Commentary by Tom Butt

Although there are several excellent candidates to replace termed-out Assemblywoman Loni Hancock for Assembly district 14, which includes Richmond, I am urging you to vote for Tony Thurmond. I know Tony both as a friend and as a fellow Richmond City Council member with whom I have served for the last three years.
    Here are some things you should know about Tony:
    Tony has worked with kids and youth, creating summer jobs and after-school programs to keep them in class and out of trouble. He’s a mentor to at-risk kids and helps foster youth through his position at Beyond Emancipation, a local nonprofit. I know he will stand up to any and all cuts to education, and will work to bring resources to our starved public schools. Tony will work to give every kid a fighting chance with a college or technical school education.
    As an environmentalist, Tony brings a badly needed perspective to our district. On the City Council, he has always taken the right position on preservation of wetlands and environmental protections. But Tony has also stood up for the city of Richmond by taking on Chevron — he voted for transparency and the reduction of greenhouse gases and emissions as part of the environmental impact report (EIR) for the hydrogen renewal effort.
    Tony has pointed out a health study released last month by Alameda County stating the clear inequity between residents in our community: A child born into poverty in the flats of the East Bay will die, on average, 15 years before a child born to wealthier parents. This is an environmental injustice, and a health issue. Tony is the only candidate to highlight this problem and propose a solution to it.
    On the question of universal health care, Tony has committed to fighting in Sacramento until every single family in our state has access to affordable, quality care. He knows this isn’t a policy matter, but a moral obligation.
    And Tony is working to bring green tech jobs to our community by expanding solar power and training opportunities in new technologies.

Tom Butt is a member of the Richmond City Council.

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