A fresh path forward for our town – huge supporters of the arts
By Susan Street, August 4, 2022
Susan Street, Benicia
At last, we have two great choices in candidates for the Benicia City Council. We could not be luckier to have Terry Scott and Kari Birdseye running.
Both of these professionals bring the kinds of backgrounds we need to set a fresh path forward for our town. Both have been involved in various local boards and commissions and have worked hard to make Benicia the city it can be. Both Kari Birdseye and Terry Scott are huge supporters of the arts, which is part of why Benicia is such a great destination town. Kari and Terry listen and care what you have to say about Benicia.
I am proud to endorse these fine candidates for the Benicia City Council.
I support Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council. She will be an excellent member of our city’s leadership team. She will bring a vision for Benicia that balances economic growth and the health and safety of our citizens, with a commitment to preserve Benicia’s small-town appeal, our unique place in California’s history, and our reputation as an arts destination.
I know Kari as a highly professional woman of principle, a believer in Benicia, and as someone who has stepped up again and again to help our community reach its full potential.
I’ve seen this soft-spoken woman in action and recognize that beneath her calm words and quiet demeanor lies a core of strength and commitment, a passionate determination to make life better for everyone in Benicia.
I have found her to be truly unique. She actually listens to what you say. She looks you in the eye as you speak. She listens and she connects with what you are saying. No interruptions, no side glances. She is with you in that moment.
And she doesn’t forget what you have said. Because she is also a woman of action. She has served for more than 10 years on the Benicia Planning Commission which has given her the ability to see and act on the critical issues facing our city. She withstood the attacks by various PACs in the previous election. A strong woman indeed.
As a former communications professional myself, I appreciate Kari’s skill as a seasoned communicator, especially on environmental issues. After an 11-year career with CNN as Executive News Producer (and winning an Emmy as part of the frontline production team for the coverage of the Olympic Park bombing), Kari turned her skills to helping non-profit groups including her work with Earthjustice’s inaugural Healthy Communities campaign goals of lessening harmful pesticide impacts on farmworkers. She currently is Senior Strategic Communications Director of the Natural Defense Resources Council whose work on environmental issues has made it a critical resource for all who work to preserve our earth.
But today I am a one of Benicia’s many working artists. And I also know Kari as a lover of the arts, a collector of local art and a supporter and promoter of our strong arts community. Kari understands the economic impact the arts and the artists have on Benicia and is committed to supporting and expanding the arts community.
Kari will bring all her professional experience, volunteer efforts, her commitment to Benicia, and her unique manner of listening to the critical job of Benicia City Council member. And she will be terrific. I am proud to vote for Kari Birdseye, and I hope you will join with me in supporting and voting for her.
By Constance Beutel, Benicia resident, July 17, 2022
Constance Beutel, Benicia CA
I strongly support Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council. Ms. Birdseye has exceptional professional qualifications and civic service that are essential to our community.
She is a working professional with wide corporate and nonprofit experience.
She has served as Matthew Turner elementary school PTA President.
She has served on Benicia’s Planning Commission since 2015 and currently is the Chair of the Commission.
With her background and experience she has demonstrated a commitment to invite community participation, respectfully listen and deeply research community issues. Further, she is unafraid to put community interests over outside influence.
Her commitment to Benicia’s economic vibrancy, historic character, and clear focus on our health and safety relating to air and water quality make her an ideal and steadfast City Council candidate.
I’m voting for Benicia’s future and Kari Birdseye; I hope you will too.
As a Benicia newbie, moving to this wonderful city in 2019, I recall being shocked by the negative advertising filling my mailbox during the 2020 city council campaign. The tone of such a small-town election seemed to be the antithesis of living in such a welcoming community, where drivers downtown stop for you, even if you are not in a crosswalk.
I was later appalled to learn this negative advertising was from a Political Action Committee (PAC) most of its nearly $250,000 coming from Valero. The PAC seemed dedicated to attacking nominees they want to keep out of Benicia’s city council, and flooding our community with praise for the candidates they want.
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