Monterey candidates file intent to run

On the first day for filing nomination papers for mayoral and council seats in Monterey, three incumbents and two first-time candidates signaled their intent to run for office in the November elections.

Monday’s filings, called Candidate Intention Statements or Form 501s, are the first step in the candidate process. Mayor Clyde Roberson, Councilmembers Dan Albert and Alan Haffa, and newcomers Zoe Carter and Gabriela Chavez all filed their 501s Monday.

Terms for council members Tyller Williamson and Ed Smith expire in 2022.

Zoe Carter, the chair of the city’s Architectural Review Board and a former intern on First Lady Michelle Obama’s policy team, is seeking elected office because she said she is concerned about what Monterey will look like coming out of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s far too dependent on to few revenue streams, she said.

“We need to figure out

ways to get different revenue streams,” Carter said, one of which would be to capitalize on cannabis sales and other related businesses such as testing labs. Currently, Monterey has a moratorium on anything cannabis. Carter said she doesn’t understand why the city is shipping out so many sales tax dollars to Seaside and other communities.

Carter, a millennial who is director of operations for the Monterey County Business Council, said she has honed her ability to navigate personality differences with her experience on the ARB and to build bridges with colleagues to gain consensus.

“You can have a great idea but if you don’t have a majority vote then it doesn’t matter,” she said.

She received her undergraduate degree in Human Communication and Global Studies from CSU Monterey Bay and her master’s degree in International Relations from London’s Hult International Business School.

Gabriela Chavez is another young voice in a bid for local office. Trained in marine science and holding a degree in international relations from New York University, Chavez grew up in Pacific Grove and lives in Monterey.

Academically accomplished, the 28-year-old was the valedictorian and her class president in high school. She was accepted

out of high school at NYU. Having studied in Germany, Chavez speaks German and Spanish and is studying French. She studied at the prestigious GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, as well as studying abroad in South America.

As a former intern with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Chavez was an assistant scientist and taught students aboard a research ship with the Sea Education Association, most commonly known as Sea Semester. She traveled aboard to the Mediterranean, Caribbean and South Pacific.

So it is of little surprise that one of her focuses on the council would be focused on the economic and environmental sustainability of Monterey. She also believes it’s important for the city council to better reflect the community, noting that she would be the first woman on the council in six years.

Having volunteered with homeless efforts, Chavez said she believes the homelessness crisis in the region is only going to get worse if housing needs in the city are not met.

The remaining three candidates are familiar names in the community, all of whom are incumbents on the council.

Mayor Clyde Roberson filed his intent Monday and is running on his list of accomplishments, which include halting hotel building on the waterfront, started the Sports Center,

created the Neighborhood and Community Improvement Fund, supporting switching to clean, renewable energy and affordable housing opportunities.

He is also banking on his reputation as an educator in the community.

“I had the privilege of over 1,000 students in Monterey for 35 years and knowing their families, as well as serving on the boards of the Monterey Library and two neighborhood associations,” Roberson said.

Monterey native Dan Albert also pulled his papers Monday and is also a council member with a strong educational background. After attending Monterey Peninsula College, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and his teaching credential at San Jose State University. He retired four years ago after a 31-year career with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

“As revenues return to the city, I will dedicate my efforts toward ensuring that city programs and services are fully restored to the Sports Center, library and community centers and will work to ensure the best use of funds to support the health, safety and well-being of our citizens,” he said. “Our City Council needs to work together and in collaboration with residents, businesses, education, community and military partners to arrive at policies that are inclusive, balanced and fair to all.”

And Alan Haffa, yet another educator, has announced his intent to run for reelection. The Monterey Peninsula College professor noted the city is making progress on issues he has championed, including affordable housing, homelessness, sustainability and repaving streets and sidewalks.

Before being elected to the city council in 2012, he served three years on the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District board, one as board president. Haffa earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from The University of Wisconsin-Madison and has taught English and Gentrain at Monterey Peninsula College since 2003.

Among his accomplishments, Haffa cites being the representative from the city on the Community Human Services board where he worked to create the Monterey Peninsula’s first shelter for homeless women and families, Casa de Noche Buena.

Affordable housing is one of Haffa’s top priori- ties. He supported the development of city property on Van Buren Street to build 18 affordable units for senior citizens and threw his weight behind the renovation of Monterey Hotel on Alvarado Street to build 18 affordable housing units.

Another housing effort Haffa is excited about is the Garden Road project that could see 400 new housing units.

The window to file 501s runs until Aug. 7.