Opinion

Editorial:

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 1:57 PM PDT

Incumbents, Kellner for council

The Marin County Registrar of Voters sent out absentee ballots in the mail Tuesday, so the Nov. 2 election is under way. With that in mind, we're making our endorsements now for the Novato City Council race.

We like the direction the city is headed.

Downtown revitalization is shaping up nicely. Grant Avenue is humming with business. The Whole Foods Market project that's under construction now should help draw even more folks to Novato's center.

We're excited at the prospect of the city's talks with a private developer to reopen the vacant Novato theater. Having it be a venue for such things as indie films, plays and live music would give the downtown a much-needed boost in nightlife.

The city wants to help fund redevelopment of north Redwood Boulevard and put in a retail center that would provide city government with all-important sales tax revenue.

That's a good location for retail space - visible from Highway 101, but also within easy walking distance of downtown.

Those are just some of the reasons why we think incumbents Carole Dillon-Knutson and Jeanne MacLeamy should be voted in for their fourth and second terms, respectively.

MacLeamy is an architect. Dillon-Knutson and her husband owned a geotechnical consulting firm for 25 years. So both candidates have a strong business background.

Continuity on the council is important. If re-elected, MacLeamy can continue to spearhead the revitalization of Novato's former city hall, the iconic red building at the corner of DeLong and Sherman avenues.

For the remaining open seat, we think voters should pick Madeline Kellner.

She served for four years on the city's planning commission, which gives her a good understanding of how the city works. Kellner is a health care consultant with master's degrees in both public health and business administration, and she's got experience managing institutions with payrolls and budgets larger than the city of Novato's.

We think these three women are the best choice to keep the city on its current course.

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