Technicality Disqualifies Vice Mayor From Race

A registration technicality disqualified 93-year-old Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek from November's City Council election race Friday, bringing her twenty years as a legendary progressive force on Berkeley's City Council to an end.

Shirek's disqualification came at the eleventh hour, when the City Clerk determined that some of her 20 collected signatures required for candidacy belonged to registered Berkeley voters from outside of her district, violating election rules.

Mike Berkowitz, one of Shirek's two aides, did not have time to re-collect the signatures needed to secure Shirek's candidacy before the 5 p.m. filing deadline Friday. Berkowitz said he was charged with filing the paperwork while Shirek was out of town at a conference.

"My job is to check all of the registration materials before they go in and I failed to check all of the signatures against the requirements of the new law," Berkowitz said. "I've heard people blame the signature gatherers, the law, the clerk-even Maudelle. That's wrong-I had the final responsibility, as I've had the last 20 years. I was totally wrong."

Berkowitz said he was unaware the elections rules had changed this year to require that nomination signatures come only from registered voters inside a candidate's district. Before the change, candidates could collect signatures from any registered voter in Berkeley.

"It's ironic that that happened because they had everything," said Councilmember Betty Olds. "Like all politicians, they waited until the last minute."

The news of Shirek's disqualification comes as a shock to her longtime supporters, who said Shirek has been vocal about her intention to run for re-election during the past several months.

"My phone has not stopped ringing." said Jackie DeBose, a friend of Shirek and member of the Berkeley Police Review Commission. "People are outraged by how this possibly could have happened and they want answers."

Shirek's friends and colleagues have denied rumors that the technical blunder was committed intentionally by either Shirek or her aide of more than 20 years.

"She just can't believe it's happened. She's just very concerned about it and disappointed," Olds said. "She would have liked to serve another term."

Before her disqualification, Shirek was opposed by two challengers, Berkeley Rent Board Chair Max Anderson and Jeffrey Benefiel. The deadline to file nomination papers has been extended until Wednesday, a procedural move when an incumbent is not on the re-election ballot.

Anderson had been a leading competitor with Shirek as a fellow progressive and is now more certain the race will end in his favor.

"I think I have a very good chance of winning," said Anderson. "But I'm not taking it lightly. I'm going to work just as hard as I would have worked otherwise."

Anderson said he will change the direction of his campaign-away from divisive politics and toward uniting his electorate.

"A lot of people are breathing a sigh of relief in a way because they were worried about having to choose a side in this race and they didn't want to have to do it," said Councilmember Linda Maio.

Although Shirek garnered 75 percent of the vote in the last district 3 election, several city officials have pressured her to retire. The aging councilmember has been known to doze off during council meetings, although she interrupts her usual silence with occasional passionate speeches.

The woman who once chained herself to hospital doors after threats of closing an AIDS ward and who brought millions of dollars of federally funded low-income housing to the city has been called the "conscience of the city council."

"She had a legendary political term," said Councilmember Kriss Worthington. "This is not a very dignified end to 20 years of dignified service."

Shirek and Benefiel did not return phone calls as of press time.

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