Two flawed SLO County candidates leave District 3 voters in a fix. Here’s our conclusion

In a perfect world, where people always behaved courteously and professionally, deciding who to endorse in the District 3 supervisor’s race would be easy.

But we don’t live in a perfect world.

And much as we would like to unequivocally offer our endorsement to one candidate or the other, that’s not possible in this race.

Both candidates have shortcomings that are cause for concern, albeit for different reasons.

Stacy Korsgaden

Challenger Stacy Korsgaden is a smart, personable candidate, but she is not ready for the Board of Supervisors.

She has no political experience, she does not reflect the views or values of the majority of District 3 voters, and her solutions to some of our most pressing problems are alarmingly narrow-minded and sometimes verge on being out of touch with reality.

Examples:

• She is such a champion of the state’s Oceano Dunes off-road park that we fear she would prioritize the interests of off-roaders over those of Nipomo Mesa residents who are living with harmful dust emissions traced to the riding area. Here’s what she said about the park at recent rally in Sacramento: “We have 2 million people that go to this park every year. And by shutting it off, it would be like all of a sudden you or I got our arteries shut off going to our hearts.”
• On affordable housing, she delivers the same conservative talking points we’ve been hearing for years — that lower fees and less red tape will magically solve all our problems. They won’t.
• When The Tribune Editorial Board asked whether San Luis Obispo County is doing enough to prepare for climate change and sea-level rise, she chose to focus on the amount of litter she sees on the ground. Sorry, but that’s frightening. Homes, businesses and infrastructure up and down California’s coast are under threat by a combination of sea-level rise, storm surges and high tides. And we have a candidate more concerned about litter?

Adam Hill

Adam Hill’s votes as supervisor have generally been a record of someone with common sense who is concerned about the public good and has great compassion for the homeless, the mentally ill and the poor.

He’s also been able to strike a balance between growth and conservation. For example, his persistent support contributed to the success of both the SLO HotHouse — an incubator for new business ventures — and the recently opened Pismo Preserve, which provided outdoor enthusiasts with an additional 11 miles of hiking trails.

So, in a perfect world, we would look at how Adam Hill has voted and where he has made good decisions as a supervisor, and we would say, without reservation, he deserves another term.

But again, this is not a perfect world: Adam Hill has a history of verbally abusive, unprofessional behavior that cannot be ignored.

Some of the incidents are well known. Hill infamously told a constituent to “f--- off” in a Facebook message in 2018, after the constituent criticized Hill in a letter to the editor.

In the wake of that episode, Hill took a leave of absence and received treatment for depression.

When he returned, he offered this explanation: “I am still finding my best voice because I cannot and will not be quiet about injustices. But I also can’t let the outrage consume me and make me angry in a manner that becomes its own unfairness.”

Unfortunately, this effort remains very much a work in progress.

Bully mode

Since 2018, there have been no public outbursts that we’re aware of, and from what we’ve observed, he’s handling his duties as chairman of the board with courtesy and an even hand.

In his reelection campaign, he’s managed, for the most part, to refrain from overtly attacking his opponent, which is more than we can say for Korsgaden.

But there continue to be flashes of the old Adam.

Write or say something Hill doesn’t like and, at best, he gives you the cold shoulder or makes a snide comment. At worst, he goes into full-on bully mode.

That was on display when he lashed out at a Tribune reporter who questioned him about malicious emails sent to radio talk show host Dave Congalton back in 2016. The emails were traced to an IP address registered to Hill’s former wife, and while Hill was among those who fell under suspicion, the District Attorney’s Office said it lacked enough evidence to prosecute.

The DA simply could not determine who wrote the emails.

Release of the emails at this time appears to have been a calculated political move, but the supervisor’s handling of the situation was more than unprofessional. It was abysmal.

And if Hill did write the emails, he would have no place in public office. But even without that information, his behavior has been troubling.

Inasmuch as an endorsement can be viewed as a stamp of approval for a candidate’s behavior, we can’t go there — and we fully expect to be on the receiving end of Hill’s animus as a result.

Limited options

All of this may leave District 3 voters in a quandary.

Those who want what’s best for San Luis Obispo County likely will vote for Adam Hill.

And no, they won’t be displaying the same type of blind allegiance that Republicans show in continuing to support Donald Trump.

Unlike Donald Trump, Hill has acknowledged his faults and is trying to overcome them — though not always succeeding.

Conservatives won’t buy that line of reasoning. Too bad.

If they really want Adam Hill out of office, they should find a candidate with political experience and more moderate views who has a chance of being elected in a liberal district.

We are not endorsing Adam Hill, but the voters of District 3 have no better option.

This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.