Message on November 2018 Local Election Results

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Dear Friends and Neighbors:
Congratulations to Mariellen Faria, Gordon Galvan and Roxann Lewis for their winning campaigns for the Eden Healthcare District Board. I wish you the best of success in meeting the healthcare needs of the residents of the Eden Area and specifically keeping St. Rose Hospital in Hayward open.
I offer my deepest thanks to my supporters across the Eden Area. I appreciate your encouragement and kind words over the course of the campaign. I wish the outcome could have been different so I could have served you on the District Board. 
However, I am hopeful for the future of the District under the leadership of the newly elected Directors. In particular, I am excited for the victory of Gordon Galvan who shares with me the vision that the Eden District needs to return to its original mission of providing, directly or indirectly, healthcare services.
I  believe I played a positive role in shaping the discussion of the issues for the Eden District candidates in this election. I repeatedly highlighted the fiscal challenges facing St. Rose and the critical importance of St. Rose to Hayward and the Eden Area. I made saving St. Rose the centerpiece of my campaign. By the end of the campaign, each of the three winning candidates sent mailings to voters that listed as their first priority on the Eden District Board saving St. Rose 
This election season I also served as co-chair with San Leandro Education Foundation chief executive officer Morgan Mack-Rose of the Measure I parcel tax campaign for San Leandro schools. We were joined by a great group of parents and school district leaders on the Measure I steering committee. We ran the campaign on our own. I am pleased to report that Measure I passed. 
This is a wonderful result for the students and teachers of the San Leandro school district. It follows upon the successful passage in 2016 of Measure J1, a $100 million plus bond measure for San Leandro schools. I also served as co-chair of the J1 campaign. Both measures achieved over 70% percent support from the voters. 
I am so proud of the community in which I live. San Leandrans know that the foundation of a strong community is strong schools and are willing to take ownership over the success of our schools.  
In regard to the San Leandro City Council races, I congratulate to San Leandro Mayor Pauline Cutter and Councilmembers Deborah Cox and Corina Lopez for winning their re-election campaigns. They each won overwhelming victories. Mayor Cutter's win is  impressive for a number of reasons including that primary opponent was a sitting City Councilmember who likely spent more money than anyone person previously in San Leandro history on a campaign for Mayor.
I also wish to congratulate School Board Trustee Victor Aguilar on his successful race for City Council. While many votes remain to be counted, it appears Aguilar has won. He offers a perspective on the Council uninfluenced by major financial interests and is the first openly gay person elected to the San Leandro City Council. 
I worked hard as Mayor for San Leandro become a more tolerant and welcoming city for all persons, including the LGBTQ community. Mayor Cutter has continued this work. The success of Aguilar's campaign further demonstrates that the San Leandro of today is not defined by its past nor determinative of its future.
Finally, outside of San Leandro, I offer my congratulations to Aisha Wahab for her victory in taking a seat on the Hayward City Council. I had the pleasure of getting to know Aisha over the course of my campaign and endorsed her. Wahab is a thoughtful person with vision and strong leadership skills. Wahab's victory will inspire other young persons in our region to become political active and positively shape the future of their cities.
All the best,
Stephen Cassidy

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