For 2nd District:
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May 19, 2006 7:36 AM
Joe Guzzardi
Unlike some other candidates in this contest, Joe Guzzardi is no johnny-come-lately to the concern that's been dominating debate on the campaign trail: Protecting our community from overdevelopment and poor planning.
Mr. Guzzardi has been standing up for neighborhoods for at least 10 years. During this time he's not only fought City Hall but also served on official city committees involved with neighborhood preservation and planning. From eastern Goleta Valley in the unincorporated area of the 2nd District to upper State Street in Santa Barbara, there's been a grass-roots uprising over high-density development and increased traffic congestion.
Mr. Guzzardi isn't just giving lip service to these concerns. Many people suspect that some of the candidates are only mouthing the words today, but they ultimately will side with development interests or with extreme groups that appear to care little about maintaining zoning laws and open space. Mr. Guzzardi has long advocated coherent land-use decisions rather than the piecemeal planning sometimes displayed by the county Board of Supervisors and Santa Barbara City Council and their staffs.
We also like that Mr. Guzzardi, who works for the county Fire Department, has experience in planning responses to natural and other disasters.
Don't believe television commercials from any candidates trying to exploit their personal tragedies as reasons to believe they are experts in disaster preparedness. No candidate can compare to Mr. Guzzardi in his expertise in this area.