Indeed, that, combined with the giant Grand Lake Theater sign ads for Joe Tuman, may have boosted him to near-front runner status. Why? Because Tuman was the Tribune's second choice (and The East Bay Express as well), and the same pub trashed Former Senator Don Perata, saying his lack of knowledge of key Oakland issues was "appalling."
Not sure the Tribune, and that would be it's editor Martin Reynolds, is correct when he bashes the field of Oakland mayoral candidates as "weak" because when compared to past years, it's actually rather strong. Now, if Marty has some kind of wish list of candidates for this round, he has yet to present it. That written, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums avoiding a reelection run was damaging to both the field and himself to say the least.
And one aside, at a time when people who are both Gay and Lesbian are being attacked and the young considering killing themselves or doing so, backing Rebecca because she's Lesbian and a good candidate is something worth mentioning. The Tribune backed away from that, sadly. But people need to know that it' OK for them to be who they are, whatever they are, and they can even become Mayor of Oakland. That's not an endorsement of Rebecca as of this writing, but the point must be noted.
Some seem to not want to say, for example, "I voted for Barack Obama because he's black and the best candidate" - hell, I did. It was about time, and everyone knows it. This SF Bay Area passive-agressive crap is sickening. Just be honest.
Oakland Mayor's Race Stock
What's interesting is that we're starting to see a kind of stock market of candidates develop. Right now, Kaplan has the lesd, followed by the hard-charging Tuman, then a tie between Don Perata and Councilmember Jean Quan, who got the endorsement of the Welstone Democratic Club and Councilmember Nancy Nadel recently, then Greg Harland and Don Macleay, Terrance Candell, Marcie Hodge, Larry L. Young, and Arnie Fields.What could slip this up is some bit of news or scandal that slips out and into the open. There are people who have strong feelings both for and against the candidates, and one of them is Oakland Grand Lake Theater owner Alan Michaan. Having Tuman up on his outside marque is a signal that he could use the space to do some real damage as we head toward election day.
If I were Rebecca, I'd at least try and get a meeting with Allan, because he's of the opinion that Kaplan's anti-business in the wake of the Oakland Parking Scandal. Regardless of his actions in endorsing Tuman, she needs to cover that base.
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