I would like to mention first how grateful I am for the opportunity to run for Mayor of Oakland.  Knowing that anyone can do so in our democratic form of government is no less real than my own example. 
 
           Running for Mayor of Oakland has been the experience of a lifetime.  There are so many people, so many concerns, and so many efforts, all-striving to participate in a better Oakland.  I met many of them, heard them, and appreciate all of them.

            Looking back on my time as an active police officer in Oakland many years ago it is evident that the rewards then were in the immersion.  Each year of service was an incomparable richness where contacts with people were magnified by the sheer number of critical incidents and issues.  No other occupation could find a person more intimately engaged in the essence of what is Oakland.  I felt a purpose in the mission of the police department and in the destiny of Oakland.

            After gaining satisfying successes since leaving the police department, raising six children and realizing financial security in business, it felt natural to want to give back to the City where I was but a child immigrant in poverty over half a century ago.  I owe Oakland.

            Oakland has changed in many ways over the years.  In many other ways, though, it is exactly the same.  The population isn’t much changed, and neither are the demographics of social issues.  An enhanced sense of participation on the part of so many people is, however, manifestly obvious.  I wondered how best I could absorb all that was going on, and naturally I engaged once again with the police department.  I also attended Town Hall Meetings, neighborhood meetings, City Council and Committee Meetings, and read stacks of material beginning with the City Budget and continuing with every newspaper and newsletter available.  Oakland is a very busy place.  I was looking for a meaningful niche in which to contribute.

            As one matures, there is a different sense of impatience, a more deliberate and calm calculation of how best to utilize the time.  I decided to run for Mayor.  It made sense to enter the forum of issues and concerns in the most intense immersion conceivable.  The greatest lesson was to realize how humble I feel now.  I felt a curiosity as I entered the race, and now I feel awe.

            I know how correct Council Member Ignacio De La Fuente was when he hammered constantly that Oakland needs a nuts-and-bolts effort.  I appreciate his message to indicate that we have all the parts, but they need tightening, adjusting, servicing, and tuning to operate much more efficiently.  Council Member Nancy Nadel touched the heart of the issues with her obviously intelligent caring.  Her penetration of what is needed in Oakland is undeniably true in that we must follow our hearts in reaching the best in others.  Her lesson was that we must demonstrate a perceivable caring for Oakland, its people, and its sustainability.  I offered my own ethos that working smart was preferable over working hard, and that working smart meant working hard with informed decisions.  I preached that knowledge was the power of informed decisions.  Arnie Fields and Hector Reyna, as candidates, represented so aptly the passions that drive genuine concerns.

            As for Ronald V. Dellums, the ultimate selection of the electorate for Mayor of Oakland, I can truly say that I love the man.  I met him for the first time at the initial televised debate.  His stature was tall and impressive, made even more so by his place in history.   His presence glowed.  He took the time to introduce himself, gazing into my eyes as if he cared what I thought.  I noticed eventually that he genuinely cared what everyone thought. 

            The example Mayor Dellums set during his campaign was to be deliberate and true to himself.  His patience likely tested the patience of many who might more have wanted “a fight,” a candidate who challenged the positions, methods and shortcomings of others.  Instead, Oakland got a Mayor who takes the high road, appreciating the differences in the candidates and focusing on the construction of a better Oakland in cooperation with all the differences.  His mantra, that we should “embrace” our diversity, seems touchable. 

            All three major candidates have continued to mount their efforts toward a greater Oakland since the election.  I’m committed to contribute in whatever way I can.

            Thank You,

            Ron Oz