Sounding a battle cry against re-zoning, county emergency
services planner Joe Guzzardi formally announced his entry in the
race for 2nd District Supervisor. With his family at his side,
Guzzardi vowed to fight the state’s housing mandate, drawing
applause from supporters — who gathered last Saturday somewhat
conspicuously on MTD-owned land currently under consideration to be
rezoned from agricultural property to residential property.
Guzzardi made clear his opposition to the “up-zoning” effort,
saying that housing should be restricted to areas already zoned as
residential. Guzzardi pitched himself as a nonpartisan county
government vet with “street smarts” and plenty of experience
fighting “bad development” as vice president of the Allied
Neighborhoods Association and member of the Neighborhood
Preservation Ordinance Steering committee. Notable supporters in
attendance included Gary Earle of the Coalition for Sensible
Planning, former city council candidate Loretta Redd, and
progressive activist Roberta Weissglass, who declared Guzzardi “the
real thing” in the arena of neighborhood advocacy.