Oceanside Candidates Speak Their Minds at Forum

LWV’S FORUM.

MAYORAL AND COUNCIL RACES.

On Tuesday evening, (9-16-12), my wife and I drove to St. Mary’s School to attend the League of Women Voters’ forum for candidates for Oceanside City Council and Mayor.  You can’t imagine how she felt that I would take her to such a glamorous affair to celebrate our 46^th wedding anniversary.  All the drive home, she let me know what she thought of the gesture.

Two 45 minute forums and 10 talking heads (3 for mayor, 7 for council) talking about really important issues that rudder our city’s future can give you a headache.  At least that’s what my honey said when we got home and entered the boudoir.  A most subtle hint.  Like a fork in the eye.  At any rate, I’ll do my best to be brief and highlight the essential points.

As in his previous forum appearance, Terry Johnson addressed the acrimony at council meetings and offered a solution patterned after the Third Reich:  Keep government behind closed doors and present a unified consensus while in front of the public.  I got pretty resentful with Terry forcing me into agreement (gasp) with Jerry Kern talking about how democracy works: debate and discussion of issues in open forum.

Mayor Wood may have felt the sameas he endorsed Mr. Kern’s remarks.

We were comparably amazed when Johnson repeated his concerns about animosity on the council and called for everybody to grow up, be civil, be examples for the public.  Including kids.  Then he went into straight ahead attack mode on Mayor Wood.  A couple of times, at one point, chiding the Mayor to “take responsibility”. 

Johnson did say, “My record speaks for itself.”  Which begs the question, “That being so, why are you running for mayor?”

Wood, affable as ever, ignored Johnson’s invitations to fight yet remained firm in his convictions and clear in his statements.  Rather than trumpet self-styled successes as mayor (a temptation Johnson could not resist - ad nauseam), Wood talked about the progress the city had experienced thanks to the people who live and work here including, much to Mr. Kern’s horror, city employees. 

Not surprisingly, Kern gave into the same temptation as Johnson telling us how his leadership has saved us countless dimes in taxes while steering the city away from the need to pay workers a living wage.  No, seriously!  He said that.  By leading the city to charter status (leading while deftly dodging minor procedures like getting input from constituents), he bragged about how the city could now avoid paying “the prevailing wage”.  Silently, I caressed my wallet and thanked Mr. Kern for making it fuller, saving my dimes that might have gone to a neighbor who paves the streets I drive or provides care for children at the city’s rec and parks facilities.

Messrs. Zernik, Snyder, and Knott are earnest and credible candidates insofar as they share a genuine concern for the people of Oceanside.  They measure and balance well the business, financial, and economic realities of the city’s needs with the fact that government is to serve and protect the security of citizens.  Knott spoke eloquently of this balance in his final statement.  Unlike the other two, he adds to his candidacy a long and dedicated loyalty to the people of Oceanside manifested in his attendance and WELL-informed participation at council meetings.  Nonetheless, the tea leaves tell me only four candidates have a shot at the two open seats; Chip Dykes, Jack Feller, Esther Sanchez, and Dana Corso.

Mr. Dykes added to the bewildering contradictions he voiced during the Chamber’s Forum (see Blog #2).  Within the same minute, he said without reservation that he was opposed to privatizing the city’s services.  Then he went on to tell us how it can best be done.

In his opening statement, Dykes made a comment reminiscent of a line used in announcing his candidacy weeks ago.  He then told us how he was qualified, ready, and prepared to lead Oceanside’s masses.  Last night, he told us that as council member, he was ready shoulder the mantle requiring others to follow his lead.  He was ready to ignore input and suggestion from others.  I guess that means – ummm, leadership!  Well, we have plenty enough of that so-called leadership currently represented on the council.  Indeed, many of us out here in the masses are desperately afraid that kind of leadership might bleed over to the mayor’s office.

Showing us his conviction and leadership, Dykes completely skated around the direct question about how he stood with respect to Prop E, the initiative that Kern, Felien, and Feller championed last June.  The one that lost two to one.  The one that had in its long and painful history a petition signed by 15,000 Oceanside residents.  In a month’s time.

When asked where he stood on the issue, Dykes skulked around the question as though an answer would bring on erectile dysfunction.  Instead of addressing the question, he used his leadership skills to tell us of the need for affordable housing.  Gosh, I’ll just bet nobody in attendance had ever given affordable housing much thought.  That’s where Dykes’ leadership comes in.

Oh, and he climaxed his proclamations as leader with a caution that nobody in hisaffordable houses would be allowed to have wave runners, motorcycles, and other such toys parked in the garage or on the driveway.  A silent prayer of thanks went to the heavens for sending us this leadership.  Truthfully?  No, not the heavens.  More like the heaves.

Jack Feller likes open roads.  We now know this because he told us half a dozen times during a one minute answer to a question.  He does not like rent control because it is an “entitlement that is unnecessary”.  He does however like entitlements that are necessary like tax and fee breaks for millionaire investors and developers.

After careful study of the subject, Jack has concluded that global warming is a sham.  This notwithstanding recent news about an internationally renowned scientist who had shared Jack’s belief spun around and joined the 90% of scientists who, after painstaking researched tell us it is a very real phenomenon.  Not Jack.  I think maybe it’s just too frightening, too overwhelming for Jack to think about.  Like being told the earth is not the center of the solar system.

Maybe the most telling feature of Jack’s candidacy is that when he is asked to recite his qualifications, he makes little to no reference to his record on the council.  Could it be there is nothing to draw on?  Whether or not, what we get is a lengthy review of living in the city since back in the day, volunteering in community and church organizations, and expressions of love and pride for twenty-eight grandchildren.  Jack keeps giving me the impression he has mistaken the voters of Oceanside for the audience of “What’s My Life."

Mr. Kern has told us in his campaign and several times from the dais: the city of Oceanside is headed for perilous times.  Much as it pains me, I again have to agree.  If he, Dykes, or Feller win, city government and services will continue to fall away from serving and protecting its citizens.  The city will fall victim to the avarice and uncaring of outside business and financial interests.  Fortunately, the citizens of Oceanside have in their hands the power to avoid these perilous times Mr. Kern warns us about.  We can re-elect Mayor Wood, and council member Sanchez.  And we must replace Kern’s and Felien’s minion with the effective and well-informed Dana Corso.

Blog #4

September 21, 2012