On November 4th, Oakland voters will pick their next mayor. All month on “Crosscurrents,” we are going to bring you the voices of each of the 15 people who are campaigning for the job.
Joe Tuman is a self-described outsider to Oakland city government. He’s been a member of politically-focused Oakland organizations – including one that kept tabs on local public safety funding from Measure Y – but he’s never held political office. Instead, he’s spent nearly three decades teaching government and law at San Francisco State. And he’s competed in thirteen Ironman triathalons.
This is his second bid for the Mayor’s office. He first ran in 2010 – a campaign season that coincided with the protests related to the shooting of Oscar Grant. Tuman stopped by our studios and spoke with KALW’s Audrey Dilling about why he decided to run back then.
JOE TUMAN: I agreed to do this because then, as now, I don’t really have confidence that the people who are in public office are willing to have the difficult kinds of conversations or make the priorities to make the city not just a safe city, but a peaceful city. And a city, also, that businesses will invest in. And a city that can fix its problems.
Click the audio player above to listen to the complete interview with Joe Tuman.
