Tribune endorsements: The best choices for Arroyo Grande mayor and council
Five candidates are running for office in Arroyo Grande, and the differences between the veterans and the newcomers could not be any more stark.
On the one hand, there are the slightly wonkish pragmatists: Mayor Caren Ray Russom, who is running for reelection, and council candidate Jim Guthrie, who currently serves on the Planning Commission.
On the other, we have a trio of candidates fed up with the status quo who want the city to exert its independence — rules be damned. They are mayoral candidates Dale T. Hanson and Gaea Powell and council candidate Ben Franco.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy do we endorse?
Making endorsements during election season is an important role for newspaper editorial boards, including The Tribune Editorial Board. Elections are key to determining the future of our Central Coast region, and through endorsements, we share our opinion of the qualifications of the candidates and recommend those who would best serve our communities.
Due to the large number of races on the 2024 General Election ballot, we are unable to issue endorsements in every race. We chose to focus on the most competitive contests.
For more about our process, click the arrow on the top right.
Who endorses?
Endorsement decisions are made by Editor Joe Tarica and Opinion Editor Stephanie Finucane.
How do we decide?
Candidates are invited to participate in an interview with The Editorial Board where they are asked a series questions about major issues. It’s our opportunity to learn the candidates’ positions and to gauge how well informed they are about issues they are likely to confront if elected.
We also research voting records of candidates who have held public office; we watch candidate forums; we look at back stories from The Tribune, as well as other publications that have covered the candidates; and we examine public documents. We also take a look at the candidates’ advertising and campaign statements. Are they overpromising, for example, or misrepresenting their opponent’s record?
In the case of ballot measures, we study the background of the issue, the pro and con arguments and consider who is supporting and opposing the measure.
Tell us what you think
If you disagree (or agree) with our endorsements, share your thoughts with us by writing a letter to the editor (200-word maximum). Email your submissions to letters@thetribunenews.com. Due to the volume of submissions we receive during campaign season, we do not publish Viewpoint-length pieces (600-800 words) in support or opposition to candidates.
How do the two camps differ?
Look at the key issue of water vs. housing, and let’s throw in the state mandate requiring that the city zone for an additional 692 homes.
Russom and Guthrie say the current water situation isn’t dire enough to warrant pulling the plug on housing production.
“We have dangers. We’ve got things we’ve got to deal with, but I want to be clear. We do have supply. And what we also have is a critical need for affordable housing,” Russom told The Tribune Editorial Board.
The other candidates aren’t buying it.
“I would stop allowing new houses being built,” Franco said. “We don’t have enough water for our own citizens.”
Hanson, who faults government for not moving forward with a plan to use the desalination plant at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, is OK with building more homes — but only if we can move on desal.
And Powell doesn’t believe the state has any business telling the city how much housing it needs to add. Period.
“I do not believe the state should be dictating anything that our city does. I think we need to reclaim our sovereignty, our independence and go back to our fundamental rights and foundation,” she said.
She applies that same philosophy to the COVID pandemic.
“We do not follow any mandates that are not laws,” she told the editorial board. “They have to be laws and we have to welcome dissenting views. Talk to local doctors that were censored and silenced and bullied (about their views on COVID).“
Being angry at government is one thing.
Who hasn’t been disgusted with City Hall or county government at one time or another?
But venting isn’t enough to bring about change.
Candidates for office should present feasible solutions — not just a laundry list of complaints or outrageous suggestions such as ignoring state mandates.
For that reason, we strongly urge voters to choose Russom and Guthrie.
Both candidates are smart, hard-working and have extensive experience in local government.
Russom has roughly 10 years of experience on the council, first as a council member and later as mayor. She also briefly served on the Board of Supervisors to fill out the term of the late Supervisor Paul Teixeira.
Guthrie spent several years on the Planning Commission, was on the City Council from 2004 to 2016, then took a break. He returned to the Planning Commission in 2021.
True, not everyone sees lengthy service in office as a good thing. We agree that fresh perspectives can be invigorating — but that must be accompanied by a thorough knowledge of the issues and an understanding of what it takes to run a city.
Russom and Guthrie have the nuts-and-bolts knowledge of how city government operates, along with the ability to work with other local agencies. That’s critical, because like it or not, Arroyo Grande is not an island unto itself.
Given the challenges facing the city of Arroyo Grande — its streets are badly in need of repair, and issues like homelessness, drought and climate change are ever-present — it’s wise to stick with experienced candidates who take a pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
The Tribune strongly endorses Caren Ray Russom for mayor and Jim Guthrie for City Council.
This story was originally published October 5, 2022 at 5:30 AM.