EDITORIAL
Valley Journal endorses candidates
Newspapers all over the country make it their
standard practice to stay out of politics. As a matter of policy, they neither
endorse nor oppose candidates for public office, on the theory that taking a
position in electoral contests somehow abridges their neutrality in covering
the news.
There’s a sense in which we’d like to do the
same thing. But, after careful introspection, we decided that we just cannot do
that. Like everyone else who lives and works in the valley, we have a duty to
be a good citizen, and that means telling our readers what we think about
things that are potentially very important. Besides, we think it’s a disservice
to the community to assert neutrality as the golden standard of journalism when
the proper standard should be honesty.
Two races in the June 3 balloting concern us:
the Superior Court judge selection, and the contest for 3rd District
Supervisor.
Senior Deputy District Attorney John
MacKinnon strikes us as the best choice for a seat on the Superior Court bench.
He has a dozen years experience as a prosecutor, which is more than simple
lawyering. As the senior deputy DA, MacKinnon was, in effect, the lead field
officer for the prosecutor’s office, a frontline position in which he made
important tactical and strategic decisions about how to apply the law to the
everyday turbulence of lives that often were akimbo.
Most people do just break the law on a whim.
They do it when they see no less risky way to live in a community. Dealing with
those people, with their troubles and with the troubles they bring to the rest
of us, requires an understanding of the human condition that goes well beyond
simply declaring someone innocent or guilty. And understanding how to use the
law to rescue lives that can be rescued, and to constrain the behavior of those
who are beyond rescue, is an awesome skill. It’s a skill we think MacKinnon
possesses, as he has shown over the years working closely with the county’s
drug court and with substance abuse professionals.
Here in the valley, we take note of one more
achievement attributable to MacKinnon: he created the Rural Crime Task Force,
which has been instrumental in focusing law enforcement efforts on the special
needs of the agricultural areas of the county, notably the Santa Ynez Valley,
at a time when police forces are becoming more and more urban-oriented.
We think that MacKinnon will make a fine
judge, because he will bring his breadth and sensitivity of knowledge and
understanding of the law to the bench with him, and he will not soon forget the
special circumstances of places like the valley as cases involving the peculiar
needs and circumstances of the rural population of the valley come before him.
Likewise, we are very impressed with Steve
Pappas, who, we think, is far and away the best choice for 3rd District
supervisor.
Pappas’ opponents, frankly, just cannot
represent the valley and its residents as effectively as he can, nor do we
think any of them would try as hard. David Bearman, though clearly an intelligent
man, lacks any association with the valley, its values or its way of life.
Victoria Pointer lacks significant experience, and frankly hasn’t mounted much
of a campaign. Doreen Farr, a much stronger candidate than either Bearman or
Pointer, is something of an ausländer, an import from the 2nd District. And her
association with that district gives her a decidedly more urban point of view
than we would expect to see here in the valley. Dave Smyser is, well … we aren’t
sure how anyone can take him seriously. He’s never, so far as we can tell, seen
anything through to the end. It’s as if he suffers from attention deficit
disorder. He’s been elected and appointed to important positions as long as he’s
been around here, which isn’t really all that long, and he’s gone over the side
from every one rather than stay aboard for the complete voyage. Why would
anyone want to vote for a candidate with a history like that? Nor, for that
matter, can we understand how anyone would be attracted to him after learning
that his principal backers are well-heeled developers who don’t live around
here.
Pappas, on the other hand, has proven his
dedication to local residents and property owners and to the valley’s special
interests by his involvement in local politics and issues for many years.
He’s president of the Los Olivos School
District Board of Trustees, and is a local businessman — not once, but
twice, by virtue of owning and operating two companies. One of those companies
works to hold down the cost of workers’ compensation claims. His business
acumen and experience will benefit not only the residents of the 3rd District,
but the whole county, if he is elected.
We urge voters in the valley to consider
carefully the candidates and the issues, and to take seriously their obligation
as citizens to cast a thoughtful and effective ballot — and to vote on
June 3 for John MacKinnon and Steve Pappas.
That’ll be 2 cents, please.