A Right Pol

 

Among the accomplishments in my life of which I have the greatest pride, one is getting my pal Clifford Waldeck elected to the Mill Valley City Council. That was back in 1995; he was re-elected four years later without my help. He’d done such a fine job in office that he was unopposed for a second term.

As expected, Cliff has announced his candidacy for Marin County Supervisor, and I look forward to assisting him gain the new seat. It is not just that he has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities, not only on the MVCC, but also in a number of important Bay Area appointed positions dealing with small business and the environment. He has also contributed significantly to the culture of the community in a number of volunteer roles.

Not being the scion of a wealthy family, Cliff takes the bus every morning to downtown San Francisco where he operates Waldeck’s Office Supplies. His father started the business in 1954, and sold it to his son when he moved to Oregon a number of years ago.

It’s challenging enough to be a small business owner, responsible for happiness of his customers in addition to the well-being of his employees, but here in California where workers’ comp has exploded out of control and the legislature is insisting that business owners pay for health insurance for all their employees, it is a titanic struggle to stay afloat. Not to mention the extreme price competition from the major chains.

There are other people in the political game who run for office with a big smile. There are myriad do-gooders who get themselves appointed to every political and civic vacancy within a hundred miles. But in all my years of being a political junkie, of walking the power corridors of Washington, prowling the dysfunctional halls in Sacramento, and sitting through local agencies hearings, I have never met anyone with the qualities of Cliff Waldeck.

Cliff is a thoughtful, funny, bright, candid, generous, self-effacing man who actually listens to what people have to say. He does so because he’s genuinely interested. He wants to know what they know, and to discover what assistance he might lend to the resolution of their issues. He does so not in a self-aggrandizing way; he truly wants to help people. That said, he’s not one of those hyper-Christian sanctimoans; he has a razor-sharp political mind, a dog and a girlfriend.

Cliff Waldeck is what politics and politicians should be about -- service with intellect, compassion, dignity, and vision. He doesn’t have an agenda, or any need for labels. He’s about discovering answers and producing a healthy, vibrant and stimulating future for our children and theirs. We need more like him.

And that’s SetonnoteS...I’m Tony Seton.

 

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