It’s a big election year in Grover Beach. Here are our endorsements | Opinion
For the past several months, water — and more specifically, water rates — have dominated the political landscape in Grover Beach, where voters will choose a new mayor and District 3 city councilmember.
Both races are wide open, since neither Mayor Karen Bright nor Councilmember Zach Zimmerman is running for reelection.
Incumbent Clint Weirick, who was appointed to the District 4 council seat in 2022, is running unopposed.
There are two other items on the ballot: A measure to roll back water and sewer rates and a proposal to recall Councilmember Daniel Rushing, who initially supported the higher rates.
Bright and Zimmerman were also targeted for recall, though both said personal commitments — rather than the effort to force them out — were the reason they decided not to run again.
Race for mayor includes familiar faces
Three candidates are running for mayor: Current City Councilmember Robert Robert; Kassi Dee, who owns and operates a local business and chairs the city Parks and Recreation Commission; and Debbie Peterson, who served on the council and as mayor for several years, beginning in 2008 and ending in 2019.
Robert has been a solid councilmember who knows the issues and, as mayor pro tem, has done a serviceable job when running meetings in Bright’s absence.
Robert is well-qualified, but all things considered, Dee is our top choice.
She would be a voice for the business community — she owns and operates Nan’s, a bookstore that was started by her grandmother, Nan Fowler, and has been a South County institution for decades.
At 29, Dee would bring a youthful perspective that’s too often lacking on local councils and commissions.
She has experience in local government and in running meetings; she’s served on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission for four years, the last two as chair.
She knows Grover Beach inside and out, having lived in the community most of her life.
“I grew up attending City Council meetings, volunteering at the Stone Soup Festival and playing in our incredible parks,” she writes on her website.
Best of all, she would bring energy, enthusiasm and a positive outlook to a community that’s been unnecessarily divided into two factions over the water rate controversy.
Should Dee win, Robert would still be on the council. He has two years left on his term, which means he could remain as a steady, stabilizing force on the council.
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.
‘The Happiest Corruption’
Peterson, on the other hand, has been anything but stabilizing. She is a corruption-buster in search of a scandal, regardless of whether or not there are credible allegations.
She is ambitious, articulate and has an impressive backstory that includes starting a successful business in Scotland. But rather than working toward consensus, she sows distrust in government and divides communities.
She abruptly resigned from the City Council in 2019, saying she could no longer serve alongside colleagues she believed to be corrupt. At the time, city officials said they had found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Since then, she has parlayed her time as a councilmember and mayor into a cottage industry by writing books about her experience.
The first is a sensational tell-all, “The Happiest Corruption; Sleaze, Lies, & Suicide in a California Beach Town.”
The suicide referred to the late county Supervisor Adam Hill, who committed took his life by overdose while being investigated for accepting bribes in exchange for votes. Peterson, however, took things a step further by speculating that it could have been murder.
“It would have been so easy to lace Hill’s cocaine with something more lethal,” she wrote.
More recently, she’s been a driving force behind the move to repeal water rate increases and to recall those who voted in favor of them.
Citizens have the right to oppose rate increases, but attempting to recall three members of the council who supported them — not for personal gain — but to ensure the continued, safe operation of the city’s water and sewer services is as mean-spirited as it is absurd.
City Council race
Two candidates are running for the District 3 seat: Marsha Bolyanatz, a grant writer, and Kathy McCorry, the former CEO of the South County Chambers of Commerce. She currently is director of operations for Restorative Partners, a nonprofit that works with both victims of crime and offenders.
Both candidates have impressive resumes, but McCorry’s experience on government and quasi-government boards and commissions, including the 35th District Fair Board, the Maricopa County Economic Development Council and various tourism boards, gives her the edge.
She knows South County issues, and she’ll be able to provide insight into how the city can advance as a tourist destination.
McCorry would provide the kind of constructive leadership Grover Beach needs. Dee would as well, in addition to being in the vanguard of a new generation of leaders.
The Tribune strongly endorses Kassi Dee for Grover Beach mayor and Kathy McCorry for District 3 City Council.