Ledger-Dispatch

By Bethany A. Monk (bmonk@ledger-dispatch.com) =

Jim Cook

Paul Hegyi

Alyson Huber

Jack = Sieglock
Voters in=20 California's 10th Assembly District, which covers all of Amador County = and=20 northern Stockton to Rancho Cordova, as well as parts of Sacramento, El = Dorado=20 and San Joaquin counties, will elect a new assembly member = Tuesday.

Two=20 Democrats, Jim Cook and Alyson Huber, and three Republicans - Paul = Hegyi, David=20 Sander and Jack Sieglock- are running to replace the seat's current = assemblyman,=20 Republican Alan Nakanishi of Lodi. California's 10th Assembly District = is one of=20 80 districts in the California State Assembly.

Candidate: Jim = Cook,=20 Democrat

- Occupation: California parole agent

- = Residence:=20 Elk Grove

- Education: Bachelor's of Science degree, physical = education,=20 Southern Illinois University; Master of Arts degree, psychology = counseling,=20 Pepperdine University; Master of Arts degree, education administration = and=20 business, Eastern Illinois University

- Web site:=20 www.jimcook.org

Jim Cook got into politics, he said, to stand up = for the=20 "little guy" and be a voice for the disenfranchised.

His interest = in=20 politics began in elementary school during the presidential campaign = when both=20 his mom and dad wanted to vote for John F. Kennedy. His parents, neither = of whom=20 had an education beyond fifth grade, were turned away at the polling = booth=20 because the polling person told them African Americans weren't allowed = to vote.=20 When Cook heard about this, he went back to the polling station and = explained=20 the law, something he had just studied at school, to the person who had = turned=20 his parents away and they were then allowed to vote.

Shortly = after=20 graduating from college in 1972, Cook accepted an officer's commission = as a=20 second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps "serving in the business of=20 protecting rights."

Following his tour in the Marines, Cook spent = several=20 years teaching high school.

"I want to give back to those = teachers who=20 serve every day," he said. "We need to make sure (schools) have=20 funding."

Cook is a proponent of responsible growth. New = developers need=20 to know the area and make sure they're solar friendly, he said, and make = sure=20 they're providing the required amount of affordable housing.

He = said he=20 wants to be a voice for the state's veterans. "As a state assembly = person, I can=20 have a say in that," and make sure veterans receive their benefits. One = of his=20 passions is volunteering for the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation, which = collects toys for needy children during the holidays.

There are = several=20 ways people can make a difference in their respective communities, he = said.=20 "Don't let anybody get out there and carry the flag for=20 you."

Candidate: Alyson Huber, Democrat

- = Occupation:=20 Attorney, business litigation

- Residence: El Dorado = Hills

-=20 Family: Husband, Tim, and four children: Two college age and two=20 toddlers

- Education: Bachelor of Science degree, Cornell = University, law=20 degree from the University of California's Hastings School of = Law

- Web=20 site: www.alysonhuber.org

Alyson Huber is not a politician. = Rather, she=20 said she's the "person shopping at the grocery store" in line next to=20 you.

"This is my first run for any elected office," said Huber, a = business litigation attorney, who lives with her husband, Tim, and their = two=20 toddlers in El Dorado Hills. She also has two step-children who attend = college=20 and live away from home.

She's running for the 10th Assembly = because the=20 state "needs more people in legislature of diverse backgrounds. Too = often we=20 have people in Sacramento who don't know what it's like to struggle from = paycheck to paycheck," she said.

"We lived in a trailer on the = back of a=20 truck," Huber said, referring to her childhood. She went on to graduate = from=20 Lodi High School and then put herself through college, eventually = earning a law=20 degree.

"My background gives me a unique perspective," she said,=20 remembering seeing families living in buses. When reviewing public = policy, she=20 sees it through "their eyes."

One of her main concerns is making=20 education more accessible so that people are able "to change (their) = stage in=20 life."

"We (also) need to be smart about growth. We need jobs = locally,"=20 to strengthen the community. "We need a forceful voice representing the=20 district, otherwise decisions will be made" by people outside the = district, she=20 said.

Huber serves as board member for the Junior Leagues of = California,=20 designed to reform the foster care system. She volunteers with the = Conference of=20 Delegates of California Bar Associations to promote justice and equality = in the=20 legal system, and has worked as an advocate for at-risk youth and others = who=20 were unable to pay for legal consultation.

Huber was recently = endorsed by=20 both the California Federation of Teachers and the California School = Employees=20 Association.

Candidate: Paul Hegyi, Republican

-=20 Occupation: Chief of Staff to Republican Assemblyman Van Tran

-=20 Residence: Sacramento

- Family: Wife, Julie

- Education: = Bachelor=20 of Arts degree in government from Sacramento State University

- = Web site:=20 www.paulhegyi.com

Paul Hegyi said he's tired of "electing = Republican=20 officials who talk like conservatives but vote like = liberals."

The=20 Sacramento native, currently serving as chief of staff to Republican = Assemblyman=20 Van Tran, is running for the 10th district seat, he said, because he = wants to=20 enact change "instead of being someone who's complaining about=20 (issues)."

