Candidate hints that a SLO County supervisor plans to step down. Here are the facts

Rumors to the contrary, County Supervisor John Peschong said he has no plans to leave office before his term is up.

“I do not intend to resign,” Peschong texted. “I will finish my term on December 31, 2024.”

The possibility that Peschong might retire was mentioned last week during a candidates debate between District 4 Supervisor Lynn Compton and challenger Jimmy Paulding.

Paulding brought it up while answering a question about the proposed county charter that may be placed on the November ballot.

The charter would change the way vacancies on the Board of Supervisors are filled to allow SLO County voters, rather than a Democratic governor, to pick a replacement.

“It sounds great in theory,” Paulding said of the idea, “but when you consider the fact that the district lines are gerrymandered, it’s again a political power play. And there’s been word that one supervisor wants to leave... If he does leave, they will put it to a vote of the people as opposed to a Democratic governor essentially appointing that person, which could change the majority makeup of the board.”

In other words, Paulding insinuated that the charter plan had been hatched to deal with an imminent situation — not a hypothetical one.

While Paulding didn’t mention the supervisor by name, the pronoun “he” made it obvious that he was referring to Peschong.

Peschong, who announced long ago that he will not seek a third term on the board, quickly dismissed the idea of leaving even sooner: “Jimmy has a very active imagination,” he texted.

Paulding later acknowledged that he heard the rumor “through the grapevine” and had “no factual basis” for it.

“It’s something that has been talked about by people who know him,” Paulding said.

Well, that was reckless.

It might make for a juicy soundbite, but a rumor is something to hold in your back pocket until it can be substantiated — not something to trot out at a public forum, where it can wind up coming back to bite you.

Not that this particular rumor is totally outside the realm of plausibility.

As Compton noted during the debate, Peschong has had heart issues; he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized for an extended period.

Peschong assured us that his “heart is working pretty well.” He did not link his health issues to his push for a charter.

“I believe the voters should vote in an election on any replacement in our county. Simple as that,” he wrote.

But as anyone who has been following the charter issue knows, there is nothing simple about it.

There are serious considerations to keep in mind, including the cost to taxpayers; the length of time a supervisor’s seat could be vacant (as currently proposed, it could be as long as a year); and whether it’s in the county’s best interests to have a charter at all.

Even Compton, who usually votes with fellow conservatives Peschong and Debbie Arnold, said she hasn’t made up her mind.

While a county charter may sound like a win for democracy — of course we should be electing our own supervisors instead of having one foisted on us by the governor! — in reality it’s a complicated situation that may ultimately be decided by the voters.

It’s an important decision that should be based on facts, not on hearsay.

Jimmy Paulding doesn’t need to resort to rumors. He has plenty of facts at his disposal, as he made abundantly clear during the candidates forum. In the future, he would be well advised to stick to those.

This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 5:30 AM.