Meet William
I’m William Ktsanes—with my last name pronounced with a soft “t” and missing a vowel that was lost when my grandfather arrived alone at Ellis Island as a young immigrant from Greece. I’m running for El Cerrito City Council to ensure fiscal responsibility, accountability and transparency; to provide needed oversight and leadership; and to genuinely engage residents in open, honest discussions. Together we can address the city's complex problems, set our priorities, make difficult decisions, and chart a sustainable future.
I am a pragmatic, fiscally responsible Democrat with values firmly rooted social and environmental justice. I have absolutely no political aspirations other than to serve El Cerrito and promote good governance. I'm not looking for a political launching pad or stepping stone.
I understand finance and care about people’s lives. I have an MBA from UC Berkeley as well as a master’s in financial analysis, master’s in public administration and bachelor's in economics. For over a decade, I've taught graduate-level finance, financial ethics, economics and business at the University of San Francisco. I have fifteen years of experience in affordable housing, community development and municipal finance. I served three years on the city of El Cerrito's Financial Advisory Board (FAB). I’ve been a longtime volunteer and 30-year member of the Sierra Club. I’m a former Peace Corps volunteer, Habitat for Humanity volunteer team leader, nonprofit director, and school teacher. (My Peace Corps service was in Thailand.)
I’m the adopted child of two teachers; and the parent of an adopted child. As a single dad, I adopted my now-young-adult son when he was an infant and I was volunteering at an orphanage in Thailand, caring for babies orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
I grew up in New Orleans. I cook jambalaya, seafood gumbo, and crawfish etouffee. I moved to Albany in 2000 to attend graduate school at UC Berkeley, and have lived in the Albany/El Cerrito area ever since. For the last six years, I've lived in the El Cerrito hills near Cutting and Arlington.
The state auditor's report
I first became concerned about El Cerrito five years ago when the California State Auditor identified 18 cities in California at greatest risk of bankruptcy. Out of California's nearly 500 incorporated cities, El Cerrito ranked 7th from the bottom in financial health and was placed in the state’s “Local Government High Risk Program.”
In an open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Auditor Elaine Howle (CPA) wrote
"The city is at high risk of financial instability because of its continual overspending, poor budgeting practices, and lack of a comprehensive plan to address its financial challenges, all of which threaten the future provision of city services."
We can do better. We have to do better.
I’m running for city council to apply my expertise to provide fiscal accountability, responsibility and transparency; provide needed oversight and leadership; and genuinely engage residents. Together, we can address our city's complex problems, define our priorities, make difficult decisions and chart a sustainable future. I ask for your vote.
Thank you,
William Ktsanes