Aimee, you ran a great and sprited campaign. Look, you only lost to Councilmember Pat Kernighan by 827 votes. To put this in perspective, that's about the number of people that generally see a first-run movie at the Grand Lake Theater.
You're going to get there. Even your opponents point to your charisma and charm. Don't look down at all. If you're asking "What can I do that I didn't do this time?" the seeds of the full answer may rest in the fact that Councilmember Kernighan's party was -- according to the SFist -- at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Chinatown, whereas yours was at Maxwells. Your choice was hip; hers was Asian.
If you're asking how you might increase your presence in the Asian community, here's my answer: join the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and get to know the players like Carl Chan and Judy Chu and others -- and listen. Face time is valuable, but ear time is golden.
Meanwhile, it's time to go about the task of melding what to me is a community divided, and I'm certain the voting numbers for District Two will reflect this. First, congratulations to Councilmember Pat Kernighan. Second, I'm really concerned about Oakland, and perhaps Ron Dellums came along at the right time. But Oakland's never been more racially divided, unsafe, and just plain not fun to be in as it has over the last two years. Heck, that's why I spend so much time in San Francisco -- it's becoming what Oakland used to be socially, plus it has more of a can-do attitude.
These negative developments are new to Oakland but they threaten to tear what I call "The Soul Of Oakland" apart.
This community -- this city -- has got to come together.
