EXIT THE DON: Don Perata listens to a reporter’s question during a press conference Thursday morning conceding defeat in the race for Oakland mayor. (PHOTO Steven Tavares/EBC) |
PERATA SLIPS SILENTLY INTO THE NIGHT
By Steven Tavares
Former state senator Don Perata said Thursday morning he will step back into the role of citizen and do whatever he can for the city and its mayor-elect Jean Quan.
“The results are pretty clear,” Perata said in a press conference in front of the Eastmont police station in Oakland. “Those are the rules of the game and I play by the rules.” The registrar’s unofficial results through ranked-choice voting give Quan a two-point advantage over Perata despite receiving the highest number of first-place votes.
Perata said he is ready to move toward helping the city in a private role and will not contest the results. He also recognized the work of Alameda County Registrar Dave Macdonald during the grueling past 10 days where residents in Oakland and San Leandro have waited to see whether they will have new mayors. “I have no quarrel with the election,” Perata said of Macdonald. “He certainly went out of his way to leave no stone unturned.”
A reporter asked if Perata had called to congratulate Quan he said, “No.” When pressed why Perata smiled and said, “Because I was busy writing this speech.”
At times, Perata spoke to his frustration of losing within the new rules of ranked-choice voting. “If it was a normal election, I would have been the landslide winner,” he said adding he received over 11,000 more than Quan representing 78 percent of all precincts. Perata also called for a closer look at the voting system that debuted this election season. He pointed to claims some people were confused by the ranking of their preferences, especially the “unsophisticated,” elderly and non-English-speaking voters. “Generally, they had a hard time.”
The long, successful, oftentimes controversial era of politics in East Bay may be winding down for the man many simply call “The Don.” “I’ll do whatever I can to help us go wherever we want to go,” he said, including serving on Quan’s transition team.
Chip Johnson should be ashamed of himself. He shamelessly cheerled for Perata throughout the campaign. Then, after OD'ing on the Perata Kool Aid, made his now infamous statement that Jean Quan had been “mathmatically eliminated” from the mayor's race.
Chip must have earned his math degree from Oakskerdam University-while people were blowing purple haze in his face.
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I'm heartbroken-Don told me we would do big things if I helped him get elected by acting as a stalking horse for him….
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Oakland-
Free of naked corruption in the form of 4 years of a Perata administration,
Free of would be newspaper kingmakers like Chip Johnson, who lost his credibility AND his hoped for job in the Perata administration when Perata crashed and burned,
And hopefully free of a-holes like 12:59 PM, who, INHO can keep driving past Oakland until they hit Chicago, New York City or whatever the hell REALLY corrupt, rundown town that truly deserves him.
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Shameful to see everyone posting anonymously. What are you all afraid of?
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Quan is a progressive…the yuppies on the hill with her love that…the parasites downtown will love the entitlements…and we'll all suffer when we drive past it as fast as we can.
Oakland…progressing backwards for the next four years.
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I'm so glad that another arrogant bastard was shown out. This is just perfect.
Manuel
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Hey, Perata has no money worries, the prison guards union has him on their payroll for $200,000 a year…the kicker is, he does no work for the money, it's just payback for helping them in Sacramento. Perata, don't let the door hit you in your fat ass on the way out of east bay political life.
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Don Peralta was one step ahead of the posse for virtually ALL of his political career. Peralta spent over $3,000,000 in campaign funds fighting off federal charges. He's always played fast and loose, as far as matters of ethics went.
Now the public has rejected him, and his mouthpieces have been quoted in local media as saying “Oakland will suffer” because of his loss. What????
Don Peralta, you can now join Kevin Dowling and Liz Figueroa as washed up politicans forced into long overdue retirements by Alameda County voters.
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