City Council Candidate Profile: William Wilkins

Hercules Patch has asked each candidate to fill out a questionnaire to give residents information about his or her background. More election coverage.

BASIC BACKGROUND

Full, legal name: William Walter Wilkins

Prefered Name In Coverage:  William Wilkins

Employment: Retired

When and Where Were You Born?  1949, Arkansas

Spouse or domestic partner: Susan

Children: Jean, 30;  Jared, 28; Sean 18

Education:

Barstow Community College, associate of arts degree

California State University, Fresno, bachelor's in anthropology

American Society of Appraisers, senior designation in Urban Real Estate

International Right of Way Association, SR/WA Senior Right of Way Agent

State of California Certified General Real Estate Appraiser

Continuing education for real estate appraisal state certification from the Appraisal Institute, American Society of Appraisers, International Right of Way Association, University of California, Riverside and many other professional courses. 

Military service: No military service

Have you or a business you owned or had principal interest in ever filed bankruptcy? No

How long have you lived in Hercules? Eight years.

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation? If so, please explain and include dates and locations.  No

Campaign website: www.william4hercules.com

PREVIOUS ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICES

Elected: none

Unsuccessful campaigns for public office: none

Appointed: Appointed by Hercules City Council to the Hercules Citizens Ad Hoc Financial Committee

THIS CAMPAIGN

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

Hercules is now $168 million dollars in debt, or more if you add in all of the fund deficits. The lack of oversight by elected leaders, and financial mismanagement that lead to no-bid sweetheart deals has cost Hercules its good credit and news that compares us with Bell, California. 

We have lost confidence in city leadership. I have never run for office, but know how effective local government should work.  I have spent years working in public agencies finding financial solutions in crisis situations .  I have a reputation for honesty, integrity and professionalism.

I can help provide solutions to the full range of financial and ethical challenges facing our city.  

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why?

The first priority will be to hire key staff positions of city manager and city attorney.  While City Council is the heart and soul of the city, and makes policy, an effective city manager is the brain who coordinates all city functions and implements policy. Without an effective city manager nothing gets done. The city attorney is responsible for review of all legal affairs and should advocate for council actions within the law.

The second priority will be to ensure the structural integrity of the General Fund Budget, with attention to the anticipated revenue and proposed expenditures for this coming year.  The General Fund has been operating in the red since 2007/08 and has completely exhausted all reserve funds.  If the new budget is not balanced, it must be adjusted immediately, not half way through the year in December. 

The third priority will be reducing the annual debt payment in the Redevelopment Agency budget that is $1.5 million short of anticipated tax increment revenue. It is likely that the governor will eliminate Redevelopment Agencies throughout California. Before that happens, Hercules needs to establish the framework for an Economic Development Agency as successor to the Redevelopment Agency. Without this successor agency, the city will not be in line for repayment of funds used from the General Fund to pay the annual debt payment on behalf of the Redevelopment Agency.  The loss of the ability to have these monies repaid to the General Fund would be just another case of mismanagement that must be prevented.

It is important for all of these discussions and action items to take place with open discussion and full disclosure to the public. This is the fundamental principal of my candidacy. 

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I served on the Leadership Team for the Hercules Recall petition drive , and Mr. De la Vega was not. I recognized the incompetence of the two council members , and got personally involved to remove them from office.  I am proud of this diverse cross-section of citizens who were alarmed by the ethics violations and the city's financial crisis.  Mr. Anton Jungherr, the chairman of the Recall Leadership Committee, has endorsed my candidacy.

I have extensive work experience with budgets, finance and real estate issues  for local government, and he does not have any current work experience in the public sector on financial issues. I know how local government can and should operate, after spending my entire career working for three public agencies. As a supervisor and a bargaining representative, I participated in the budget process and contract bargaining.

From 2004 through 2009 in Oakland, I  supervised a real estate asset program with a staff of five professionals that generated up to $6 million annually in surplus real estate land sales, and a rental program that produced $3 million annually.  I also managed an acquisition program that purchased up to $15 million annually in real estate holdings. Also as supervisor, I prepared budgets, made departmental cuts, and met a variety of budget demands.

As the result of this work experience, the Contra Costa Times, on May 4, 2011, endorsed me as follows:

" The two candidates seeking to replace Ward have financial knowledge the incumbent clearly lacks. Of the two, Wilkins is far superior, having worked in local government for 35 years, much of the time for City redevelopment agencies. His keen understanding of the city's finances and redevelopment problems will be a huge asset on the council." 

About how much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election? $2,000 to $3,000

THE ISSUES

• Causes of the current financial crisis
• Making government more transparent
• Public safety in tough economic times
• Hercules Municipal Utility
• Market Hall deal
• Bayfront-Intermodal Transit Center
• City Council culpability
• Hercules Redevelopment Agency