Part II - With Six Months To Go, Davis and Hume Have No Announced Opponents

Davis and Hume: Cash and Issues will Determine Success

Although Elk Grove City Council members Gary Davis and Pat Hume have served together for four years, their paths to reelection are likely to be much different. In our view the key to wining another term for both will boil down to having enough cash to mount a campaign and policy success.

Davis

When Gary Davis threw his hat in the ring close to five year ago, he was a little known commodity in Elk Grove. Despite this, and because of the weakness of his opponent, Davis mounted a successful campaign and unseated Dan Briggs.

One of the keys for Davis’ victory was having enough cash on hand to get his word out. At the end of 2009, Davis had $58,263 and raised $28,998 during the last six months of last year. Undoubtedly Davis will have continued his fundraising efforts and should increase his cash balance when the next disclosure is filed.

While Davis received money from unions and developers in his first election, his campaign has become a big beneficiary of organized labor. With developer money evaporated, labor money will have more importance, and influence.

As for issues and successes to base his campaign on, Davis has covered his bases fairly well. Aside from his recent and highly popular success of getting the Cosumnes River floodplain removed from the city’s sphere of influence application (SOI), Davis supported keeping the Wal-Mart Super Center off Sheldon Road and was very supportive of e-Tran riders earlier this year as route cuts were looming.

As it relates to the SOI, Davis has consistently said the city need to focus on job creation instead of building more rooftops. This stance has resonated with many people who supported city hood 10 years ago on the premise of local control and have been disappointed with the breakneck speed and subsequent collapse of real estate development in the city’s first 10 years.

In essence what Davis is saying is ‘let’s slow down our residential growth and focus on bring high-paying jobs to Elk Grove.’

Although Davis seems well organized, financed and has offered a vision of Elk Grove’s future, he will face some challenges. Even though council members are elected on non-partisan basis, Davis is a Democrat and in the current political climate that could be a liability.

With Republicans feeling empowered after four-plus years of setbacks, the local apparatus most surely be salivating to knock Davis off the council. The success of their efforts will be based on money and recruiting a strong-credible candidate.

Barring a exceptionally strong candidate and some other unforeseen event that hurts Democrats, Davis should handily win reelection.

Check back for Part III - Hume