Happy Trails

Council veteran to retire
After serving Richmond for 24 years, health outweighs re-election campaign

By John Geluardi
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Longtime Richmond City Councilman Richard Griffin announced Tuesday night that he will not seek re-election because of health reasons.

Griffin, 72, a retired Oakland middle school principal, has served on the council for 24 years, including three terms as vice mayor. He said he has been contending with health issues for the last few years and decided it would not be wise to run a rigorous re-election campaign.

"My health isn't as good as it used to be, and I've been thinking about retiring for quite some time," he said. "So I'm going to step down and see if someone else can make a difference."

Griffin will serve out his current term, which expires Jan. 17.

Known as "Grif" by his friends, Griffin is well-respected by his colleagues and has a reputation for finding common goals among opposing council and community factions. He also has the unusual ability to remain in the good graces of political opponents.

"Grif is one of the few council members who could vote in opposition to a guy and after the meeting, the guy would come up to him and shake his hand," said Councilman Nat Bates, who is a colleague and close friend. "I don't know if it's his smile or personality, but he's got some kind of magic. People just can't stay angry with him."

Mayor Irma Anderson, who has lived in the same neighborhood as Griffin for 30 years, said she was saddened to learn that he is retiring from the council.

"I'm glad he's taking care of his health, but he will be missed," Anderson said. "He spent his 24 years on the council trying to make sure the city reached the best decisions possible, and he's always been fair and frank."

In recent years, Griffin has been a strong advocate for seniors. During the city's 2004 budget crisis, senior centers were closed and programs drastically cut back, said Arnie Kasendorf, chairman of the city's Commission on Aging.

"He's always been supportive of seniors, and whenever they have issues with the city, they would call him because he listens and he is responsive," Kasendorf said.

Griffin's withdrawal from the council race will undoubtedly have an impact. There are now five candidates -- including incumbents Jim Rogers and Maria Viramontes -- running for three four-year seats.

The conventional wisdom is that Corky Booze, who has run seven failed council campaigns, will pick up Griffin's votes, which could carry him onto the council. Booze is the only other African American in the race and has been cultivating support, including that of Bates.

The other candidates for the four-year terms are Parks and Recreation Commissioner Jim Jenkins and Planning Commissioner Ludmyrna Lopez. Councilman Tony Thurman, who was appointed in July 2005 to fill out the unexpired term of Mindell Penn, is running unopposed for a two-year seat. Griffin said he is not yet ready to endorse anyone.

Griffin said this is a good time for him to step down. The city's budget has been stabilized, there are good people on the council, and there are competent and professional city staff taking care of the city's business.

And he is glad that he had an opportunity to serve on the council.

"I'm proud of all the ways I was able to contribute," he said. "I'm proud that people would call me when they had problems, and I'm proud that I was able to serve them."

But he regrets the city is still struggling with violence.

"It's important that people know that we're not going to give up, we are going to keep working to find a solution," he said.

Contact John Geluardi at 510-262-2787 or at jgeluardi@cctimes.com.

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The Tazer bids farewell to Mr. Griffin. We've always found him firm and fair, and his wisdom will be sorely missed.

Whoever takes his seat has large shoes to fill, so good luck to the candidates as well.