Tom Berg is one of three candidates in this year’s Redlands District 1 election vying against the incumbent, Denise Davis.
“It’s my firm belief no incumbent should run unchallenged,” Berg said. “I believe I’d be the better candidate for the voters to choose from.”
Also competing in the District 1 race are Andrew Hoder and Rodgir Cohen.
Berg said, “As a registered civil engineer in California involved in over 40 years of managing large public works projects for governmental agencies, I believe I can serve Redlands well in contrast to the experience levels offered by my opponents.”
Berg said that “Real life and practical experience in the business world and the world of public works; plus, my long-held belief public works are a public trust” distinguishes him from his opponents. In sizing up what he considers to be the major issues facing the city, Berg listed “debt and growth management; the potential of infrastructure overload, i.e., our water and sewer systems cannot handle continued poor planning from the top; the potential loss of our small businesses in the downtown area which contribute significantly to the uniqueness of Redlands; preservation of Redlands’ historic character, and the lean support and appreciation of Redlands first responders who work with our homeless population.”
He said he believed those issues should be redressed “carefully with a balanced approach that won’t leave Redlands with red ink in years to come.”
The city can mitigate some of its financial challenges and pay for the solutions he is advocating, Berg said, by advance planning that both minimizes and eliminates costs and careless and indiscriminate spending of meager public resources.
“Brick and mortar can be very expensive; as we all know, these days it’s often not the answer to a city’s problems,” he said. “For example: the so called ‘lack of parking’ in our city. As illustrated by the City of Inglewood with their new stadium, their parking ‘problem’ is addressed by use of ‘on-line-reserved’ parking spaces located throughout the city. The success of this idea is being practiced throughout the nation; Redlands can benefit greatly by following that model, thus avoiding investment in large parking structures, typically, an eyesore and venue for vandalism. Since this idea can be developed, implemented, and paid for by outside contracting, the city can benefit greatly with minimal brick and mortar expenditures.”
Berg said, “Regarding our homeless: the city once had the foresight of constructing dog parks with minimal expense but has basically ignored our homeless. Why can’t we have small pocket parks within our city so that our homeless population have a source of water, sanitation, and safety? Our residents and small businesses shouldn’t solely have that burden, and neither should our first responders. The newly implemented idea of a 99-room hotel for the homeless represents a management nightmare and, I believe is impractical, unworkable, and likely to be of great expense to the city of Redlands in days and years to come.”
Berg said he had extensive previous experience relating to government.
“I’ve worked solely with government agencies the past 40 years on public works projects which are always subject to audits, public scrutiny, traffic management and public safety,” he said. “As the residing project engineer it’s always been my responsibility to work and strive to bring such projects in on-budget and on-time.”
While he has resided in Redlands, Berg said, “quite a long time,” he insisted “I’m not an old timer. Prior to Redlands my wife and I raised our family while in Arrowhead for 18 years. We started our business of 40+ years here in the Inland Empire.”
Berg attended Sanger Union High School, located in Fresno County. He matriculated at Cal State University, Fresno, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science in 1967 and a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Agricultural Engineering in 1973.
He is self employed as a civil engineer, working for Berg & Associates, Inc.
He has been married “for the past 48 years, same wife too,” he said. He has three children and three grandchildren.
“I was raised on a family dairy farm in central California and have a deep appreciation for the agricultural community,” Berg said. “I served in the U.S. Peace Corps, 1967 to 1970; trained in Wisconsin and Tuskegee Institute Alabama, served as an agricultural officer in charge of the construction of small earthen dams in the bush of Kenya East Africa.”
Subsequent to that, Berg said, “l contracted with an American company as a water engineer and worked in the country of Iran, 1975 to 1977. I contracted with an American company as a civil engineer in the country of Egypt, 1978 to about 1980.”
Berg said, “I’m a born-again Christian since 1995 and a Gideon from 1998. My wife and I recently restored a dilapidated Victorian farmhouse built in 1891 here in Redlands, which, before our purchase, was scheduled for demolition. It’s now our home in the heart of District One.”
-M.G.