Adam Hill still the best choice for District 3

Dan Carpenter, along with several of his supporters, have turned the election for District 3 San Luis Obispo County supervisor into a referendum on Adam Hill’s personality. One of Carpenter’s newsletters, for instance, describes the campaign as “a journey to defeat the BULLY.”

No one would hold up Adam Hill as a paragon of civility. As we said in our previous endorsement, “ … there are times when Hill has behaved arrogantly, abrasively and self-righteously.” However, we believe those instances have been overblown by his opponents.

Again, we urge voters to go online and randomly watch any archived video of a Board of Supervisors meeting and judge Hill’s behavior (and that of the other supervisors, while you’re at it) for yourselves.

What’s at stake in this election isn’t whether Hill or Carpenter is more likeable. Their voting records and their positions on the issues are what’s important to the future of San Luis Obispo County.

On that score, we believe the county is in better hands with Hill. Of all current supervisors, he impresses us as the one who strikes the best balance between protecting the character and environment of the county while allowing necessary growth. He’s been especially strong in promoting affordable housing and economic development, and he’s not afraid to tilt at windmills. For example, he continues to advocate for bringing desalinated water from Diablo Canyon to South County, even though PG&E more or less dismissed the possibility when it announced that it plans to close the nuclear power plant in 2025.

On the other hand, we believe Carpenter’s conservative ideology is out of step with his constituents and his contrarian attitudes sometimes serve to alienate rather than enlighten.

In 2015, for example, he cast the lone vote on the San Luis Obispo City Council against allocating $250,000 to a new homeless shelter. In a Tribune viewpoint, he described the shelter as a “metaphorical albatross” — angering volunteers and nonprofit leaders who had been working on the project for years.

We also believe Carpenter’s extreme fiscal conservatism can be shortsighted. Example: In 2014, he opposed Measure G, the city’s new, half-cent sales tax, and he questioned the need to pass bond measures to fund improvements at Cuesta College and San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

Voters didn’t see it that way: All three measures passed and, as a result, the city, the school district and the community college are updating and adding facilities that will be used for decades.

Adam Hill is more in tune with the voters of District 3. The Tribune supports his re-election to the county Board of Supervisors.

This story was originally published October 8, 2016 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Adam Hill still the best choice for District 3."