Independent Endorsements Questioned
I've heard more than a few candidates question The Indy's endorsements this year -- especially since Indy management apparently did not conduct interviews with all candidates. To be fair, I don't know if they interviewed anyone. Still, either course of action would be a marked change in policy from more years than I can remember.
There has always been a ringer in The Indy endorsement that is a bit of a surprise. This year one might look at the SB School District race where Annette Cordero has hardly campaigned and two other candidates who are hardly known are getting the nod over State Superintendent Jack O'Connell and Rep. Lois Capps endorsed Ed Heron. Cordero, who deserves another term, does not look like she wants it. Heron, who is too polite to be one of the ones who wrote to me, is someone I have been watching because of his broad-based, bi-partisan support.
In the Carpinteria City Council race non-endorsement endorsement, they say that Joe Armendariz has brought "intelligence, civility, good faith, and common sense to the [Carpinteria City] Council proceedings." Their reasons for endorsing the other candidates were good but their positive reasons for not endorsing Armendariz don't make sense.
Has the polarization witnessed by otherwise God-fearing people on the national level trickled down to Santa Barbara like so many tax breaks for the rich? Errr, maybe not as they never trickle down but you get my point....this hurts to say as I have good friends at The Independent but doesn't The Indy not interviewing candidates make them no better than COLAB endorsing Tony Strickland?
There has always been a ringer in The Indy endorsement that is a bit of a surprise. This year one might look at the SB School District race where Annette Cordero has hardly campaigned and two other candidates who are hardly known are getting the nod over State Superintendent Jack O'Connell and Rep. Lois Capps endorsed Ed Heron. Cordero, who deserves another term, does not look like she wants it. Heron, who is too polite to be one of the ones who wrote to me, is someone I have been watching because of his broad-based, bi-partisan support.
In the Carpinteria City Council race non-endorsement endorsement, they say that Joe Armendariz has brought "intelligence, civility, good faith, and common sense to the [Carpinteria City] Council proceedings." Their reasons for endorsing the other candidates were good but their positive reasons for not endorsing Armendariz don't make sense.
Has the polarization witnessed by otherwise God-fearing people on the national level trickled down to Santa Barbara like so many tax breaks for the rich? Errr, maybe not as they never trickle down but you get my point....this hurts to say as I have good friends at The Independent but doesn't The Indy not interviewing candidates make them no better than COLAB endorsing Tony Strickland?
Labels: Endorsements, Santa Barbara Independent
posted by Sara De la Guerra | 10/10/2008 07:52:00 PM
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16 Comments:
Ed Heron is definitely someone who is needed on this school board. He has strong business and management skills and is a devoted public servant as well.
We could do no better than having Ed Heron serve as a community watch dog on this very important board at this very important time of budgetary chaos. Thank you for bringing up this over sight by the Independent.
I don't know Mr. Heron so thanks for mentioning him. I've seen his signs and will look into his positions. I was not going to vote for Cordero whom I find too strident and polarizing.
But as for polarization, of course it's here. Always has been. I would not expect the Indy to endorse Strickland, for instance, any more than I would expect :::gasp::: you at Bloga to endorse him or COLAB to endorse Jackson. You pays your money (or not) and makes your own decision. (As for me I am not sure which I'll vote for but am leaning towards Strickland.)
Glad to see, though, that the Indy endorsed both Margaret Connell and Ed Eastman for Goleta. There's some nasty campaigning going on there now, emanating from the Blois-Gilman supporters that gave us Bennett/Onnen last time around.
Eastman made a very good proposal, that all contributions of $250 or more be reported to the Elections division within a day or two of receipt. Blois and Gilman reject that proposal. Wonder why! LOL.
Not much of a conspiracy here, Sara.
Whether the Independent had to interview candidates as a prerequisite for an endorsement is up to them, and is less relevant if the endorsement does or does not go to an incumbent with a conspicuous record, such as Cordero for School Board, who is running a lackluster campaign but does have a long record.
As for Joe Armendariz in Carpinteria, no endorsement for him makes total sense, totally.
Maybe the Independent thinks that a CONVICTED DRUNKEN DRIVER would not be a good City Council Member?
Maybe the Independent thinks the challenger candidates would be much, much better for Carpinteria?
Maybe the Independent thinks that Armendariz now has a thorough record and it stinks?
Maybe the Independent believes the ingrained ethical and financial conflicts of interest Armendariz has when, as the well-paid Executive for the Industrial Association, he works for the same big industries, such as Venoco, that he also evaluates while a sitting City Council Member who instead should govern on behalf of Carpinteria Citizens instead?
