For 20 years I have worked for women and girls in Santa Barbara: as Board President of Domestic Violence Solutions, on the Board of Girls Inc., and now as Board President of Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County. Writing for myself, I believe Devon Wardlow is the most qualified candidate for City Council, District 4.
Devon brings 15 years of public policy experience, including work under Labor Secretary Tom Perez on the minimum wage and paid family leave. She has served five years on our Planning Commission, where her colleagues elected her chair.
She has faced unfounded attacks, including a hit piece. I find it reprehensible when one Democratic woman sets out to take down another. Internalized misogyny is alive in Santa Barbara.
Some say Devon “talks too much.” That is because she is analytical, a policy wonk, and passionate about getting things done in a city that is not getting things done.
Her work ethic is extraordinary. I have watched her knock on 200 doors in one day. She has earned the most endorsements in this race, including State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Assemblymember Gregg Hart, and councilmembers Mike Jordan and Oscar Gutierrez, who are often on opposing sides and yet both endorse her.
We don’t have the luxury of waiting for candidates to start from scratch. Devon will hit the ground running on Day 1. The only question is who is most qualified. If your answer is still “she talks too much,” sit down with Gloria Steinem’s spirit.
Claudette Roehrig is board president of Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County but expresses her inidividual opinion here.
