City Council Candidate Profile: Tom Campbell

Benicia Patch has asked each City Council, school board and mayoral candidate to fill out a questionnaire to give residents information about his or her background. We will feature the answers from one City Council candidate and one school board candidate each day. The mayoral candidates will both be featured Friday, Sept. 16. Next week we will feature answers to reader-generated questions.

Basic Background

What is your full legal name?
Thomas William Truman Campbell

What name do you prefer be used in our coverage?

Where do you work and what is your job title?
164 East H. St., Benicia. I’m an orthodontist.

When and where were you born?
1950, Lindsay, California

Spouse or domestic partner?
Spouse Kerry Carney

Children:
No

Education:
B.S. Chemistry UCSB; M.A. Chemistry, UCSB; D.D.S UCLA; M.S. Marquette University; M.B.A., U.C. Berkeley; J.D.. Santa Clara University; orthodontic degree, Marquette University

Military Service: 
None

Have you or a business you owned or had a principal interest in ever filed bankruptcy?
No

How long have you lived in Benicia?
I’ve lived in Benicia for 26 years.

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation?   If so, please explain and include dates and locations:
I’ve never been arrested or charged with a crime.

Campaign Information
None given

Previous Elected Office

Elected:
Served on Benicia’s City Council from 2001-2005 and 2007-2011.

Unsuccessful campaigns for public office:
Lost elections 1999 and 2005

This Campaign

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?
The reason I’m running  is to keep our City Budget under control, finish the labor cuts, general fund cuts, and city government reorganization. We need to finish setting up a stable balanced City budget in this ongoing recession and then hold the line.

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why?
a.  We have to control our budget costs and maintain services, and find a way to do this without destroying City employees’ moral.

b.  Find ways to generate more revenues and diversify our economic base so we depend less on Valero.

c. Find a way to deal with not only covering our own existing City costs but also new  additional costs such as covering the two state parks the state is closing and school district costs such as crossing guards

What sets you apart from other candidates?
What sets me apart from the other candidates is I’ve had a long history of success in both the private and public sector. After eight years on the City Council and Finance Audit and Budget Committee I know the strengths and weaknesses of our City’s finances better than anyone except our Finance Director. This is important because in this deep recession, making the wrong financial decision could push the whole City’s finances over a cliff, and if you think it can’t happen, look at Vallejo.

About how much money do you expect your campaign to raise? I expect to raise and spend not much more than $8,000.

About how much money do you expect your campaign to spend?
I expect to spend not much more than $8,000.

Will you adhere to the voluntary spending limits outlined in the Benicia Municipal Code?
Since I wrote it, it probably would be a good idea for me to adhere to the Benicia Municipal Code spending limit.

November 8, 2011 City Council and Mayor Election Handbook