Maybe the Independent knows how Armendariz espouses his fake-world Libertarian theories of government whether it is deciding what to build in Carpinteria or how Santa Barbara should pay its contractors?
Maybe the Independent thinks Armendariz is a big hypocrite when his "taxpayers" association opposes or supports issues based on Libertarian and Republican political ideology and not how taxpayers really would save money?
Maybe the Independent knows that Armendariz would continue to be a detriment to the whole County through his votes as a member of LAFCO and SBCAG, which are are available to Armendariz because he is a City Council Member with a seat on those boards?
Sara, the Independent had many good reasons not to endorse Armendariz and instead to support smart and sensible challengers McQuary and Reddington instead.
Sara, It's sad the Indy didn't talk to Ed Heron. I think if you talk to him for just a few minutes you see how sincere he is about wanting every child to succeed, and he's worked for years to get businesses to help the students most in need through Partnership for Education and Computers for Families.
carpinteria warrior -- I'm actually not questioning their good reasons to endorse the other candidates. You bring up several that are important to some and not to others. Theya re to me but there is a bigger issue going on here. Should an endorsement process be conducted this way? I'm afraid the stakes have gotten so high that organizations are afraid of looking across the aisle.
It's official -- insane partisan hackery has now infected local politics.
Exhibit A: carpinteria warrior's post.
Shark, sometimes Democrats are simply the better candidate and Republicans have ethical and financial conflicts of interest.
Easton.
Sara, Carpinteria Warrior, who exhibits an unhealthy and fanatical dislike of Mr. Armendariz, should provide some evidence that Armendariz has a conflict of interest by serving on the city council. Otherwise such inflammatory and possibly libelous comments should be prohibited.
Carp Warrior actually did mention what h/she sees as a conflict -- I agree that proof is another matter as Armendariz would likely recuse himself if there were any conflicts. CW is a over the top and could chill a bit on this one but I am not clear it is libelous.
truth detector -- had to reject your comment, sorry. I don't allow references to someone's supposed identity even if it is in jext.
Venoco pays the salary of Armendariz as a member of Industrial Association.
http://www.sbtia.org/Board.html
Armendariz currently is a Carpinteria City Council Member, who decides on the future fortune of Venoco at the community expense of Carpinteria residents.
Therefore, both an ethical and financial conflict of interest, with a history of being a convicted drunken driver as a cherry on top. That is, a convicted drunken driver intending to enter the freeway occupied by other Carpinteria residents.
And someone still wonders why he fails to get endorsements?
It looks to me like Armendariz has his share of impressive endorsements: www.joearmendariz.com
And in fact, they look a lot more more impressive than the endorsements "Carpinteria Warrior" has so far received for his local race...
truth detector! At least it isn't obvious who you are pointing to.
I am not on the ballot for anything. How pathetic to think that.
I represent lots of voters in Carpinteria.
Think of it as the local equivalent of the "Bradley Effect" by Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters Against Drunk Driving.
Here's another puzzling endorsement by the Indy - the one for superior court judge.
http://www.independent.com/news/2008/oct/09/santa-barbara-countys-judicial-square/
They talk about John MacKinnon being young and very pro drug and alcohol recovery diversion instead of jail time, plus getting ALL of Santa Barbara and Goleta city council members/democrats to endorse him plus the DA and the Sheriff.
And then the Indy picks the other candidate because he had been an attorney longer and worked for the other judges. Doing WHAT you might ask? Well, Beebe says the last 18 years he has been in a little office writing opinions for the judges.
I thought this election was all about CHANGE! Replace the old with the new - get new energy and new ideas and break the bad habits the government has gotten us into.
Did the Independent screw this up too?
Judgeships in the county are just one more version of white male job security. Most cases are required to be farmed out to "alternative dispute resolution" and never get to court. Judge never sees them. Or they are financially drained dry early in the game by rapacious lawyers long before ever reaching a judge. Criminal cases of any merit are plea bargained long before they hit the bench and the rest are just paraded en masse for predictable rubber stamping on their verdicts. Volunteer attorneys staff small claims courts for free. And now you learn a staff person behind the scenes does all the heavy legal researching and writing the judge's opinions anyway.
So we need this over-bloated, over-white, over tenured bench for what reasons? Pick the guy you most want to get this life-time pension but for goodness sakes do not select him on any criteria for legal merit. Pick the one most deserving of public welfare and then leave him (it is always a him) alone.
Their only duty is to not look like they are falling asleep during the trials funded by megabucks that actually do get to have their day in court. American legal justice is just one more potlatch ritual with the money going to all the wrong people.
Lawyers should not be handed the POTUS or any other federal job. They are ill-suited to run anything. That is now what they were trained for. They are trained only to divide and conquer. No matter what side they end up on.
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