Carla Wixom holds lead in Morro Bay mayoral election
Businesswoman Carla Wixom held onto her lead in the race for Morro Bay mayor early Wednesday morning.
As of 1 a.m., with all four precincts reporting, Wixom had 59% of the vote compared to incumbent Morro Bay Mayor John Headding’s 40.9%.
Reached at an election night gathering at her restaurant, Carla’s Country Kitchen, at around 10:15 p.m., Wixom said she’s hoping for “a more transparent council” and being able to “move ahead with the issues before us,” including project proposals and infrastructure need,s while “staying the course” and having “stable economics.”
Early Wednesday morning, she said her first priority will “probably be looking at the sewer and water (project) that’s $40 million over budget. It’s not done and it’s still without a place to send the wastewater.”
Wixom also said she’ll focus on the needs of the town’s harbor, in view of Measure B-22’s apparent failure to get voter approval. “We have opportunities for grant funding,” with money allocated at the federal level for one of the piers that need work.
For the others, she said she hopes wind-energy project participants “will be supportive of those piers they’d be using for maritime trade. And maybe we can do some public-private partnerships for revetment” upgrades.
“We’re facing an extremely challenging economic time,” Wixom said, so “being a good fiscal steward is going to be important … to do what we have to do and still maintain our essential basic services.”
While the city currently “has a healthy reserve right now,” she said, “most of that money” was a one-time influx of recovery funds.
High on her priority list, she said, is opening “a dialogue, especially with residents who didn’t feel they were being heard.”
“We’ve had a lot of outreach from community members wanting forensics accounting for the sewer plant,” she said.
Wixom’s daughter Hayley Foerst has been transitioning into managing the family restaurant.
Wixom said she’d be proud to be “the fourth-ever woman mayor in Morro Bay.”
As of mid-morning Wednesday, Headding, who ran for a third term, had not responded to requests for comment via phone and text.
Meanwhile, five candidates were competing for two seats on the Morro Bay City Council: David “Dave” Duringer, Sarah Smith Robinson, Casey Cordes, Cyndee Edwards and Robin “Zara” Landrum.
The post-midnight tally showed Landrum leading the pack with 24.8% of the vote, followed by Edwards with 22%, Robinson with 20.8%, Cordes with 17.5% and Duringer with 14.7%
Measure B-22 would fund harbor upgrades
Morro Bay voters were asked to weigh in on Measure B-22, which would provide funds to improve harbor infrastructure.
As of 1 a.m. Wednesday, with 100% of precincts reporting, Measure B-22’s failure looked likely with 63.5% of voters opposed to the measure and 36.4% of voters in favor of it. It would have required a simple majority of 50% plus 1 vote to pass it.
The measure would have provided about $680,000 per year from special parcel taxes of about $120 annually, which would be adjusted for inflation. The infrastructure covered by the bond would include preventative maintenance and capital improvements on docks, piers, the Harbor Walk, sea walls, public restrooms and launch ramps.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:28 PM.
