City Council Candidate Profile, part 6 of 6, Eugenie Thomson
Eugenie Thomson is running for City Council, there are only two seats for six candidates.
Eugenie Thomson is running as part of a slate of three people and includes: Doug DeHaan and Pat Bail. The official website for the slate is Action Alameda.
Thanks to John W for this link to the Green Party’s questionnaire, with answers from the candidates.
The Journal reported about her and the slate:
So far, one three-candidate slate has emerged, led by sitting council member Doug deHaan — who is running for mayor — and two challengers, Pat Bail and Eugenie Thomson who are seeking seats on the council.
The Journal also reported on the issue of Measure A and Alameda Point and had this to say about Eugenie Thomson:
…Led by City Council candidates Pat Bail, Eugenie Thomson and incumbent council member Doug deHaan, the Action Alameda members say they advocate a slower approach to city growth.
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“I’m concerned we may have too much growth too quickly,” Thomson said…
Another Journal article regarding the Candidate Forum had this to report about Eugenie Thomson:
Eugenie Thomson, a civil and traffic engineer and a member of the Action Alameda slate, bristled at that idea, saying it would create additional traffic problems.
The Oakland Tribune reported that Eugenie Thomson’s firm won an award for the design of the parking lot at Earhart Elementary and was able to get the work done at no cost to the school district by…get this…working with a developer!
Alameda firm Thomson Transportation Engineers Inc. won the group’s Small Firm Honor Award for its pro-bono work to expand the lot, and unsnarl a chronic traffic problem parents and school officials say could leave cars idling for hours.
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Enrollment at the school has nearly doubled since it was built in the late 1970s, and the bulk of students are driven to and from school, contributing to the traffic problem, said Eugenie Thomson. Her engineering firm developed the “island concept” at Oakland International Airport to mitigate traffic congestion there. And a high percentage of parents drive their kids to and from school.
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Thomson reconfigured the parking lot, expanding a narrow, internal roadway to three lanes, and adding 25 parking spaces. She also tripled the curb space for loading and unloading students to 360 feet.
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More challenging than engineering the project was finding the money to finance it, Thomson said.
Contractors put the project’s price tag at $300,000, twice what the school district was prepared to spend.
Instead of submitting a plan to builders for quotes, the typical process, Thomson sat down with contractor Gallagher & Burke to come up with a plan the school could afford.
By using leftover asphalt from an Oakland International Airport project, they were able to cut costs in half. Thomson also convinced AT&T to lay its fiber-optic cable on school property, earning the project$54,000, she said.
Evidently in 2003, Eugenie Thomson’s firm filed suit against the city for work done on the Tinker Avenue Extension study (Thomson Transportation Engineers, Inc. v. City of Alameda), I cannot find information about the disposition of the suit, because it was one of those closed session dealios (you know, being a LEGAL issue and all…I wonder if the “Slate” would have wanted this discussed in public forum). So if anyone knows what happened to this case, please let us all know:
Eugenie Thomson, Thomson Transportation Engineers, Inc., outlined her involvement working on engineering plans for Tinker Avenue extension; stated her firm should be compensated.
John Thomson, Thomson Transportation Engineers, Inc., identified the firm’s costs for the Tinker Avenue extension plan.
Mayor Johnson inquired the dates Ms. Thomson served on the Planning Board, to which Ms. Thomson responded that she started in 1999.
Mayor Johnson inquired whether Ms. Thomson left the Board in October, 2000, to which Ms. Thomson responded in the affirmative.
Mayor Johnson inquired whether Ms. Thomson had a contract with the City and College of Alameda that was terminated because of conflict of interest concerns.
Ms. Thomson stated there was a Contract, which was not signed.
Mayor Johnson inquired whether Ms. Thomson submitted her design to the College of Alameda, to which Ms. Thomson responded in the affirmative.
Ms. Thomson stated that she would like to settle on the matter.
The Special Meeting was adjournment to Closed Session to consider:
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(03-514) Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation; Name of Case: Thomson Transportation Engineers, Inc. v. City of Alameda…
Eugenie Thomson also endorsed Doug Dehaan in his 2004 run for city council.
And her candidate statement:
I’m an Alameda resident since 1980, mother of two grown boys, business owner, and civil and traffic engineer with 30 years’ design experience throughout northern California. Alameda has spent years and millions of dollars discussing growth, with developers driving the debate. It’s our island; let’s take charge of our future! I bring to the Council energy, a proactive approach, and proven expertise in resolving transportation challenges. I’ve won several statewide engineering excellence awards for delivering projects quickly and cost-efficiently. I fully support Measure A and controlled growth that fits our island’s infrastructure, without sacrificing breathtaking panoramas, historic architecture, convenient city access, safety and sense of community. Our quality of life is fragile. Let’s find out what families and businesses want, develop a strategic plan, and take action! Let’s cut fat from the city budget and design the best project solutions at the lowest costs. Let’s build the best neighborhood transportation system on the West Coast, upgrade transit and redesign roadways to be friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists. Let’s add retail, affordable housing, and recreational opportunities for youth and seniors. We’ve seen what uncontrolled growth has done to other cities. Alameda can do better. Together, let’s get Alameda moving!
If anyone has more information about Eugenie Thomson, please feel free to add it to the comments section. BUT…if you do post something, please make sure to cite your reference and add a link so that others can reference it.
Ms. Thomson was hired by opponents of the new Berkeley Bowl grocery store in West Berkeley, as documented in this article in the Berkeley Daily Planet. The battle over the relocation of this highly successful store is the subject of an interesting East Bay Express article, “Why Berkeley Can’t Do the Right Thing.” It provides a dual cautionary tale that warns against pinning a city’s hopes on an unlikely industrial renaissance and against giving a few neighbors what amounts to veto power over development projects with city-wide benefits. Here is the conclusion:
Comment by Michael Krueger — September 20, 2006 @ 11:33 am
Oops, a minor correction to my comment above: Berkeley Bowl is not planning to relocate, but rather to open a second store in West Berkeley. Also, the Berkeley Bowl example is relevant to The Slate’s plans for industrial development at Alameda Point, which are being discussed here.
Comment by Michael Krueger — September 20, 2006 @ 11:44 am
I lived in Berkeley for 4 years. I absolutely hated every minute of it in hindsight. All the streets there are blocked off from regular traffic flow, and even these blocked off streets are choked down with european style roundabouts that were supposed to cause traffic to slow down, but instead causes lots of accidents. The result is that there are only 3 streets that you can actually drive on to get back forth from the freeway. That means all means to drive in Berkeley are severely congested, not because of the population that lives there, but because of poor decisions in planning roadways and letting citizens serve their interests to the extent of making things worse for the entire community at large.
Comment by Willy — September 20, 2006 @ 11:49 am