The Tribune endorses Ed Waage for Pismo Beach mayor

Ed Waage is the clear choice to replace outgoing Mayor Shelly Higginbotham in Pismo Beach.

Waage has the experience — he has served two terms on the City Council — he has leadership ability and he knows the issues facing South County inside and out.

While we haven’t seen eye-to-eye with Waage on some regional issues — we believe he’s tried to hinder efforts to enforce dust control measures on the Oceano Dunes, for example — we believe he has been good for Pismo Beach.

He’s been a big advocate of a recycled water program, the Shell Beach streetscape project, improvements in Pismo Beach’s downtown, bluff protection and mosquito abatement.

Waage is conservative, but he has been known to vote outside the box, as when he supported allowing mobile marijuana dispensaries in Pismo Beach.

Nor is he a rabid anti-taxer; he supports Measure J, the transportation sales tax, for example.

Sandra Nielsen, a former county planning commissioner who has previously run for Pismo City Council, is a strong proponent of water conservation; she repeatedly warns that a grand El Niño is not going to save us. She’s right.

We’re intrigued by some of Nielsen’s ideas — she told The Tribune Editorial Board she’d like to see a bike loan program in Pismo, for instance — but we believe she’d be a better fit for council, rather than mayor.

Waage would run meetings in a civil and professional manner; he would continue to be a strong voice for economic development and cutting red tape; and he would keep projects such as the Shell Beach streetscape on track.

The Tribune endorses Ed Waage for mayor of Pismo Beach.

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 8:03 PM with the headline "The Tribune endorses Ed Waage for Pismo Beach mayor."