SUPPORT: Holbrook, O’Day secure chamber endorsements
SIXTH STREET — The Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 1,000 local business owners, endorsed the City Council campaigns of Mayor Bob Holbrook and Planning Commissioner Terry O’Day, providing each a significant boost as they head into the November election.
The chamber’s board of directors chose to support the two last week after a series of hour-long interviews with six candidates, including three who have been endorsed by Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, or SMRR, which has long been at odds with the business community over development issues.
Holbrook, who was endorsed by the chamber during his last re-election campaign, is seeking his fifth term on the council, while O’Day, a member of the Planning Commission since 2003, is making his first run for elected office.
O’Day, who is also endorsed by environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has not yet qualified for the ballot, but is confident he has collected enough signatures from registered voters to do so. The required amount is 100.
The chamber is expected to encourage members to vote for Holbrook and O’Day as well as donate to their campaigns and volunteer to go door to door securing votes. The chamber will not raise money for an independent campaign, said Tom Larmore, chairmen elect of the board.
“We felt it was better to help the candidates raise money for their own campaigns rather than have us run one independently,”Larmore said.“While we won’t be running a slate (of candidates), our members will be actively campaigning on behalf of Bob and Terry, using e-mails, phone banks, whatever we can to help them get elected.”
Holbrook and O’Day earned the chamber’s endorsement because of their commitments to the community, the environment, education and balanced public policy that weighs the interests of the business community as well as other stakeholders, said Kathy Dodson, president of the chamber.
“I think the business community is very excited about these two candidates,” Dodson said. “Terry has been phenomenal on the Planning Commission, very proactive. He’s run a business and has had to make payroll … and he has very practical, creative ideas.
“As for the mayor, he’s been a wonderfully consistent voter who has been around long enough to know what’s good for Santa Monica, having served on the school board before being on the council.We think his experience in education as well as his ability to offer common-sense solutions make him a great candidate, as with Terry. Both are very strong.”
Securing the chamber endorsement was critical for Holbrook and O’Day given the influence of local business owners, many of whom are looking to replace SMRR-backed council members who have blocked development and imposed strict affordable-housing requirements.
“The chamber endorsement was a key endorsement for me four years ago, and I am gratified to have it again,” said Holbrook, a pharmacist at USC. “As you know, the chamber has members from all across the community, and they thought I had been very middle-of-the-road and supportive of sustaining our economy, which is very important for businesses bring in tax revenue and create jobs.
“There are those who are driven by interests … but I vote for what’s in the interest of Santa Monicans,” Holbrook added.
O’Day, who heads environmental watchdog Environment Now, was pleased to receive the chamber’s endorsement as well. There was speculation that O’Day was trying to seek both the SMRR endorsement as well as the chamber’s; however, O’Day said he pulled out of the running for SMRR’s endorsement at the last minute because he wanted to run an independent campaign and felt he could not do that if he was supported by SMRR.
“I’m running the type of campaign that I think gives me the best opportunity to talk to as many people in the community as possible who are affected by the city’s policies,” O’Day said. “With SMRR, I felt that I had to commit to a particular platform and, in a way, cut myself off from other opportunities.”
Those who decided to go for both endorsements included incumbents Kevin McKeown and Pam O’Connor, and education activist Gleam Davis, all three of whom are endorsed by SMRR.
McKeown’s chances of winning the chamber’s backing were slim given his record, in which he has supported a living wage law for hotel workers and inclusionary zoning that forces housing developers to set aside units for low-to moderate-income residents.
“Endorsements reflect true interests, and I respect that the chamber differs with my principled positions on development and worker issues,” McKeown wrote in an e-mail. “My continued efforts are with the small neighborhood-serving businesses in our city, keeping them viable and encouraging more resident-friendly amenities like outdoor dining.”
Larmore said McKeown is out of step with the needs of the city, but was invited to interview with the chamber because “it was the appropriate thing to do since SMRR had not had their convention at the time of the interviews.”
“We knew it would be difficult to endorse a SMRR candidate because of their platform,” Larmore said. “But we felt we should be open to all candidates who were serious about running. We definitely don’t think the SMRR majority has been good for the city, and we’d like to see a change. I think that’s reflected in the endorsements we made.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 17, 2006. Read the original PDF.