Please don’t believe the robo calls about Bill Wolpert not supporting a Rainier Cross Town Connector. For years, Petaluma’s moderate politicians have claimed they are “for” Rainier while “progressive” candidates are “against” it. This makes no sense as no one has ever been able to come up with a way to gather the money needed for this project! As a green builder, OF COURSE Bill Wolpert supports a cross-town connector as good city planning.

Here’s what he says about Rainier:
“Providing stronger physical connections between the two sides of Petaluma is crucial to the community. Eastside families should be able to easily travel by bus or car to enjoy an evening stroll in downtown. Westside residents should be able to bike safely to SRJC or to conveniently deliver their kids to a soccer match. Emergency responders need alternatives to get to the hospital and transit providers need more routing options. Those are elements of a healthy town.

But all of the crosstown connectors, existing and proposed, from Old Redwood Highway in the north to the Caulfield Crossing in the south, have challenges ranging from proximity to capacity to construction cost.

For many years, the Rainier Connector has been perceived as the next crosstown connector to be built, but it isn’t immune from the challenges. It’s an alternative with many attributes, including good proximity and connectivity, but it’s not a magic bullet.”

I’d like you to vote for Bill Wolpert for City Council so Teresa Barrett and Mayor David Glass can get more cooperation and together these dedicated public servants can protect the best interests of this little city that can and does exude charm, calm, a sense of history. It’s clearly a very special town with so very many friendships and connections between residents its pretty much impossible to walk downtown without visiting with friends.

I very much enjoyed going to City Council meetings years ago when there was a progressive majority. Urban Growth Boundary protecting our land from over development? Everybody was FOR that! Infill housing so everyone who works here can live here and our children can choose to stay if they want to live here – of course. Open Lafferty Ranch, our OWN Lafferty Ranch, to US; of course! Well, we learned we couldn’t just do stuff without an majority of people – and council members – behind us.

Not saying Bill Wolpert when on Council could keep all the sweet little shops ship shape and get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to come up with a new dredging contract, build more affordable housing and help get the best possible transportation plan – but I do think he’d work hard on those and have the skill and persistence to do the best for this little city that can and will continue to be charming in our very challenging world as it faces drought, famine, war and injustice that we don’t see much here – but its all out there and affecting us. Just saying. Remember climate crisis? We’ve passed the 400 parts per million CO2 level world leaders were trying to stay beneath. So we are in a crisis even if we don’t see it. A seasoned city planner – green architect – on council makes sense; Bill Wolpert on Council makes sense.

Used to be the desire to protect local businesses was a given so Petaluma could hang on to the title Best Small Town in America offered by a smallish magazine, now out of print.

I do love Petaluma – in the 18 years living along the River and helping Wayne Morgenthaler envision and inhabit Jungle Vibes Gift and Toy Emporium, I came to love the ebb and flow of our River, its marvelous wild birds and views and the real community that most people never encounter in suburbia. I wrote a chapter on the future of the town for our Sesquecentennial Celebrating Petaluma book – and I agree with Sierra Club, SEIU, SCCA and a whole host of friends here that Bill Wolpert can help maintain this physical and cultural beauty. So elect him! Thanks!

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