ARTICLE
As I noted last week, election results will linger for the next month as our county elections officer and her staff continue to count ballots. The early mail-in ballots and election night tallies make me think about the famous Yogi Berra quote, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” We won’t see the final vote certification until the end of November. What we see from these early results in Santa Cruz County is a voting trend that tells me the community is ready for change. In this article, here in Santa Cruz County, we are fortunate to have two online media outlets that have done an excellent job reporting the up-to-the-minute election coverage. Let’s mention Lookout Santa Cruz —https://lookout.co/santacruz/ and Santa Cruz Local https://santacruzlocal.org who have presented us with easy access and a detailed overview of each election result. We know that early returns are only a first glance at the election night results and we must not judge these voting tallies as the final so we are very cautious to predict the final outcome in some races. There are a few undecided races (too close to declare a winner, but we’ll hold on reporting those tallies for now). As I look across the state and the nation, I see a really sharply divided politic that has sucked the air out of the 2022 campaign. In some ways, sadly Santa Cruz County has followed suit. We bottomed out in how we perceive the elected process — pitting neighbor against neighbor and the ideology that one group believes that their opinions and policy ideals are far better than their opponents. The vicious and shameful comments on all sides during the past year plus does one of two things — it freezes out the value of the common good. And, in many instances, the average voter just throws up their hands and doesn’t participate. The reality — no one group has the moral authority on the future of our community. It is a collective and collaborative effort that can and will make the difference. The voters' voice is strong and clear: They want accountability, economic certainty and a path that moves our community forward — not backward. For over 30 plus years during my professional career I have had the good fortune of working for public officials (at all levels of government) who, no matter what their political leanings were, they always found ways to embrace their colleagues on the other side of the political aisle and seek common solutions to complex problems. While the election counting continues there is still the noise of those in the greater Santa Cruz County community that will fight change, whether it is a transportation improvement plan or the expansion of the downtown plan. This week’s Santa Cruz City Council meeting is an example of those in the community who want to slow and stop progress on our downtown while the city staff and the voters are seeking a clear picture about our downtown future. Of course, the impact will be a narrow discussion about building height, building massing and a host of other environmental issues that are embedded in a land use policy decision. Today, we are at that crossroad where next month we’ll have a new group of leaders who must band together and see the big picture, avoid the pitfalls that got us here and practice a process of delivering fundamentally sound policies, projects and programs that are economically viable for our community’s future. If this election has been made clear — at least to me — Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz County elected leaders cannot stand idle in the past but have a forward looking view so our next generation has a better opportunity to live, work and play in our coastal communities.
As I noted last week, election results will linger for the next month as our county elections officer and her staff continue to count ballots. The early mail-in ballots and election night tallies make me think about the famous Yogi Berra quote, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” We won’t see the final vote certification until the end of November.
What we see from these early results in Santa Cruz County is a voting trend that tells me the community is ready for change. In this article, here in Santa Cruz County, we are fortunate to have two online media outlets that have done an excellent job reporting the up-to-the-minute election coverage. Let’s mention Lookout Santa Cruz —https://lookout.co/santacruz/ and Santa Cruz Local https://santacruzlocal.org who have presented us with easy access and a detailed overview of each election result. We know that early returns are only a first glance at the election night results and we must not judge these voting tallies as the final so we are very cautious to predict the final outcome in some races. There are a few undecided races (too close to declare a winner, but we’ll hold on reporting those tallies for now).
As I look across the state and the nation, I see a really sharply divided politic that has sucked the air out of the 2022 campaign. In some ways, sadly Santa Cruz County has followed suit. We bottomed out in how we perceive the elected process — pitting neighbor against neighbor and the ideology that one group believes that their opinions and policy ideals are far better than their opponents. The vicious and shameful comments on all sides during the past year plus does one of two things — it freezes out the value of the common good. And, in many instances, the average voter just throws up their hands and doesn’t participate.
The reality — no one group has the moral authority on the future of our community. It is a collective and collaborative effort that can and will make the difference. The voters' voice is strong and clear: They want accountability, economic certainty and a path that moves our community forward — not backward.
For over 30 plus years during my professional career I have had the good fortune of working for public officials (at all levels of government) who, no matter what their political leanings were, they always found ways to embrace their colleagues on the other side of the political aisle and seek common solutions to complex problems.
While the election counting continues there is still the noise of those in the greater Santa Cruz County community that will fight change, whether it is a transportation improvement plan or the expansion of the downtown plan. This week’s Santa Cruz City Council meeting is an example of those in the community who want to slow and stop progress on our downtown while the city staff and the voters are seeking a clear picture about our downtown future. Of course, the impact will be a narrow discussion about building height, building massing and a host of other environmental issues that are embedded in a land use policy decision.
Today, we are at that crossroad where next month we’ll have a new group of leaders who must band together and see the big picture, avoid the pitfalls that got us here and practice a process of delivering fundamentally sound policies, projects and programs that are economically viable for our community’s future. If this election has been made clear — at least to me — Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz County elected leaders cannot stand idle in the past but have a forward looking view so our next generation has a better opportunity to live, work and play in our coastal communities.