Hello,
Jezra here. Last November, I was on the ballot for Mayor of Petaluma and I thought I should share a few things about myself and my campaign.

What I do like:

What I don't like (about politics):

Community

I believe in supporting local business and keeping money in the community; my community, which is composed of my neighbors and my friends. Since this is the internet, you may want to do a search for "buy local studies" to read research articles that explain how buying locally benefits a community.

Running errands at various businesses around town, and then seeing employees and owners of those businesses at the bowling lanes, or a local restaurant, and being able to say Hello, is what adds to the Petaluma quality of life. A quality which I most certainly hope is still in Petaluma in 20-30 years.

Culture

Petaluma has a vivid history and quite a few traditions, all of which have added to the this unique community. When people get together and organize an event, or share ideas, or help each other, then those people have added to the local culture. This is something that we need to expand upon, not just as a community but as individuals as well.

I may not be a good photographer, nor am I a decent musician, but I share my photos and my recording under a Creative Commons license that lets others take what I have made and expand upon it in order to create new art and thus benefit not just local culture, but world culture as well.

Jezra

Why a First Name campaign?
Because that is who I am and I'd rather not put up a false front in the hopes of getting elected. Therefore, this page is probably the closest I will ever get to a "vote4me" website.

Money

One of the biggest problems I see with our current election system, and politics in general, is the use of money in trying to sway the voters, and the use of lobbying and campaign contributions by special interest groups trying to influence elected officials. With this in mind, let me start by saying I will never accept a campaign contribution ever.

Similarly, all of my campaign advertisement is DIY(Do it Yourself). If anyone would like a "Vote for Jezra" sticker or t-shirt, let me know and I will teach you how to make it yourself.

There aren't any large "Vote for Jezra" signs hung up all over Petaluma and this is a good thing. While I understand the need to get some sort of message out to the voters, filling scenic Petaluma with large banners isn't my preferred way to do it. I prefer talking to people. Besides, the money needed to purchase the signs could definitely be spend in a more lasting beneficial way

If someone wants to put a sign in their own yard, I'm all for it, in fact, I certainly hope someone does put a "Vote for Jezra" sign in their yard, and I'd like it even more if the sign was made of reused recyclable material (Cardboard should do the trick). Waste not, want not.

Negative Campaigning

In politics today, because of the perpetuation of the "2 party" system, most people seem to vote for the party they dislike the least or, as some would put it, people vote for the lesser of two evils. The problem inherent in this way of voting is that instead of voting for the best candidate, people are voting against the party they like the least. By campaigning negatively, a politician is saying "don't vote for me because you think I am the best candidate, vote for me as a way of voting against my opponents". To this I say, "don't vote for me unless you think I am the best candidate".

Robocalls

A large dislike I have about election time, is the constant robocalls. You know what I'm talking about: the pre-recorded political advert that always seems to call at the worst possible time. I prefer, and respect, privacy. As such, I will never use a robocall to get my message out there. Really, why would I want to make people hate me?
It is a damn shame that political calls are exempt from the Do Not Call Registry.