Re-elect Mayor John Shoals, who is leading Grover Beach forward

Mayor John Shoals continues to impress us as an articulate, hardworking and responsive leader who is focused on results.

During the past two years, for example, the city completed major road improvements on stretches of Brighton Avenue, Nice Avenue, South Seventh Street, Oak Park Avenue, Saratoga Avenue and North 13th Street. That’s thanks largely to voters who approved a $48 million bond measure in 2014, but city leaders also deserve credit for getting the work done in a timely, yet systematic, manner.

We like Shoals’ comprehensive take on the road improvement program: “I think it’s time for us to take an earnest look at how can we improve the circulation system,” he told a Tribune reporter in September. “Because with smooth streets, people are going to be speeding. So we need to find ways to not only improve safety, we need to enhance the appearance of the streets as well.”

The Grover Beach Lodge and Conference Center is another step in the right direction. The lodge — a joint project of the city, State Parks and San Diego-based Pacifica Companies — is moving forward after languishing on the drawing board for decades.

We’re also encouraged by the addition of new businesses, especially along Grand Avenue, that are making Grover Beach a more popular destination both for Five Cities residents and out-of-town tourists.

We believe Shoals deserves another term to help shepherd along projects such as Grover Beach Lodge, as well as to continue working on making Grover Beach — to use his words — a “young, hip city.”

At the same time, we urge him to use his leadership skills to make a difference on another issue that desperately needs attention: homelessness.

The South County still has no permanent day or overnight shelter or even a designated location where The People’s Kitchen can serve meals. (There is a temporary overnight shelter in Arroyo Grande that opens on rainy nights.)

This is an issue that has keenly affected Grover Beach, yet it concerns all South County communities and it’s going to take a united effort to make real progress.

If re-elected, Shoals plans to convene a meeting with elected officials, business owners and community leaders to develop solutions that include some form of a permanent homeless services center. That’s a good initial step, but we’ve attended previous meetings filled with enthusiastic, well-intentioned people, and the South County appears to be no closer to a permanent facility.

It’s time to move beyond the wishful-thinking stage, and we call on Shoals and other South County mayors to make it a priority.

A few words about candidate Ronald Arnoldsen: A former mayor and council member, Arnoldsen has some intriguing ideas. For example, he supports a local tax on marijuana but believes the revenue should go into a separate fund, rather than the General Fund. That would be a good way to hold officials accountable for how the money is used.

On the other hand, a couple of his statements to The Tribune fell somewhere between curmudgeonly and downright bizarre.

On climate change: “I believe there’s just too many people on this Earth. … We need to eliminate more people.”

On whether he agrees with Shoals’ goal of making Grover Beach a “young, hip city”: “At my age, do I want that? Probably not.”

A certain amount of candor is refreshing, but we look to the mayor to set the tone for a city. That requires diplomacy, which does not appear to be Arnoldsen’s strong suit.

Shoals, on the other hand, is personable, professional and forward-thinking.

The Tribune urges Grover Beach voters to re-elect Mayor John Shoals.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Re-elect Mayor John Shoals, who is leading Grover Beach forward."