Candidates Ready to Run

Thursday, August 12, 2004 By Marcus Tolero, Alameda Sun

The Nov. 2 ballot will list seven candidates running for the two open positions on city council. Here are some of the candidates who will be featured on the ballot.

Pat Bail

Pat Bail’s motivation to get involved in politics actually began on one of her darkest days. In 1971, when Bail was 29, she had just given birth to a new baby. In most cases when a child is brought into the world, celebrations follow. But Bail’s moment of joy was brief because her baby died from sudden infant death syndrome.

“At the time autopsies weren’t being done right away,” Bail said. “It was apparent that we needed to get things changed.”

After her child’s death, Bail immediately became involved with the Northern California Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Chapter. In 1973, she lobbied to pass a law that required that if any child dies unexpectedly, autopsies be reported to parents and local health departments within the following 24 hours.

“If things aren’t right and you don’t like the way it is, you as an individual have a right to change things,” Bail said.

Because of her determination to bring about change, she continued to work within the community by helping to build better baseball fields for the children and serving as an advocate in many different causes.

Bail said that if she was elected to the council, her priorities would be to protect Measure A, create a better plan for Alameda’s development, have the council make more decisions that are not influenced by the city manager and cut down on the city’s top-heavy administrative positions so that more money is freed up to aid police, park and recreation and other city departments.

Ruben Tilos

Ruben Tilos has always been involved within the community. Tilos, a former recreation leader for the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department, is a tennis coach for Encinal High School who continually participates in community activities. He said that his participation throughout the years has allowed him to stay in tune with the needs of the city’s youth, parents and seniors.

Along with being an active community member, Tilos has also interned for the Oakland Raiders. His current job is financial analyst for a billion-dollar firm, Cypress Semiconductor.

Tilos, who received an MBA from San Francisco State University and also took classes in finance at Santa Clara University, said that his background would be an aid to Alameda if he was elected to city council.

“As a lifetime Alamedan and as a homeowner, I am concerned about our quality of life, and am even more concerned with its decline in recent years,” Tilos said in a written statement.

The former Encinal High School graduate said that some of his priorities include enriching parks, creating a sound budget and preserving Alameda’s small-town feel.

“Alameda is where we live, Alameda is where we play and Alameda is where we call home. At the same time, the City of Alameda is a $250 million enterprise comprised of various budgets and public service responsibilities,” Tilos said.

Vernice Boone

Webmaster Note: Vernice is also running Alameda School Board.

Vernice Boone is a native Californian educated in the public schools of Oakland and the Peralta College. He received his A.A. in Business and A.B. in Liberal Studies from California State University.

Boone has also worked as a teacher in Oakland and substitute teacher in Alameda, a clerk at Peralta College and a census taker for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Boone is a active member of the Alameda Church of Christ and a elected member to the board of directors of the West Oakland Health Center.

Boone also authored a novel titled What Shall I Call It.

“I have worked all my life to make the world better. I have a good relationship with my co-workers and the school district. I have made a difference in the lives of many children and adults,” Boone said.

The remaining candidates will be profiled in upcoming editions of the Alameda Sun. For profile on Doug DeHaan and Betsy Elgar see Alameda Sun Aug 19 edition.

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Last modified: August 12, 2004

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