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The Islands CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Name: Adam Gillitt

Age: 40

Occupation: Four years ago I founded Gillico, a consulting firm forcompanies that need social networking, print and web design and othercreative services. My clients include Alameda-based businesses such as

Oles Waffle Shop and Bay Roofing and national companies like Ziff-Davisand Nearby Now.

Relevant experience: I have established two successful businesses,provided leadership within small local and large international companies,and gained extensive project and budget management experience.

I have supported many campaigns to help elect Democratic officials,beginning in 1988 when I worked on Michael Dukakis Presidential bid,time going door to door as a Field Manager for the Massachusetts

Campaign to Clean up Hazardous Waste in 91, for Jerry Brown and BillClintons campaigns in 92, again for Clinton in 96, and Gore in 2000. Mostrecently I worked in opposition to Proposition 8 as well as working this past

June for the Registry of Voters as a poll worker.

My family has a tradition of community service: both my parents have

served on many commissions and boards in their hometowns, and my

uncle was a town manager. I intend to carry on that instilled tradition, andbe of service to the community in which I will spend the rest of my life.

Why are you running for this office?: I am concerned by the growingmismanagement and lack of citizens' voice in Alameda City Council.There are too many mistakes being made in civic leadership and

Municipal government, and I am taking a stand against the opacity that itfosters. As a successful business owner I have the experience working withpeople, managing budgets, and balancing issues necessary to be

effective serving in this office.

I believe Municipal office is the level of office closest to the citizens. As the

bridge between local residents and government, it is where people canmost directly get involved. It is for that reason I am not interested inrunning for any office beyond local City government: my interests are toserve those of my neighbors here in Alameda, not to use this office as a

stepping stone to try to gain higher office.

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Why should we vote for you?: Alamedans should vote for me because I

represent a vote for actual change in Alameda City government. I amnot afraid to ask difficult questions and stand up to the establishment inthe name of open government, Democracy, and doing what is best for

my neighbors.

I will take a hard look at what is being spent by whom: betweenallegations among the highest Alameda City officials and money misused

courting SunCal, among other scandals, there is much mismanagementto be cleaned up at City Hall to ensure continued fiscal solvency.Furthermore, the role of the ICM is causing divisiveness among our Citizens

and the City; it is time to decide whether to remove the term Interimfrom her title, or if it is necessary to hire a different City Manager.

Alameda deserves clear leadership over the direction the Point will takeinto the future. I was among the over 85% who voted against Measure Band the disastrous effects it would have had upon our City. I have manyspecific ideas about the adaptive reuse of the buildings already located

on the former NAS, and how they can be harnessed to generate incomefor the City's coffers while the Navy completes its job cleaning up the sitein anticipation of turning the land over to the City on or around 2017.

I will use my tech skills to bring the voice of Alamedans to City Council.Municipal government is where citizens can most directly get involved- it is

our home town and our officials should be available on a first name basis

to answer questions, respond to concerns and look into issues that are ofCitizens interest.

What do you feel are the roles and responsibilities of the office youreseeking?: My role as an elected City Councilmember is to serve and listento all the people of Alameda, provide their voice in City Government,

and to do what is in the best interests of all the Citizens.

I look at it in the same way as my role as a professional consultant I am

asked to represent my clients interests and give my opinion as to what I

think is best. However, at the end of the day, what matters most is whatmy clients, or as an elected official, the people, want, and to provide

open, transparent communication to them.

That is why I am running a grassroots campaign. Once elected, it will beintrinsic to my office to incorporate my constituents voice in everything I

do. I believe in a peoples government, and being responsible to all myneighbors in Alameda.

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The responsibility of City Council is to be representatives of the people,

and act on the peoples behalf. Their actions reflect on the people theyserve, and when they commit acts that go against the wishes and/or thebest interest of the community they serve, they must be held

accountable.

What do you think is the most pressing issue you would face if elected andwhat would you do to address it?: Its clear from the robocalls that are

taking place leading up to this election and from other candidatesstances that SunCal is still attempting to exert unwanted influence on ourCity. It is up to all of us to make sure that this doesnt happen.

How to proceed at the Point is our most pressing issue and we need todevelop a clear plan. The former NAS covers nearly a third of our island

and represents a huge opportunity for additional revenue for Alameda. Italso represents our proud history and I believe that history should bepreserved for future generations. As your City Councilmember I intend towork closely with citizen and community groups who have already begun

outlining those potential solutions to synthesize them into a clear,actionable plan for we can support and move forward with.

