Our Town: Joe's and Ted's adventure Our Town: Joe's and Ted's adventure (January 07, 2004)

by Don Kazak

My collection of pin-on political buttons from past campaigns does nothing to rival that of former Mayor Gary Fazzino, who has a drop-dead collection.

But I have one he doesn't. I wear it sometimes on election nights when I am covering campaigns, and it always gets a few laughs. The button reads: "Two ballots please, I'm from Chicago" -- a reference to long-ago political corruption in the Windy City, when gravestones are rumored to have voted.

Two ballots would help some voters on March 2 when they have to decide between Joe Simitian and Ted Lempert in the Democratic Party primary for the state Senate -- to replace Byron Sher, who is being term-limited out of office.

The campaign between two high-profile, highly regarded candidates may turn out to be a rough ride.

Simitian, as a former Palo Alto mayor and City Council member and earlier a school board member, is a hometown favorite. But Lempert served eight years in the state Assembly, the last four representing Palo Alto, before being term-limited out of office. Lempert won endorsements from current state senators he served with in the Assembly, and is counting on his Sacramento experience in his battle with Simitian.

When Lempert was forced to leave the Assembly in 2000, Simitian replaced him.

Before that, Lempert backed off from challenging Sher for what was an open state Senate seat in 1996, and did briefly consider a challenge to Sher in 2000 when he thought Sher might finally retire. But Sher ran for re-election with the promise of endorsing Lempert when Sher would be term-limited out in 2004, which he has done.

That somewhat convoluted background is a lead-up to Lempert believing it is his turn. He waited patiently, and the seat should be his.

But Simitian, obviously, had other ideas. It's a fact of political life, thanks to term limits, that new Assembly members start running for the state Senate almost as soon as they're elected. Lempert's point is that Simitian isn't facing term limits on his Assembly seat. He's butting in line, as it were.

The March 2 Democratic Party primary for the 11th District State Senate seat is the real election, for all intents and purposes. The victor is all but assured of winning the November general election.

The campaign will be short, with less than two months to March 2. But it will be intense, from all early indications. Simitian and Lempert traded testy letters in recent weeks, the "Dear Ted" and "Dear Joe" salutations notwithstanding. Both will have piles of money to spend, so registered Democrats should get ready to receive those mailers.

There is also a curious undercurrent to the race. People who know both men say they don't much like each other. Maybe it's just political rivalry that goes back a long time.

Both were active in the same organization developing young leaders. Both were precocious politically, winning elections at early ages. Both are smart, politically savvy and accomplished legislators. Both are education specialists, with sterling environmental records.

There isn't much to differentiate between the two of them politically, although it's an absolute certainty both campaigns will be hunting for any hair of a difference, and then shouting it from the rooftops, so to speak. If it gets too bare-knuckled, people will be watching. And some of us write for newspapers.

What shouldn't be lost in all the hullabaloo of two accomplished politicians trying to elbow each other aside is the man they are vying to replace.

Byron Sher is a former Palo Alto mayor and longtime City Council member before he got the siren call to go to Sacramento in 1980. He has served quietly and effectively. We get no press releases from Sher trumpeting his accomplishments.

But he has helped write some of the state's most important environmental legislation. To the green groups, he is a legislative god.

The political shoes Simitian and Lempert are trying to fill are huge, and they should be humbled by that. Sher has endorsed Lempert, but that's because of what happened in 2000 and Simitian's camp views it as a tepid endorsement. Possibly it's just another quiet Sher understatement.

Two months to go. It's a hearts-and-minds thing. But at least no gravestones will be voting.

Don Kazak is the Weekly's senior staff writer. He can be e-mailed at dkazak@paweekly.com.

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