Editorial: Jan Marx has know-how to lead San Luis Obispo
Mayor Dave Romero has been a strong, dependable and dynamic leader of San Luis Obispo for the past eight years, and it will not be an easy job to follow him as the city’s top elected official.
We believe, however, that of the four candidates running for mayor, Councilwoman Jan Marx is most up to the task.
To be frank, The Tribune Editorial Board has not always agreed with Marx on the issues and, in fact, did not endorse her for City Council in 2008.
Particularly in her early years on the council, we found her slow-growth/pro-environment politics to be extreme.
We still have concerns along those lines. If she is elected mayor, we would strongly urge Marx to make it a priority to bring head-of-household jobs and affordable housing to the community, and to not stand in the way of reasonable growth that would achieve those goals.
That said, in choosing a mayor, we believe it’s necessary to look beyond how someone voted on this or that issue or project. What’s most critical is to find a candidate who not only has experience and knowledge, but also the leadership and communication skills, diplomacy, graciousness and maturity to give all sides a fair hearing, to help forge compromises, and to lend a steady hand under all circumstances — be it a natural disaster, a fiscal crisis or a high-profile media event.
We believe Marx has these necessary skills and would develop into an excellent mayor.
We’re especially impressed that she displays the rare ability to not hold a grudge — a refreshing trait in this age of such divisive politics.
Also, Marx has experience in the public eye — both as an attorney and as an elected official — that would make her an effective advocate when it comes time to represent San Luis Obispo at regional meetings and in Sacramento.
Along with that, she brings some intriguing ideas to the table. For example, she wants to form a Mayor’s Task Force on Neighborhoods that would bring together longtime residents, students, young families and other community members to solve problems and she’s working to expand Amtrak service in San Luis Obispo. She’s also a strong advocate of the community-based budgeting process and we believe she would be highly respectful of the public’s spending priorities.
The Tribune strongly endorses Jan Marx for mayor of San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo Mayor
Length of term: 2 years
Salary: $1,200 per month
Eligible for health benefits
Candidates: Former San Luis Obispo Councilman Paul Brown; Andrew Farrell, community volunteer and Cal Poly student; artisan Donald Hedrick; San Luis Obispo Councilwoman Jan Marx
The Tribune endorses: Jan Marx
This story was originally published October 9, 2010 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Editorial: Jan Marx has know-how to lead San Luis Obispo."