Hegyi worked for Republican Assemblyman Mark Wyland = during his=20 college years. This experience gave him a front row seat to politics and = legislative battles "that pitted big-spending, culturally out-of-touch = liberals=20 against a divided Republican legislative delegation," he states on his = Web=20 site.

Hegyi is determined to help end gridlocked traffic on = community=20 streets and freeways, he states on his Web site.

"We're not = investing=20 money in programs that work," Hegyi said when asked about education. "We = need to=20 take the best of charter schools and integrate (their strategies) into = public=20 schools."

Hegyi said he has been enjoying the door-to-door=20 meet-and-greet process he's incorporated into his campaign. This gives = him a=20 chance, he said, to not only introduce himself to voters, but also learn = about=20 the issues they're concerned about. "People don't get to see politics = relative=20 to their lives," he said. "We as public officials need to go to the = people. We=20 need to be proactive. We need to come up with other ways" to interact, = he=20 said.

As far as local ties: Hegyi's wife grew up in Mokelumne = Hill and=20 worked at Mel and Faye's Diner in Jackson.

Candidate: Dave = Sander,=20 Republican

- Occupation: Business Owner, Rancho Cordova City = Council=20 member

- Residence: Rancho Cordova

- Family: Wife, Dr. = Maggie=20 Parsons and son, Charles, 2 years old

- Education: Ph.D., = molecular=20 biology, Tulane University

- Web site:=20 http://davidsander.com

David Sander, who has served on the Rancho = Cordova=20 City Council since 2002, calls his lead-in to politics "a little=20 unusual."

He was chosen to be a Congressional Science Fellow in = 1996. His=20 research work focused on the federal departments of Health and Human = Services,=20 Education and Labor. One of his accomplishments involved his work = helping to=20 double the National Institute of Health budget over a five-year period = to=20 roughly $32 billion.

After two years as a fellow, Sander got = married and=20 moved to California. He joined the local chamber of commerce board and = was=20 appointed to the local planning commission. Since 2002, he's served on = the=20 council and was the appointed mayor last year.

As for the = districts in=20 the 10th assembly, Sander believes they are "awful, gerrymandered = districts."=20 For example, Sacramento is a suburban county, while El Dorado is a mix = of rural=20 and suburban, though with a different flavor than Sacramento, he said. = El=20 Dorado's water issues are different than the mostly rural Amador, which = is=20 different agriculturally from the valley county of San Joaquin. "Anyone = trying=20 to serve a district that diverse is going to have some = challenges."

He=20 would like to see the state do some things that worked in Rancho = Cordova,=20 including something he calls the "yellow pages principle": If a service = is=20 offered by a business in the yellow pages, the state doesn't take it on. = It=20 makes no sense for the state to have printing operations, for instance,=20 especially if they have to compete with private businesses performing = the same=20 task, he said.

Sander believes he has an edge over his = challengers=20 because of the various places he's lived. "I basically grew up on an = Illinois=20 farm, so I identify with the rural lifestyle a little=20 more."

Candidate: Jack Sieglock, Republican

- = Occupation:=20 Owns Sieglock Communications

- Residence: San Joaquin = County

-=20 Family: Wife, Brenda, and three children: Chris, Mark and = Amanda

-=20 Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from the University of = California, Santa Barbara

- Web site:=20 http://sieglockforassembly.com

Jack Sieglock began his career = serving on=20 Congressman Norm Shumway's staff, where he coordinated local and = regional issues=20 for the Congressman. He was also elected twice to the Lodi City Council = and=20 served as the city's mayor in 1994 and 1998.

"You learn a lot of = lessons=20 in business ... you learn about (not) spending money that you don't = have," he=20 said, noting that he has managed 16 budgets and has "the right = experience from=20 the public and private sectors."

He currently owns Sieglock=20 Communications, a business that focuses on public and government = relations; he=20 also works in property management.

Sieglock vows to fight for=20 improvements for Highways 5, 12, 49, 50, 88, 99 and several others. = "Government=20 needs to add more highway lane miles and fix our transportation = problems," he=20 says on his Web site. "There's no excuse for these continued traffic=20 problems."

He said he would approach the county's issues with = experience=20 and understanding. "I have a lot of motivation with regard to my = experience. I=20 bring a hard work ethic."

Sieglock's other accomplishments = include his=20 election to the 4th District of the San Joaquin Board of Supervisors in = 1998; in=20 2003, he served as chairman. During his time on the board, Sieglock = advocated=20 for the preservation of farmland, worked to improve the region's = wine-grape=20 industry and fought to create stricter fiscal controls on the county and = to cut=20 waste, according to his Web site.

Sieglock has served on numerous = boards=20 and commissions including: The San Joaquin Council of Governments; Local = Agency=20 Formation Commission; Northeastern Groundwater Banking Authority; Board = Water=20 Committee; Mokelumne River Water and Power Authority; American River = Authority;=20 and the San Joaquin Valley United Air Pollution Control=20 District.

Raheem Hosseini contributed to this = report.

Bethany A. = Monk