The Tribune endorses Davis, McPherson for Morro Bay City Council

Retired planner Robert “Red” Davis has never been elected to office, yet he’s got one of the most impressive records of public service we’ve ever seen.

(Full disclosure: Davis wrote an outdoor adventure column for The Tribune from 1999 to 2008.)

Here’s a partial list: He serves on the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; the General Plan Advisory Committee; the Friends of the Library (he’s edited the newsletter and served as president and vice president); he’s a founding member of the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition; he hosts a radio talk show; he does weekly litter pickup on Centennial Parkway; and he has a bikeway named after him.

That’s not counting his professional experience, which includes a long career as a Caltrans planner and service in the Air Force Reserve. Davis is knowledgeable about every facet of city business — and he’s refreshingly straightforward.

Here’s what he had to say about the wastewater treatment project: “I don’t want to spend time arguing about the water treatment plant. Let’s build it and move on.”

Like Mayor Jamie Irons, Davis has a long list of goals that range from increasing revenue to renaming City Park to honor Franklin Riley, the city’s founder.

A bonus: Davis is an avid bicyclist, and that combined with his Caltrans experience makes him a great resource on transportation issues.

The Tribune strongly endorses Robert “Red” Davis for Morro Bay City Council.

Marlys McPherson also has an impressive resume: She was executive director of a nonprofit researching crime prevention and a senior research analyst for the state of Minnesota.

Now retired, she chairs the city’s Public Works Advisory Board; serves on the Citizens Finance Advisory Board; helped found the Morro Bay Open Space Alliance; and chaired the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival for several years. She’s knowledgeable and articulate, and we especially like her common-sense positions on major issues facing Morro Bay.

On the wastewater reclamation project, for example, she supports the South Bay site. But in her campaign statement, she points out that the environmental impact report will look at alternative sites as well, and she favors keeping those in the mix until the EIR is complete. Given the history of the project, that makes sense.

McPherson also favors doing more to encourage public participation.

“While the current council has made efforts to engage residents, participation is too low and too late. I will explore innovative ways to find out what our citizens want,” she said. Excellent.

The Tribune strongly urges voters to elect Marlys McPerhson to the Morro Bay City Council.

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 9:46 PM with the headline "The Tribune endorses Davis, McPherson for Morro Bay City Council."