Endorsements 

BGG - Business for Good Government
The Political Action Committee of the Fremont Chamber
     

The BGG endorses the following candidates for the election November 2, 2004.

The BGG is a Political Action Committee affiliated with, though independent of, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce with the purpose of endorsing candidates, ballot measures and initiatives that are sensitive to and supportive of business issues.

BGG Endorsements

Mayor - Bill Pease
Councilmember Bill Pease has long been known as a strong supporter of Fremont’s business community. With eight years on the Fremont City Council and extensive experience as a Fremont business owner, the Business for Good Government has endorsed Bill Pease for Mayor.

Bill’s extensive business experience includes:
• Thirty years of business experience
• Seventeen years as a Fremont business owner
• Four years a Board Member for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and current member
• Five years as President of the Irvington Business Association

Of the major challenges facing Fremont over the next four years, Bill sees economic development as a major hurdle that must be overcome in order to bring Fremont back to where it needs to be. Pease see his business savvy and experience will allow him to become Fremont’s top salesman, recruiting and convincing developers and retailers to do business in Fremont. When asked about the data that suggests that nearly one billion dollars in sales is lost to neighboring communities annually, Bill thinks that underscores why Fremont needs him as the next Mayor.

Bill also sees room for improvement in the perception that Fremont is not business-friendly. He thinks that not only does Fremont need to improve upon the perception that Fremont is not business-friendly for new businesses moving into Fremont or looking to move to Fremont, but that Fremont needs to improve with existing Fremont businesses looking to renovate their shops or put up a new sign.

Pease’s strengths not only lie in his business credentials, but in his ties to Fremont’s community, which include membership in the following community groups:
Fremont Housing Scholarship Committee, Alameda County Library Commission, SAVE, Washington Hospital Foundation, and the LOV, Boy Scouts, Fremont Symphony, Tri-City Homeless Coalition, among others.

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City Council - Steve Cho and Dirk Lorenz
Known for their support of the business community and positive contributions to the community, Councilmember Steve Cho and Fremont businessperson Dirk Lorenz gained the endorsement of the political action committee, Business for Good Government.

In his four years as a Fremont City Councilmember, Steve Cho has gained the reputation as one of the most community-engaged City Council Members the City has ever seen. Cho believes that economic development and the creation of a diverse and vibrant business community are the most important tasks for the City to address in the next four years. Councilmember Cho recognizes that bringing the businesses, retailers, and restaurants that people in Fremont have been clamoring for is a top priority that will impact the City in the long-term.

Dirk Lorenz’s endorsement highlights the interest BGG and the Chamber have to see intelligent people with passion, energy, and an undisputable dedication to the strengthening of Fremont’s business community elected to the Fremont City Council. He has owned Fremont Flowers for twenty years and has been extensively involved in the Fremont Chamber Of Commerce, Irvington Business Association, and Centerville Business Association. One of the main strengths for Lorenz is the fact that he is an established and well-networked candidate that can effectively bridge the perceived disconnect between the City and business community. Lorenz believes that his familiarity with the business community will give him the necessary perspective to create a customer service-oriented atmosphere in the City.

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Fremont Unified School District - Nina Moore, Peggy Herndon, Ivy Wu
Nina Moore is a dedicated and passionate leader for education for Fremont and the entire region. She has a wealth of knowledge and ideas that make her a critical piece to the future of Fremont education. A proven consensus builder, Moore has spent the past four years on the board building the community’s confidence in the schools district’s processes and decisions. She plans to continue to promote open and clear communication, consistent decision making processes and efficient use of resources to provide maximum benefit for students.

Peggy Herndon is an experienced member of the Board and has a clear vision for the Fremont Unified School District. Herndon cites maintaining fiscal responsibility, bridging the technology gap in schools, and embracing diversity as a means for creating a safe environment as priorities for the board. Herndon is open to proposals and programs that will improve the quality of education within the city and credits the Fremont Education Foundation as an excellent example of a partnership that serves the school district.

Ivy Wu is known for her role as an active parent, community volunteer, and member of numerous education-related committees in Fremont. With increasing communication among students, parents, staff, and the Board as one of her top priorities, Wu’s experience and dedication make her a solid choice to serve on the Board. Wu is a strong advocate of working to encourage character development in youth to inspire a positive, constructive, responsible and unselfish lifestyle. She believes the strong support and alliance of the business community can help in the development of academic, moral and social achievement of students.

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Washington Township Healthcare District - Patricia Danielson, Dr. William Nicholson, Susanna Wong
Known as a proven leader in the health care community, Patricia Danielson’s detailed knowledge of Washington Hospital and her grasp of the key issues and concerns that will impact Washington Hospital for years to come make her a invaluable asset to the Washington Hospital Board. Danielson sees meeting the expected needs of an aging community and building as Washington’s great challenge and feels that challenge can be best met by the passage of Measure FF Washington Hospital Bond.

Dr. William Nicholson, a private practice physician, has been a member of the Washington Hospital Board for six years and provides the steady leadership that is the foundation for Washington Hospital’s strength. Washington Hospital’s financial strength and ability to adjust to the community’s changing health care needs are in no small part due to Dr. Nicholson. Nicholson cites quality health care, diligent stewardship of financial assets, and the passage of Measure FF as priorities.

Susanna Wong brings a blend of strengths to the Hospital Board. For the past two years she gained experience through serving on the Board and grasping critical issues. Susanna Wong also brings balance to the Board by being the only small business owner on the Board, being a representative of Union City and the northern most areas of Washington Township, and adding perspective on ethnic diversity issues. Banking on her business background, Wong understands the plight of small businesses in providing healthcare for themselves and their employees and believes that both employers and employees must share in the cost of healthcare.

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State Assembly, District 20 - Alberto Torrico
Torrico is a long-time resident of the district who understands the district’s most important issues and has an idea of how he will address those issues in Sacramento. He will bring the solid leadership and direction that Sacramento and the 20th Assembly District needs. Torrico believes that job creating and job retention are the top priorities facing the legislature and these goals can best be met by enacting “business friendly” legislature. Among the business friendly legislature, Torrico places emphasis on tax credits for business that creates jobs, reduction of workers’ compensation costs, and research and development that creates jobs. Further, Torrico names housing and transportation as critical issues for the area.

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Link to the Fremont Chamber's ballot positions:
http://www.fremontbusiness.com/PublicPolicy/ballot_positions.htm

BGG (Business for Good Government) is a political action committee authorized by the State of California and FPPC to raise funds, endorse candidates and play an active role in support of business interests in all state, regional, and local arenas. The BGG board works independently of the Fremont Chamber board of directors