For these 5 SLO County incumbents, the June 7 election may already be won and done

It’s looking more and more like several top San Luis Obispo County officials have already won reelection — without waging a campaign.

Out of six non-judicial, countywide races, so far only one incumbent — County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano — faces challengers. They are attorney Stew Jenkins and retired Army veteran James Baugh.

The filing period for candidates doesn’t close until March 11, so it’s still possible some latecomers could challenge the five other incumbents: Sheriff Ian Parkinson; District Attorney Dan Dow; Assessor Tom Bordonaro; Auditor/Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector James Hamilton; and County Superintendent of Schools Jim Brescia.

But time is rapidly running out, and as far as the two most high-profile races are concerned — DA and sheriff — there are no challengers on the horizon.

Dow seen as vulnerable

There were rumors early on that a strong challenger would take on District Attorney Dan Dow, a staunch conservative with strong ties to the Republican Party.

When COVID and Black Lives Matter protests were at their height, Dow seemed especially vulnerable.

He was criticized for his reluctance to go after COVID violators; for declaring San Luis Obispo County a “sanctuary for worship and praise” amid state and county pandemic restrictions; and especially for over-zealous prosecution of Black social justice protesters.

Over the past year, though, the outrage has faded and Dow’s office has won support for its handling of the high-profile Kristin Smart murder case.

It now appears Dow will be in office four more years, and possibly much longer.

Election or rubber stamp?

Given what it takes to run for office — money being one of the biggest factors — the lack of competition is understandable.

Still, it’s disappointing that so many countywide races are uncontested this year.

Voters are better served when they have a choice; otherwise, elections are no more than a rubber stamp and officials are less accountable to their constituents.

Plus, competitive elections provide an opportunity to shake up the status quo and add diversity to what have traditionally been white male bastions of power.

In San Luis Obispo County, for example, women and people of color have rarely been elected to non-judicial, countywide positions. Currently, men occupy all but one of the six offices; County Clerk-Recorder Cano is the single exception.

What’s more, it appears a woman has never held any of the other countywide offices.

(Several women have served on the county Board of Supervisors, but those positions are decided in district races, not countywide elections.)

Power of incumbency

Granted, it’s not easy to unseat entrenched incumbents, especially in small and mid-size counties that have relatively small pools of potential candidates.

The most likely challengers would come from within the departments, but it’s risky to take on the boss. That leaves outsiders, but they often don’t have the credentials or recognition needed to topple an incumbent.

That happened in 2018, when both Dow and Sheriff Ian Parkinson faced challengers, but their opponents lacked the qualifications and experience to pose serious threats.

Often, a changing of the guard occurs only when the incumbent retires or accepts another position.

For example, Gerry Shea, the previous SLO County district attorney, ran unopposed in three consecutive elections before stepping down in 2014, when Dow was elected.

Absent any huge scandal, these offices can become de-facto lifetime appointments, sort of like Supreme Court justices.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as the office-holder is professional, competent and unbiased. But what we’ve witnessed over the past couple of years is this: Even a seemingly nonpartisan official like a county clerk-recorder can undermine democracy by imposing voting restrictions and questioning election results.

Bully pulpit

These offices also provide perfect bully pulpits for these so-called “nonpartisan” officials to support highly partisan causes.

For example, County Assessor Tom Bordonaro, a former Republican assemblyman, used his relatively obscure position to campaign against a local anti-fracking ballot measure.

“I don’t think because you’re an elected official your First Amendment rights are diminished,” he told The Tribune at the time. “I think people who are elected need to express themselves and be leaders.”

Certainly, we elect people to be leaders in their areas of expertise, be it law enforcement, education or taxation.

But we’d prefer they be agnostic — at least in public — when it comes to political issues outside their domains.

Otherwise, they risk alienating constituents who don’t share their views.

Voters feel even more let down when they don’t have the opportunity to vote for opposition candidates.

Seriously, what sort of election is it when you don’t have a choice?

Some may take the lack of contested races as a sign that all is well in San Luis Obispo County.

It’s more likely a sign that our election system must evolve to become more inclusive.

It’s too late for 2022.

Let’s hope voters are better served in 2026.