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On Thursday, Jan. 5, Mountain View City Council member Margaret Abe-Koga announced that she is ending her campaign for Santa Clara County Supervisor in District 5 and endorsing State Senator Joe Simitian for the District 5 seat.
Abe-Koga — former mayor and second term council member — declared her candidacy in September, seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Liz Kniss of Palo Alto. Simitian entered the race in November, and now faces Kathleen King of Saratoga as the only other candidate in the race.
Below is the email Abe-Koga sent to her supporters this morning:
Dear Friend:
Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2012!
As you know, I kicked off my campaign for Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 5 in September of last year. I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the warm support and encouragement I’ve received over the last few months.
In November, my good friend State Senator Joe Simitian entered the race, so he could continue his public service to the county. After a great deal of thought and consultation with my supporters and family, I have decided to withdraw from the race for County Supervisor and throw my support behind Joe.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Joe for close to 20 years. He is a dedicated public servant who has served Santa Clara County with distinction, hard work, and constancy. His service as a county supervisor, State Assemblymember, and State Senator has steeped Joe in the issues that matter most to the people of this district. As I said when I announced my candidacy, this job is about making local government work for everyone in the county so no one falls through the cracks. I know Joe is dedicated to that proposition, and I look forward to supporting him in that work.
I am excited to continue my service as a Mountain View city council member and on the various regional boards on which I sit. In these challenging economic times, we must focus on creating high-quality good-paying jobs, making sure our kids get the best education possible, and ensuring that the neediest among us get the services they need. You have my continued commitment to these goals.
I hope you will join me in supporting Joe in the race for Santa Clara County Supervisor and join his campaign as a volunteer and contributor. You can sign up as a supporter on his website at http://www.joesimitian.com/welcome.
Best wishes to you and yours in 2012, and again, thank you so much for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Margaret Abe-Koga
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Joe Simitian represents all that is bad about California politics. King, the remaining candidate, has a real good chance of beating Simitian, because real-world experience and integrity trump being nothing but a career politician. So I hope that she does not drop out.
Great news!
I beg to differ with Henry. While it’s true that some “career politicians” don’t bring enough real world experience to be effective representatives, Joe Simitian is not one of them. He has innovative ideas, he listens to his constituency, and he’s a “get-it-done” kind of guy. I appreciate that Margaret Abe Koga stepped out of the race to lend her support to his campaign.
Well, I see she saw the writing on the wall and decided to drop out. That’s one for us.
Joe Simitian is one of the reasons that California has over 700 new laws starting on January 1. Just what we need.
“Henry” on MV Voice, writes very similar to “Jim” on both Mountain View & Los Altos Patch. Hmmm.
As I have stated before … “Joe Simitian has the innate ability to bring disparate interests together and work towards a common goal. He is bright, articulate, and is an individual of strong character. More importantly, he is not beholden to anyone. He has earned my respect, and my vote for County Supervisor.”
I’m not sure who “Henry” (aka “Jim”) is, but after 8 years of active participation in ethics training, I’m fairly confident in my ability to ascertain Joe’s integrity.
“Henry/Jim”, do you care to provide the basis of your assertions? I’m sure the online community would like to assess the depth of your personal insight. I encourage you to share your facts.
Unless you know something I don’t, my qualified statement of support for Joe stands for all to compare against your baseless assertions.
Simitian has no where to go, so run for county supervisor. Bet the farm that he wont last long as supervisor if a congressional seat opens up. This a step down for a career politician.
Abe-Koga is patient enough to wait for the spot to re-open and smart enough to see the writing on the wall and get his endorsement when the position re-opens.