Who is Shirley Gee?
Shirley Gee has been a resident of Oakland for well over 50 years and grew up right here in District 2. Among the candidates, she is the only one who actually grew up in Oakland, attended the Oakland public schools and graduated with honors from City of Oakland; an important consideration if you want someone who has a shared history with this town. Click to GEE's Personal History
What distinguishes her from the other candidates is her extensive work within the community over the last 20 years; all on a pro bono basis and as a volunteer. Her long history of achievements and accomplishments right here in Oakland has earned her a reputation for being an honest broker and respect throughout the City of Oakland among other community leaders. Click to CItizen of the Year - Volunteerism
She has had an impressive career both with the government (10 years) and with Stanford University (30 years) and has worked with government, state and municipalities as well as private and non-profit industries on numerous projects ranging from Civil Rights to Human Resource Development to Job Development and Training and public policy development. Her extensive professional background and travels throughout the United States has provided her with a deep and broad network of contacts and relationships which are essential in solving local issues and problems. It is precisely this extensive background that has enabled her to tackle complex and entrenched problems within the community and to provide leadership and guidance to others to resolve these problems. Click to Executive/Professional Background
GEE has been a steady advocate for more participation by citizens in the democratic process and to create a fairer and more accessible government. She has helped disenfranchised community gain access to the political system and the resources therein and has provided strong leadership to help usher in fundamental changes to democratic processes. Click to Participatory Democracy
A conservationist from way back and a practicing environmentalist, GEE has a strong record of working on "sustainable community" issues (e.g., conversion from oil-base fuel campuses to hybrid or zero-emission electric vehicles). She owns an electric car and has built a home in Oakland that is energy efficient and which is architecturally designed to conserve fuel throughout the year by applying "maximum insulation" principles and combining Eastern (e.g., fung shui) and Western design to maximize healthy and more natural living. She is an advocate for conserving, re-use and recyling to preserve valuable, finite natural resources. Look for this in her campaign as she re-uses campaign material to save trees. A review of her responses to a recent questionnaire on development, open space and environment will provide an insight to her stance on these issues. Click to Environmental Issues Background
Never one to tolerate injustice in any form, GEE has demonstrated the tenacity and persistence necessary to protect consumer rights and to confront social injustice. She has help set legal precedence and has tackled gross flaws in our judicial system and has taken on public policy issues to help protect our civil liberties. Click to Public Policy and U.S. Supreme Court
GEE's work with youth and families has defined her as a champion for both. Her work on the "dragon boat project" brought the entire multi-cultural community together in Oakland to the water's edge and was a stunning example of what can be accomplished with a healthy dose of creativity, passion and dedication. In eight years, GEE was able to bring a brand new sport to the City of Oakland, position Oakland as an international, national and regional destination point and create both a socially viable program for youth, seniors and families while creating commerce and preserving art and culture. Click to Youth and Cross-cultural Understanding
Join the growing number of community leaders in Oakland supporting GEE. Her community service within Oakland has earned her a reputation for being an "honest broker" and a unifying force within Oakland. She has a long standing relationship with a diverse group of community leaders throughout Oakland and we will need the best of all of us to tackle the challenges confronting Oakland. Click for Endorsement List
All of these achievements, of which the citizens of Oakland were the primary beneficiary, would not have been possible were it not for GEE's extensive business background and superior fiscal management capabilities. A City Council person needs to have direct, relevant experience in business in order to make rational, cost beneficial decisions for the citizens of Oakland. Resource development and management comes from having actually worked in the business community on a first-hand basis and GEE has the strongest business background of all the candidates. Click to Business Background
Finally, if being more qualified than the other candidates is not enough, perhaps the voters should consider that of all the candidates, GEE is the only one who is truly "independent" and who is totally unencumbered by any special interest group.
Political courage comes from staying focused on the needs of the citizens who elected one to office and from always doing "the right thing". It takes integrity and uncompromising principles to see to the needs of those who entrust you with their vote and it takes wisdom and a strong constitution to weather the rigor of political life. GEE has all of the personal characteristics necessary to shoulder this awesome responsibility.
