Dear Voter,

I have launched my campaign for Oakland Mayor in the 2006 election and we’re off to a great start. Hundreds of people have contributed to our May fundraiser with volunteers calling up daily to offer their assistance. As a 23-year resident of Oakland, I am committed to this city – it is the home that I love. I have served 8 years on the council and was just re-elected to another 4-year term with no opposition. Prior to that I served 8 years on the EBMUD Board and was their first woman President. I have never lost an election I entered. Polls taken for a March 2004 ballot measure showed my favorability ratings higher than any of the other declared mayoral candidates.

Since being on the council, I have helped to transform District 3 from a fractious, blighted community to one with hope and much new development, while carefully minimizing negative impacts to existing residents. Take a trip to the West Oakland BART station and see the beginning of our Transit Village; look at the development at Jack London and old Oakland. Moving to Uptown, there are new market rate condominiums as well as beautiful new affordable units. Whole Foods will be coming to the Lake area soon and streetscape improvements on Grand Ave. are beginning. These are but a few of the improvements I’ve shepherded.

I have convened a group of talented people to begin brainstorming on industrial development for the empty sites in West Oakland and we are recruiting Oaklanders to start small businesses in the retail spaces created in the ground floor of new housing.

I led a widely diverse coalition of stakeholders to develop a violence prevention strategy for Oakland resulting in Measure R, that lost by a hair. We will try again in November with Measure Y that has even more money for prevention and 23 additional police officers, with close oversight to assure that the money is spent correctly and both prevention programs and police live up to their charge.

Your early support for my campaign is important to me and will help us reach citywide to hear the views of all our residents. We are beginning house parties at the end of this month. This website is being developed by a strong volunteer supporter. As we develop position papers, I am eager to hear your views on prioritizing issues. Please send them to [email protected]. We welcome all legal donations no matter how small. You can make your donation securely online by clicking here. Please give as generously as you can but don’t hesitate to join the $25 per month club. Your endorsement is also welcome and you can make that by clicking here.

As a long-term resident of Oakland committed to sustainable development and strong public participation, I urge you to make an early commitment to a candidate with integrity and results. I am both a positive and constructively critical force, with experience in bringing together disparate groups. Let’s work together to make Oakland even greater than it already is.

Sincerely,

Nancy J. Nadel
Oakland City Council and Candidate for Mayor