When voters take to the election booths this Tuesday, they will be asked to decide on more than just a slate of candidates, they will be determining the future of their city, their schools and their quality of life. Months of campaigning, accusations, record defending, pontificating and promising have come down to this. This week, the rhetoric is rendered moot,for the future is in the hands of the voter.
Through the myriad of public forums, interviews, story coverage and reader feedback, we at the Daily Press newsroom have identified what we feel to be the issues that have a firm grip on the city’s collective psyche. In terms of the crowded, often contentious, City Council race, our elected officials will be called upon to deal with the issues of traffic congestion, the lack of work-force housing and fears of overdevelopment — all of which, in the end, come back to traffic via a workforce shut out of the city’s continually escalating real estate market.
We need a City Council that will not only maintain a strong grasp of the issues, but one that also brings an injection of innovation to the table. Finding that delicate balance will be the task at hand for the next City Council. With these interests in mind, we at the Daily Press endorse incumbents Bob Holbrook and Kevin McKeown, and newcomer Terry O’Day.
Terry O’Day has gone about ascending to the City Council the right way. Despite his age, the 33-year-old has paid his dues as a member of the planning commission. He has sat through the long meetings, dealt with staff reports and knows what it takes to be successful — something some of the other newcomers in the race appear to be lacking. Intelligent, environmentally active and a small business owner, O’Day seems ideally suited to maintain a fair stance on two issues that often clash into one another on the dais — environment and development.
In addition, O’Day represents a much-needed demographic on the council. He is young, a family man and a homeowner in the Pico Neighborhood, an area of the city sorely lacking in representation. His experience with City Hall as a member of the planning commission will allow the new councilmem-ber to hit the ground running, abridging the typical learning curve, and lend himself to addressing the increasing problems associated with traffic in Santa Monica.
Every team needs a cheerleader, and Bob Holbrook is the real deal. The current mayor’s love for the community is obvious and the lifelong resident’s deep roots cannot easily be dismissed.The archetypical small town mayor is an ambassador of the city who promotes his home-town at every opportunity.He may be old school, but he represents this community’s beach town roots.He has seen it all,changes on the local level both good and bad. His pragmatic approach to the issues, weighing each side’s arguments with an even keel is a valuable resource on a city governing body that oftentimes tries to do too much.
While not the most innovative candidate, in terms of bringing new initiatives to the table,in his role as mayor he has kept the wayward initiators in line and council moving forward. His experience and knowledge of the issues typically leads him to do what he feels in his heart of hearts is best for Santa Monica.
In the truest sense of the words, Kevin McKeown is a potholes kind of candidate, willing to deal with the day-to-day gripes of residents with an uncanny enthusiasm. In his own words, he’s “deliciously retro.” His response to the concerns of residents on a daily basis is beyond dispute. While often criticized for taking the city into unchartered waters, exposing it to litigation or outside criticism, his activism and proactive style help make Santa Monica the leader in sustainability that it undoubtedly is.
By all accounts, McKeown is a man who stands by his convictions, though they may be deemed misguided by some. His sense of environmental conscience and tough stances on development serve as a good balance to more business-oriented council members like Holbrook. Here’s hoping he will continue to push the envelope for a segment of the population he clearly represents.
A close fourth,Gleam Davis could use more seasoning in city politics. While education is of utmost importance to a huge segment of residents, we feel there are several other pressing issues facing the city.Her intelligence undisputed, the Harvard Law School grad has already demonstrated a commitment to Santa Monica through her work with Community for Excellent Public Schools.In the end,she walked into a tough election and might do well to serve on a city commission to prove she is more than just an education candidate.
Despite her wealth of experience, Pam O’Connor has often come across during this campaign season as a tired candidate trying not to lose, rather than win an election. She freely points out all that she has done during her years on council, which is admirable, but at some point, a candidate must shift focus and relay to voters her plans for the future. Too much of her promises of a better Santa Monica future are tied into her position on the MTA board, and her corresponding influence in getting the Expo Line extended to Santa Monica. It smacks of a scare tactic by a politician with little new to offer.
Latching onto homelessness and voters’ frustrations with council on the issue has helped propel newcomer Jenna Linnekens into the mix, albeit slightly. Her abrasive style does not seem suited for the City Council, where six other personalities need to be heard and compromises need to be made. She may want to cut her attack dog teeth on a city commission before jumping into the patience test that is the office of City Councilperson.
We admire any candidate for putting themselves out there, spending their time and money (in some cases) to wage a campaign for public office in earnest attempts of giving back to the community. That being said, Linda Armstrong, Mark McLellan, Terence Later and Jonathan Mann failed to raise much interest in their campaigns, ho-humming their way towards election day.
A city council member can’t sit back and wait for supporters to come to them, they must be cultivated and earned. If you run for City Council in this town, file papers and no one seems to know who you are, it’s time to go back to the drawing board, or in some of their cases, just take the hint and move on.
If a candidate seems disinterested in doing what it takes to get elected — raising awareness, promoting themselves, shaking hands, kissing babies, kissing hands — why would any voters take interest in them?
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 4, 2006. Read the original PDF.