< News Vergis officially announces her run for Davis council Claire St. John Davis City Council candidate Sydney Vergis speaks with Don Gibson and Previn Witana at a Valentine's Day event Thursday at International House, Davis. (Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo) Sydney Vergis, a senior land use planner for Sutter County, officially announced her intention Thursday night to run for Davis City Council. At a Valentine's Day event at the International House called 'Love Your Electeds,' Vergis introduced herself, spoke about her platform and said she was ready to give back to Davis. Vergis, 25, graduated from UC Davis in 2004 with a double major in economics and environmental policy. She has served on the Davis Tree Commission since 2005 and is an alternate member on the city's Business and Economic Development Commission. Vergis said that in her job as a planner, she's working to preserve habitat in Sutter County. She also strives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through smart planning, she said, and would like to put her talent in action for Davis. 'Climate change is staring us in the face,' Vergis said. 'The decisions and policies being made today will have a profound impact on my life 20 years from now, after the decision-makers are gone. This election must be about environmental planning and action. 'My vision for Davis is to put us back on the environmental forefront by implementing greener technologies and polices that allow us to save taxpayer dollars and contribute to a cleaner environment.' Vergis said she believes the Davis City Council should support alternative transportation such as bike rentals at automated kiosks near the Amtrak station. That would be an easy and efficient step toward carbon neutrality, Vergis added. The city itself should phase out inefficient municipal appliances and install photovoltaics on all city buildings and facilities, she said. 'Any one and every one of us can be part of the solution to the problem of global warming,' Vergis said. 'I am ready to lead and decisions I will make as your Davis City Council member will be based on the guiding planning principles of transparency and cooperation.' Vergis will turn in her list of nominees soon, she said. They include Delaine Eastin, Ruth Asmundson, Jerry Adler, Susan Lovenburg, Richard Harris, Mariko Yamada, Kevin Wolf, Arun Sen, Richard Gonzales, Dick Dorf, Joe Krovoza, Renee Liston, Catherine Haskell, Bob Schelen, Alinia Asmundson, Brian Sway, Janice Bridge, Adam Bridge, Jim Becket, Ruth Williams, Don Gibson, Max Mikalonis, Jon Wooley, Jordy Margid, Ben Finkelor, Amy Finkelor, Claire Elias, Laura Westrup, Anthony Eggert and Previn Witana. Election Day is June 3, and Vergis will be contending with four other declared candidates for three available seats. Also in the running are Mayor Sue Greenwald, Council members Don Saylor and Stephen Souza, and Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald, a labor relations representative who is no relation to the mayor. Reach Claire St. John at cstjohn@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8057. To comment on this story, visit www.davisenterprise.com