Ten-year incumbent Kriss Worthington and George Beier, a former software business owner, agree that student representation in the city council and town committees is key to improving conditions in the once-thriving commercial strip known as Telegraph Avenue.

“If we just give them the chance and make them feel like the city is an extension of their campus, they can give us so much,” Beier said.

But the two candidates differ on exactly how best to use the students. Worthington says he regularly garners student input and has gone out of his way to appoint them to various boards. Beier believes there is room to do much more.

Beier, 43, has been vigorously campaigning as both a concerned community member and a Berkeley alum. Ensuring that he covers all bases, the candidate reminds potential voters that he received both his BA and MBA from UC Berkeley and is a long-time resident, positioning himself as the most attractive package for a district comprised mostly of students.

Aware that campaigning to students is different from campaigning to other citizens, Beier took a break from knocking on doors Oct. 18 and threw a party at Blakes on Telegraph. Cal students and Southside residents over 18 were treated to a $1,000 bar tab, free food and could register to vote at the door.

Worthington, 52, is confident that voters know that he has made it a point throughout his career to empower Berkeley students. Worthington contends that his challenger is just putting on a show to get in office.

“He’s giving all this lip service to students, but where was he when I’ve been there?” Worthington said. “When I worked with hundreds of students to lobby for more housing, or while I was appointing several students to commissions, when did he support them?”

The competition for Cal students’ allegiance is no surprise. It’s in the candidates’ best interest to gain student support not only because they comprise a majority of the district’s inhabitants, but because the university is the city’s biggest employer, bringing jobs, opportunities and tourists into the city.

As a former student, Beier said he knows how to help the students make the town work for them and as a long-time resident, he knows how to make the city benefit from the
university. Beier is positive that getting Berkeley students more involved with the city council, this one-hand-washes-the-other mindset will both improve the relationship between the campus and community as well as provide a permanent outlet to improve the city.

Robbie Kaufman, Beier’s 22-year-old campaign manager, graduated this past May and helps Beier connect with students.

Kaufman thinks Beier’s savvy business experience would be an exceptionally helpful asset to the council. Beier’s background as the owner of software business gives him the perspective and experience to know exactly what the city needs and how he can improve it.

“He thrives on consensus,” Kaufman said. “If anyone can bring the university and city to work together, it’s George.”

As a veteran saxophone player in the marching band, Beier said visiting Tellefsen Hall, where a quarter of the band members live, was one of his best experiences during the race.

“You forget how capable, smart and hopeful these kids are,” Beier said.

So smart, that he thinks Cal students can really improve the city given the opportunity. Beier wants to rezone all students into one district, either by transferring the student-populated areas of District 7 to District 8 or vice versa, in order to gain the students a seat on the city council.

Worthington said Beier is recycling many of his old ideas. Worthington claims he proposed the re-zoning issue in 2000, when the state attorney told him it was illegal.

The incumbent’s campaign theme is “Proven, Progressive Leadership.” Worthington thinks his accomplishments as a councilmember speak for themselves. In the last 10 years, Worthington has lobbied for affordable housing, women’s equality, racial diversity and has appointed 72 Berkeley students to city commissions.

Worthington also ensured students have the opportunity to vote by stopping plans to move elections to summer, when most students are not in Berkeley, and getting instant run-off elections. Instant run-off elections is an electoral system where voters rank candidates numerically in order of preference so that the candidate with the majority of votes wins while candidates shown less preference or ranking are eliminated. Since run-off elections (the more common system where only two candidates appear on the ballot and the voter chooses his favorite candidate of the two), were generally held during the week of finals, making it difficult for students to participate, Worthington thought it was necessary to push instant run-off elections for students.

Berkeley Labor Commission Chair Nicholas Smith described Worthington as a “student-friendly” councilmember. Worthington has spent the last 10 years appointing several students to city commissions and lobbying for students’ best interests, said Smith. He has lobbied the council to provide funding for co-ops. He has also established social services to help the homeless on Telegraph Avenue. Worthington also worked for four years to get the funding for an addiction rehabilitation clinic that opened recently in Oakland.

“He is accessible, people know they can call Kriss,” Smith said, describing one of Worthington’s best assets as a councilmember. “I cannot say anything negative about his opponent, but Kriss has been there for all the constituents and members of the community for the past 10 years; there is no reason to replace him.”

But critics think Worthington doesn’t concentrate on the pressing issues he should. District 7 has the highest crime rate in the city and Telegraph Avenue has been steadily deteriorating, said Kaufman. With more than 20 businesses vacant and more closing due to outdated ordinance laws that prevent businesses from staying open late in addition to increased homelessness and crime, revenue is down 30 percent in the last 10 years.

“Worthington represents the status quo,” Beier said. “I don’t think the status quo is acceptable.”

Beier noticed Telegraph decline when he was a student. It used to be active 24/7, he explained, but now crime and other factors make it hard for businesses to stay open for long. Beier wants to organize a Telegraph commission of student, city and merchant interests to keep a close watch over the area specifically in the way of decreasing crime and increasing business prospects.

Worthington’s plan for Telegraph consists of supporting Mayor Bates’s revitalization plan. It’s a good plan, he said, it just needs support to ensure that it does what it set out to do. Staying on top of things can stop something like a lack of funding from cutting into these projects, the councilmember said

Beier is excited by possibly starting several potential plans to strengthen the city’s economy by using the university as a marketing tool. One of these plans includes establishing a free speech movement trail leading to a new café in People’s Park. Beier’s idea includes organizing tours on the path so visitors can learn about this history-rich restored site while the city makes money and creates a safer environment for People’s Park at the same time.

He also thinks creating affordable long-term condos and rentals on the avenue would be an efficient way to establish community and make the area safer. Ideally UC staff could live there, also reducing traffic in the area.

“It’s time to move forward,” Beier said. “The merchants, neighbors, students and university all want the same thing. I firmly believe we can satisfy all parties.”

In less-competitive city council races, incumbents in Districts 1, 4 and 8 also face challengers. Linda Maio is running against law student Merrilie Mitchell. Gordon Wozniak faces 21-year-old Jason Overman, a rent board commissioner appointed by Worthington, and Dona Spring is up against Zoning Commissioner Raudel Wilson.