Candidate for
Council Member; City of Alameda

I'm a mother who is passionate about my family and my community. That's the main reason that I want to be a member of the Alameda City Council. Like me, and my mother, and my grandmother, my son attends public school. He also participates in youth league sports, goes to Alameda Recreation and Parks afterschool programs, rides his bike and goes to the park. I want to make sure that my son has access to quality schools, excellent public services, and supportive adults that make Alameda one of the 1020 "One Hundred Best Communities for Youth" in America. As a member of the Alameda City Council I will use my experience, my contacts, my facilitation skills, and my passion for Alameda to make sure that Alameda works for families,

I am a candidate for the Alameda City Council because I believe that the most successful communities are ones where public agencies work together to support all residents - the most successful and the most vulnerable. As a City Council member I will work closely with my former colleagues in the school district to develop policies and laws to support healthy businesses and healthy youth. I will also develop ways to encourage local businesses to support the families in the neighborhoods where they do business.

During 8 years on the school board I have done many things to make Alameda a more livable community. In 2005, as more families moved to Alameda we built the first new school in Alameda in more than 15 years + Ruby Bridges Elementary School. That project that was successful because of the partnership between the City and the School District, and the contributions from the Bayport developer. On the City Council I will continue to make sure that the City provides essential public safety services including crossing guards and school resource officers. When student athletics was threatened I worked with the community on a plan to support the coach stipends and swimming pool costs.

In 2008 teachers and parents told me that some students did not feel safe at school and the school board needed to take action. I established a teacher and parent committee to identify the elementary bullying issues, and I encouraged the adoption of lessons to teach children to respect non-traditional families, including LGBT parent families, grandparent guardian families, and single parent families. I cried listening to stories of bullying by young children who did not understand that all families deserve to be respected. My heart ached when a high school sophomore talked about how he did not want to go back to school after being called "gayDD" because he had attention deficit disorder and he was gay. My leadership in adopting the ant bullying curriculum was featured prominently in the conservative press + Fox News, and resulted in both an unsuccessful lawsuit against the District and an unsuccessful recall election against me.

Protecting Alameda kids from bullying, violence, substance abuse, and predatory behavior will continue to be my priority if elected to the City Council. Families don't move here just because the schools are good + they come to Alameda because they feel safe, they feel secure, and they feel that they can rely on their neighbors. Families move to Alameda because they see it as a community that will support their children. Children don't succeed if they don't feel safe.

Alameda needs Council members who understand how our government works, how funding decisions are made, and how public programs are developed. Most of all we need Council members who know how to work together. The City has been fractured by the divisive actions and words of the current City Council. Now is the time for someone who has demonstrated that they can forge consensus and get things done. For Alameda. My qualifications and experience can ensure that Alameda takes full advantage of the opportunities at Alameda Point and the challenges of our faltering economy. My experience, and my passion, is the reason that Senator Loni Hancock and other community leaders are supporting my election.

I thank you for your consideration. Please vote for Tracy Lynn Jensen on November 2.