18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 10-16, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Politics isn’t pretty—but it’s time for voters to make choices. Our endorsements in local, state and national elections. By the Editorial Board As this issue went to press, ballots were in the mail. Maybe a candidate has knocked on your door, asking for your vote. The people running for local office—for city councils, for school boards, for water boards—stand to make a significant impact on your community. Every election cycle, our editorial board invites the candidates to share their vision with us so we can understand what is motivating them to run and make recommendations to our readers. There’s a lot to decide on in Monterey County this Nov. 5. In the pages that follow, you can read our endorsements in many local elections—but due to time and space constraints we have not made endorsements in every local race. As we’ve interviewed and emailed with dozens of candidates, we’ve seen a wildly broad range of experience. There are some great leaders in the mix, able to articulate great ideas. There are also some terrible ideas. We ask candidates questions, and also review their record, comments in candidate forums and other information about their platforms before we deliberate and try to reach consensus among ourselves. Sometimes the decision is obvious to us, and other times it’s much harder to find an inspiring, prepared candidate—or there might be multiple such candidates. One thing we hear from non-voters in local elections is that they don’t vote because they don’t know the issues. We hope that even if you don’t agree with our choices, that you feel like you know the issues and the candidates better—and, most importantly, that you vote. The Editorial Board comprises Weekly Founder & CEO Bradley Zeve, Publisher Erik Cushman and Editor Sara Rubin. The judgements of our editorial board are made independently of the Weekly’s news team. Photos by Daniel Dreifuss THE ENDORSEMENT CITIES Carmel Dave Potter for Mayor Carmel is unique and beautiful. We all know that. But what is Carmelby-the-Sea’s “character” since it’s no longer a hideaway for bohemians and artists, when the median home price today is $3.1 million? With an increase of second-home owners and a subsequent decrease in economic diversity (well, all diversity) in the city, over 40 percent of the 3,134 housing units are generally vacant. Twenty-seven percent of the city’s revenue comes from property taxes, so the recent rise in home values directly benefits city coffers. But how ought the city appeal to locals and those who work in the city, but commute from elsewhere? How ought the city move forward? Five candidates for two open seats on council and three candidates for mayor offer different visions, from the macro to the micro scale. They diverge on whether to create addresses (we think it’s past time), where much-needed housing should be built (we think at least some should go on the Sunset Center parking lot, instead of piecemealing it throughout the village) and whether the current council was right to kill the cool parklets that local restaurateurs built during Covid. Councilmember Jeff Baron is running for mayor from a safe seat while he’s midterm on the council. We think he has grown into the role and is a champion of some controversial but important issues: He voted yes to implement street addresses instead of punting it to voters in 2025, and he is a champion of getting state-mandated housing numbers built, despite the discomfort associated with them. But we see little reason to oust incumbent Dave Potter, a longtime politician. He’s a former Monterey City Council member, California Coastal Commissioner and county supervisor. Health issues are causing problems with his balance and his voice, but his mind remains sharp as a tack. The city continues to run well. Financial reserves are up 50 percent since Covid, annual hotel tax revenue is up from pre-pandemic 2019 levels, Carmel met a grace period deadline in getting its housing element approved, and four of the city employee unions are under contract. Potter knows city, county and statewide policies like the back of his hand. He has relationships up and down the government food chain. Also running for mayor is Dale Byrne, the founder of Carmel Cares, a volunteer civic organization that has taken the lead in lots of local beautification projects. Byrne has no experience in local government. We think Carmel would be far better served by either Baron or Potter in the mayor’s chair. During our interview, Potter’s inner feisty Irishman was on display when he said to the others: “Jeff, I think you should stay on council, I really like working with you. Dale, you should stay in your lane: Your lane is what you’re doing really well with Carmel Cares.” Potter wants one last term, and we think he’s earned it. Hans Buder and Bob Delves for City Council Hans Buder says his professional career is at the intersection of real estate and social impact; his specialty has been financing low-income and mixed-income developments. He is a member of the Forest and Beach Commission, serves on the board of the Carmel Residents Association The MPC Board of Trustees is perhaps the most dysfunctional local government body.
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