Which of these candidates will earn a seat in the Arcata City Council chambers? | Stephanie McGeary



PREVIOUSLY

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Last week the Outpost received word that five candidates had qualified for the Arcata City Council race and that two more potential candidates were still waiting to have their nomination signatures verified. Today the Outpost received an update from Arcata City Clerk Bridget Dory that Joe Ostini, director of arts management company Arcane Artists, did not qualify for candidacy. 

There are now officially six candidates vying for two Arcata City Council seats that will be up for a vote this November. There will surely be many more opportunities in the coming months for you to get to better know these candidates, but in the meantime, here are their submitted candidate statements, so you can start to get an idea of who these folks are and what they’re all about.

Raelina Krikston 

Age: 30     Occupation: Small Business Owner 

Hey there, my name is Raelina Krikston. I am a small business owner and community member here in Arcata since 2016. I believe it is important to preserve the community that makes Arcata so special. One of the most important ways to ensure a thriving, diverse community is through equal and affordable housing, renter protections, and provisions to ensure we can meet the needs of our most vulnerable populations and the growing student body. Let’s keep Arcata affordable as we grow and change in the future.

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Meredith Matthews

My name is Meredith Matthews. I was appointed to the Arcata City Council in 2021. In my time on the Council, I have gotten much done, and I am eager for the next 4 years. I want to continue to make an impact.

I work for the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, which gives me firsthand knowledge about our County’s aggressive Climate Action Plan, and my goal is to make Arcata the leader for climate action. I also serve on the board of HWMA and Humboldt Made. I am a core member of Cooperation Humboldt and serve as a liaison to the Arcata Chamber of Commerce.

I have knowledge of Arcata’s infrastructure and business goals, rapport with our local businesses, and insight into our housing and business needs. After a year on the dais, I know our budget, am current on the City’s projects, and more importantly, I am always willing to make myself available to listen.

I have proven this past year that I can provide strong leadership while rolling up my sleeves and volunteering on the ground to make projects successful. I have a passion and a commitment to serve, and an ability to inspire people to work together. 

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Dana Quillman

Think globally, act locally! In 2020 I realized that Covid-19 was purposely engineered and released to do all the destruction it has done to most people, in one way or another. Being well informed of the global plans being made for the world, I have done my due diligence in sharing information purposely kept from the public by powerful entities. Censorship has become the norm, sadly, even here in Humboldt County.

The public has been misled into giving up their basic freedoms by a sophisticated fear campaign for an illness with a 99% survival rate. It is a fact that inexpensive, safe, and effective early treatments were available early on and then were quickly vilified and purposely made unavailable to justify coercing every person to take an experimental genetherapy injection (with no liability for the very many injuries and deaths). Many injection recipients are then infected, often spread the illness, and encouraged to get more injections which creates new variants, bankrupting the resources of the masses, while enriching the guilty few.

I promise to always do everything in my power to help thwart the global digital ID surveillance prison, which is the ultimate goal of the Covid-19 “Trojan Horse”.
Danaquillman.com

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Jeffrey Scott Sterling

Occupation: Truss Designer

I’ve been a proud resident of Arcata since 2015, when I moved here to attend classes at Cal Poly Humboldt (then HSU). Since 2016, I have served as the Commander of our local American Legion Post 274, and during that time, I’ve dedicated my time building relationships between the Veterans and the community members, in ways that have helped me to understand the strengths and the needs of a wide variety of groups who live, work, and enjoy their lives in Arcata.

My time in the Marine Corps taught me that leadership happens through service, and that serving well means understanding those we serve. I’ve applied that lesson in my time in Arcata, reaching out through my own work as a Truss designer, and through The Arcata Veterans Hall efforts in K12 programs, service learning and internship programs with Cal Poly, community events, and projects in support of our local Veterans.

The isolation of COVID has been hard on all of us, and I’m eager to participate in our shared projects of community reinvigoration. The strength of Arcata is in its support of every one of its widely diverse community members. Vote Sterling. 

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Brett Watson

Occupation: Incumbent 

The time to fight for the future of Arcata is now. We must work together to protect our Community and our way of life.

While I believe strongly that we need to take bold and innovative measures to create more housing for the many people who dream of living in Arcata, I’ll never support irresponsible planning and overdevelopment of our City.

During my next four years I’ll also:
-Continue finding solutions for our homeless crisis -Expand economic development opportunities and support our local businesses
-Support the creation of a world-class dog park -Expand City beautification and improvements to street safety
-Work with Cal Poly Humboldt to ensure responsible growth that won’t negatively impact our neighborhoods

It always breaks my heart when I hear a Community Member lament about issues plaguing our Community, and then saying, “…but there’s nothing we can do about it.” Nothing could be farther from the truth! Together we have the power to protect what we value, and create the positive changes to our City that we all believe in.

I’ve worked and fought hard for this Community for the last 5 years, and with your vote, that’s what I’ll continue to do.

www.BrettWatson.org

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Kimberley White 

Occupation: Program Coordinator

I have lived in Arcata, land of the Wiyot, more than 30 years. I am a program coordinator, Arcata Planning Commissioner, community advocate/volunteer, and mother of a teenage daughter. I am passionate about housing and the environment. Arcata is in the midst of big changes with Cal Poly Humboldt, climate refugees, and the pandemic ushered in a new way of working. Arcata is growing, we need to proactively plan for it. I want to protect our forests and open spaces. We declared a climate emergency, now let’s act on it.

We have untapped talent and need to deepen connections with Cal Poly Humboldt where I received my master’s in Sociology. I am passionate about economic revitalization and rebuilding through the lens of equity. I am also running for Arcata City Council to be a voice for those who have been left out. It is essential to have a well-functioning democracy that ALL voices be heard. I want to protect our seniors, the undocumented and unhoused. I believe in people over politics. We must mend divisiveness and rebuild trust in local government by shifting and sharing power, creating a more transparent responsive government bringing us together for a stronger, better Arcata.