I am 100% against SunCal, and I will always stand with the over 85% ofAlamedans who voted for them to leave the City. I agree with the fourCity Councilmembers who ended the ENA, and as your City

Councilmember, I will take every action possible to prevent SunCal from

ever laying any sort of claim to Alameda Point or any other piece of thiscity.

What do you think needs to be done with Alameda Point and what steps

would you take to make that happen?: We cannot support building morehousing right now, with hundreds of homes for sale and even more for rent

on the market. There are so many complications with building on thePoint, and no plan satisfactorily takes into account all the myriad issues atthe former NAS. Fortunately concerned citizen groups, like the series of

community group meetings called Moving Forward and City task forces

like the one proposed by ICM Gallant called Going Forward are alreadyevaluating potential solutions, based on years of research and experience

at the Point.

Unlike other candidates, I have been to these meetings and listened tothese citizens and experts, and taken the tour of the buildings on the site.

These groups and I agree that it makes more sense to reuse the existingstructures and leverage the existing assets to generate income for the

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City, rather than bringing in mercenary developers who are moreinterested in lining their own pockets than doing whats best for Alameda.

What steps would you take to bolster Alamedas economic base?:Alameda needs more business. We need to fill empty commercial space

with viable tenants who pay real salaries, not bare minimum wages. Weneed to invite companies to set up shop in Alameda with attractive rents,long-term incentives to invest in our city, and partner with them todevelop their properties to get the infrastructure developed that we all

need. This will make Alameda more attractive for new residents to locatehere, thus adding to the City's revenue for sales, property and businesstaxes.

Questions have been raised about whether the city is transparent enoughin conducting its business. Do you think this is an issue and if so, what do

you see as being specific problems and how would you seek to resolvethem?: City government transparency is definitely a concern, but onethat I believe can be overcome with little cost and an experiencedunderstanding of the options we have readily available.

One major issue that has been raised recently is the issue of City emailsbeing deleted after only 30 days. That is an untenable document

management strategy in an era when a 1 TB hard drive costs less than$100. Installing such a simple upgrade would store many millions ofdocuments for instant retrieval, and constitute a huge step towards

enhancing the Citys technological infrastructure for a tiny investment.

Social networking technologies now allow easy communication between

people: previous barriers to access have been removed. Even thePresident uses YouTube and Twitter to communicate; why cant our Cityoperate at a similar level to allow our Citizens to get involved and stayinformed about essential issues and meetings?

My business is high tech I design websites and provide social networkingservices. I know how to create information systems that will bring people

together to share documents, opinions and ideas. Once elected, I will put

together a plan to upgrade the essential technological foundations ofCity government to bring more transparency to its processes and involve

Citizens more than any other candidate is able.

The Brown Act and CPRA need enforcing, and I am proposing a way todo just that.

Pensions and retiree health benefits will be a huge financial issue for the

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city. How would you address it?: Pensions are not a source of funds that acity should first be able to turn to cut in the effort to manage budgets.

Men and women work hard at their jobs to earn those pensions, and toarbitrarily yank them away after many years of dedicated service as apolitical maneuver is not something I could in good conscience be party

to.

Before their pensions were ever a source considered to be cut, I wouldlook at any other potential "fat" in the City's budget to trim, such as

egregious overtime payments, and inflated salaries, as well as sloppycontract management such as that which former City Manager DebraKurita arranged with outgoing Fire Chief David Kapler.

Would you seek to preserve Measure A or amend it and if youd amend it,

under what circumstances would you do so?: The Citizens time and time

again have rejected modifications to Measure A when the opportunityhas been brought before them.

There are hundreds of homes in Alameda for sale, and hundreds more for

rent. There is no case for building more housing in Alameda, much lesscreating higher density. In addition, there is no infrastructure to supportany greater density, nor any financial support for improvement to said

infrastructure.

Unless a majority of voters choose to amend Measure A, and sufficient

need for housing with accompanying funds to improve infrastructure were

to arise, I would not support any amendment to Measure A.

How are you financing your campaign and to whom are you reaching out

for money?: I am financing my campaign myself and from contributionsfrom Citizens who share my concerns about and vision for the future ofAlameda.

I have received no funding from any special interest groups, privateentities, political action groups, developers, politicians or any other entities

to whom I would be beholden or expected to return any sort of favor for

their contribution, nor will I accept any.

I have not received and will not take any contributions greater than $250from anyone. I wish to be the voice the people of Alameda, not that ofany clubs, political machines, special interest groups, political actiongroups, corporations or other entities.

My campaign is and will remain an independent grassroots effort.