Already?.) If I’m reading the election info page correctly, today is the last day to qualify, so unless someone else files today, this is the full field.
Meanwhile I’ve gotten some campaign mailers and leaflets. So far they vary along a continuum from bland (Ariel Fernandez) to vaguely repulsive (Sandra Murado). To the limited extent they discuss issues, they all are for trees and city beautification, and against crime, road congestion, and high taxes. Where they differ is the extent to which they have demonstrated a zeal to cut city workers’ pensions. Personally, I’m not real impressed by a candidate whose claim to fame is chomping on the hides of city workers, most of whom don’t get high salaries.
Other than pension “reform” will there be any actual issues in this campaign, or will it be one of personalities and track records? Not that in fairly good times (we have a great new City Manager) there’s necessarily anything wrong with that: It could be that for small-city government, when there’s no crisis personality is a reasonable basic litmus test. But for folks like me who don’t pay attention except briefly every two years, that makes it just that much tougher to figure out who to vote for.
