March 6, 2002

Wormhoudt, Primack face Nov. runoff

Incumbent fails to capture 50 percent of necessary vote

By JEANENE HARLICK
Sentinel staff writer

SANTA CRUZ — Incumbent Third District Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt and City Councilman Mark Primack are headed for a runoff election in November.

Wormhoudt garnered approximately 48 percent of the vote but failed to win a simple majority, which means she and Primack will meet again. With 40 of 41 precincts reporting, Primack had about 39 percent.

A third candidate, Michael Schmidt, apparently played a significant role in forcing the run-off. Schmidt, former head of the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, netted about 13 percent of the vote.

Although Wormhoudt was disappointed the campaign’s not over, she was happy with her lead.

"I’m very glad to be this far ahead at this point... which was clearly hard to accomplish with two other people in the race," she said. "In terms of a primary, it was a very, very decisive vote."

Low voter turn-out clearly affected the race, Wormhoudt said. Added to that was a high turn-out of anti-tax people for Measure L, she said.

"It’s going to be a very different race in November," she said.

Primack laughed at Wormhoudt’s smugness. Two weeks ago, Schmidt promised he’d join Primack’s campaign if a run-off was forced. According to Primack, that means he’s got nearly 52 percent of voters.

"What it comes down to is Mardi’s got less than half the voters supporting her... and she outspent us two-to-one," he said.

Primack’s strong showing was impressive considering he jumped into the race at the last minute, in December. With seven months of campaigning before him, he says now he’ll be able to run a real campaign — and that means plenty of debates.

The campaign centered around Primack’s promise to dismantle the "machine politics" controlling county policy verses Wormhoudt’s pledge to continue making environmental protection, public transportation, affordable housing, and social services a priority.

Wormhoudt’s failure to gain a simple majority might have to do with a scathing mailer she sent out last week. Some had wondered whether the mailer, which painted Primack as cozy with developers, would work against Wormhoudt. The mailer arrived at houses toward the end of last week, giving Primack no time to respond with a counter mailer.

Primack said he got a "tremendous rush of support" since the mailer went out.

"She defined herself as a candidate through that" mailer, he said. "Many people in the county were shocked by that hit piece. They didn’t think Mardi was capable of it."

Wormhoudt ended her campaign with an impressive $59,500 raised. Primack raised $36,800, and Schmidt $17,700.

Wormhoudt also compiled an impressive list of endorsements, including every organization from the Green Party of Santa Cruz to SEIU Local 415. Primack failed to win many major endorsements.

Primack’s platform consisted primarily of pointing the finger at the county’s "broken planning department." He took sharp aim at the department’s bureaucracy, charging that an abundance of red tape stifled countless projects.

Primack had also promised to dismantle the "political machine" he says dominates county politics and makes residents too scared to speak their minds.

Wormhoudt pledged to continue fighting for the issues she’s supported during her eight years as supervisor. Those include protection of North Coast environment, bringing better public transportation to the county, affordable housing, and expansion of county health and social services.

Schmidt attacked the county’s slow-growth policies, saying they were responsible for the traffic congestion and high housing prices plaguing the area now. Schmidt also proposed taxing UC Santa Cruz students who live off campus.

Primack, 50, came to Santa Cruz in the 1970s. He is married, with two teen-age daughters. Before getting involved in city government, he led community efforts such as the greenbelt project, the Homeless Garden project and the campaign against the Westside MetroBase project. Later, he joined the city Zoning Board, and stayed there 11 years.

Primack was elected to the City Council in 2000. He’s been a leading advocate of loosening the city’s laws on "granny units" and supports the city’s longtime proposal to build high-density housing downtown.

Wormhoudt, 64, has been a player in Santa Cruz politics for decades. She was part of the first progressive majority to sweep the City Council when she was elected to the body in 1981. She served on the council until 1990.

As a city council member, Wormhoudt steered the city through the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, when she served back-to-back terms as mayor — becoming the first mayor in 37 years to do so.

In 1994, Wormhoudt ran for Third District supervisor, narrowly defeating business-woman Annette Hopkins. Wormhoudt ran unopposed in 1998.

As supervisor, she led the effort that turned Gray Whale Ranch into a state park, and is involved in the preservation of the Coast Dairies property, which the Bureau of Land Management will take over in 2003.