him. All five directors of the SLV Water District support him as does the Superintendent of Schools, a number of the current fire chiefs and district trustees as well as a host of other local community leaders. Check out the partial list of endorsers here: http://www.hammerforsupervisor.com/?q=whos_with_us

8.  He has a vision.  As a builder, he understands the need to upgrade our existing housing stock to make it more environmentally sound.

9.  He’s pragmatic.  He knows you build from the ground up not the top down.

10.  He’s collaborative. He understands that you have to bring people together in conversation in order to move forward and that not everyone, himself included, can always get exactly what they want.