Candidates focus on sewer project Morro Bay election forum

This story has been changed to correct Robert “Red” Davis’ job title at Caltrans and to correct the location of the proposed sewer and water reclamaiton facility.

Morro Bay’s sewer and water reclamation project dominated a two-hour debate Monday among the six candidates running for mayor and two open City Council seats in the Nov. 8 general election.

The debate was cordial, but mayoral candidate Tina Metzger, a planning consultant, openly criticized incumbent Mayor Jamie Irons on several occasions. She said what she called Irons’ ineptitude was her main motivation for running for the office.

“I have been deeply concerned about the lack of effective leadership by our current mayor,” she said in her opening remarks. “Morro Bay needs new leadership.”

Irons did not directly respond to Metzger’s criticisms but defended his accomplishments as mayor. He said one of his main achievements has been updating the city’s General Plan, which is a year away from completion.

“If re-elected, I will work with you and the City Council to improve the overall health of the community,” he told the crowd of more than 100 that had gathered to hear the debate.

In addition to Irons and Metzger, former Councilwoman Betty Winholtz also is running for mayor.

“I think I can bring new direction to the City Council,” Winholtz said. “We need a new attitude and more transparency.”

Running for two open seats on the City Council are retired Caltrans planner Robert “Red” Davis, retired management consultant Marlys McPherson and mechanical engineer Richard E.T. Sadowski. Laura Cogan’s name will also appear on the ballot, but she has withdrawn from the race because of a recent death in her family.

Much of the discussion and questions at the debate centered on the city’s planned sewage treatment and water reclamation plant. In June, the City Council selected a site off Highway 1 and and South Bay Boulevard as the site for the new facility.

The city’s current sewage treatment plant is located near the beach on Atascadero Road and is jointly owned by the city and the Cayucos Sanitary District. The California Coastal Commission has forbidden the construction of a new plant at the current location, citing flooding and tsunami dangers, among other concerns.

Opinions among the candidates about the sewer project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2021, were mixed. Davis said he is all for it.

“I don’t want to spend time arguing about the water treatment plant,” he said. “Let’s build it and move on.”

The project’s plan has two phases. The first will be construction of the sewage treatment plant followed by the water reclamation plant, which will allow the treated wastewater to be pumped back into the ground to replenish the groundwater aquifer.

Sadowski said he did not like the phased approach. “We will be able to get grants if we have a full reclamation project right from the beginning,” he said.

Many of the candidates lamented the fact that the city and the Cayucos Sanitary District are no longer working together to build a treatment plant. The Cayucos district has purchased property north of Morro Bay near Toro Creek, where it plans to build its own plant.

“It makes sense to work with Cayucos,” McPherson said. “They have already purchased property and are going to build a plant, so it may already be too late.”

All of the candidates said they love the natural beauty of Morro Bay and its wildlife. They promised to protect both and roundly criticized plans to include seven floating sea cottages in a proposed hotel on the Embarcadero. The City Council recently rejected the idea.

“I just don’t know where the idea of floating hotel rooms came from,” Davis said. “The bay is the jewel of our city, and we need to protect it.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Candidates focus on sewer project Morro Bay election forum."