• Home
• News
• Archive
• About
• Calendar
• Directory
• Advertisers
• Contact Us

Front Page

Emeryville Visits Washington D.C.

John VanLandingham
Connection Staff
April 2008

Emeryville went to Washington in late February looking for money and enhancing relationships to leverage future city and school projects.

How successful the fourth annual whirlwind tour of the national capitol was may not be known for many months, but the joint city- school delegation “amazed” federal legislators and their staffs, delegates said.

“They were amazed that we had such cooperation,” Mayor Ken Bukowski said in a telephone interview about the trip.

“We are one of the few cities where there seems to be a cooperative effort with schools. Most cities don’t get along with their (school districts),” Bukowski said.

Emery Unified School board Vice President Kurt Brinkman concurred.

“One comment we kept hearing was that most cities are trying to take over their local schools. It was so refreshing to be peers among what we do,” he said.

Within a week of the group’s return, however, school officials were invited to apply for a grant of up to $3 million over six years for programs they are trying to develop.

The delegation comprised Bukowski, Brinkman, EUSD Superintendent Stephen Wesley, Vice Mayor Ruth Atkin, City Manager Patrick O’Keeffe and business representative John Gooding of Quadric Group.

City officials sought funds for a bike bridge across Interstate 80 at the Ashby Avenue-Shellmound interchange while school officials sought money for a wellness center and a science center.

Public Works Director Maurice Kauffman said environmental studies are being prepared for revising the entire interchange to allow Emeryville traffic to go anywhere from that interchange. But the redesign costs, $35 million, are beyond what the city or any regional agency can afford. Instead, the City Council has directed the staff to pursue plans only for a $12 million bike bridge across the freeway.

“One person said to us specifically ‘I have never seen a delegation like this before.’ We go through Washington with all the major sectors of the community all on the same page looking for the same goals. It’s a powerful statement,” Atkin said.

“It’s one of the reasons we have been so successful beyond our size,” said Gooding.

He noted the trip was not about going to Washington for handouts, but rather to educate various key federal agencies and legislators about Emeryville’s regional significance.

Bukowski added that often there is no money available at the local level to completely fund Emeryville’s requests and it has to go to Washington for help.

“What we do is educate these folks,” Gooding said of the trip’s purpose.

Emeryville went not with hat in hand, but with requests that funds be earmarked to allow the city and school district to use as leverage for state and local funds to develop such projects as the interchange at Interstate 80, upgrades to the transit center and other critical projects, he said.

Brinkman said the group kept hearing the same refrain. There is not

enough money for everybody and everything and only regional projects benefitting the most people will be considered.

Having Rep. Barbara Lee, whose district includes Emeryville, on the House Appropriations Committee is a big advantage for the community. Not only can she introduce legislation earmarking funds for Emeryville, but she can shepherd the bill through the committee. And one of the first questions asked by federal agencies and legislators is what is the stance of your local congressional representative?

Continuity is very helpful, also, Gooding said. Staff members in the offices of Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer immediately recognized some of the Emeryville delegates from previous trips.

Atkin said the delegation was optimistic about its chances to get some of the requested funds.

“Superintendent Wesley mentioned that as soon as he got back home he got a call from a (school wellness grant) person asking for some technical assistance. That’s rare for Washington to call the local entity to ask about how it should proceed with something,” she said.

Gooding described the trip as exhausting and intense. “We had 12 meetings over two days.”“We flew out before 6 a.m. and flew together to talk and to develop our strategy and got together again for dinner that night for further discussion. We got started at 8 a.m. the next day and went through the evening and following day. We started very early in the morning of the last day and flew home that night. It was very intense, a lot of hard working with no time for play. But it’s really necessary and a wonderful opportunity. It increased bonding and communication among all those who were there and helps us better understand our challenges and concerns,” he said

“Our little community has had to mature and grow up and act like big community.”

John VanLandingham is a writer for The Emeryville Connection. If you have a question or comment, please contact him at ecocnews@gmail.com.