John Eder declares candidacy for Sebastopol City Council

[Barry]

[ John has been a frequent and thoughful participant on CVS/Chase thread on WaccoBB under his username of "downtown facing dog", which is now changed to John Eder.
And as far as I know this is the first publication of his candidacy! Good luck, John! - Barry]

Sebastopol resident John Eder has announced his candidacy for City Council. Mr. Eder has the experience and enthusiasm necessary to ensure that Sebastopol remains a great place to live, shop and work. He has the skills needed to help the community come together to create a review process which will produce in-fill development proposals that will be embraced by our citizens and efficiently processed.

Mr. Eder has attended and participated in many community meetings, particularly those regarding the application to relocate CVS/Chase to downtown Sebastopol. He is concerned that the current pattern of acrimonious decision-making will continue as the remaining vacant or underutilized commercial properties in Sebastopol become the subject of development. “I have listened to the many varied points of view and concluded that the existing guidelines in our city are too vague for developer and citizen alike,” states Mr. Eder.

Eder continues, "What I have witnessed is unfair to both the community and the applicant. There are commercial parcels in our downtown that may generate project proposals over the next few years. I will foster the creation of clear and consistent design regulations that reflect the vision and desires of our community, thus avoiding expensive and confusing revisions. I am a strong advocate of the General Plan Update, and believe that it is time to end the dominance of the automobile in our town.”

"John is the breath of fresh air this community needs. He has no agenda except to keep Sebastopol charming, walkable and self-sustaining," states J.T. O'Neill, local educator.

Sebastopol City Councilmember Sarah Gurney observed, "I know John to be a problem solver. He researches thoroughly and comes up with creative ideas and solutions."

Lynn Deedler, Sebastopol Design Review Board Member, says: "Of the numerous emails I received regarding the CVS/Chase project, those from John Eder were the most insightful and well thought out and his research on this project was truly impressive."

John has lived in Sebastopol for more than ten years. Prior to moving there, he served on the Cotati City Council. He has been employed in emergency vehicle sales and design for 25 years and has trained with the San Francisco Fire Department in disaster response. He holds a BA degree in International Relations and is a U.S. Air Force veteran. John and his partner, Marsha Sue Lustig, share their home with two cats and Kashi, the wonder dog.

He is a volunteer with many local groups and events, including:

• Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County
• Sebastopol Cajun Festival
• Sebastopol Dog Park
• Guerneville Christmas Dinner and Toy Distribution
• Wings Over Wine Country Air Show
• American Philharmonic Sonoma County (founding member)

[Barry]

Fourth candidate enters Sebastopol City Council race
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...y-Council-race

By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 1:46 p.m.

A fourth candidate has entered the race for two seats on the Sebastopol City Council.

John Eder, 59, has notified the city clerk that he intends to run for one of the council seats.

He is a sales representative and designer for Boise Mobile Equipment, a Boise, Idaho, company that manufactures firefighting equipment.

Eder previously served on the Cotati City Council. He was elected in 1998 and resigned in 2000 for business reasons.

The seats held by Sebastopol Mayor Guy Wilson and Councilwoman Kathleen Shaffer are up for election in November, but only Shaffer is seeking re-election.

The other candidates besides Shaffer are Robert Jacob, a city planning commissioner and owner of a medical marijuana dispensary, and Kathy Austin, a former mayor and an architect.