Well, it's been an interesting week in Santa Maria. Two evening candidate forums were scheduled this week by the League of Women Voters.
One Tin Soldier is informed that both of the two incumbent city council members who are up for election in November (Marty Mariscal and Alice Patino) declined to attend these meet-the-candidate events.
Well, that spurred another flurry of letters to the editor of the Santa Maria Times. League of Women Voters President, Jennifer Barber, wrote on September 27, 2006, that for the live TV debate to be held on public-access TV, "Six council candidates were invited . . ., and only three will be attending."
She didn't mention which three.
We didn't have to wait long. Lynn Melville, who wrote the previous Santa Maria Times letter on September 24th, chimed in with her letter on September 28th, saying, "I've just been informed by the League that neither of the two incumbent council members who are up for election in November -- Marty Mariscal and Alice Patino -- will be attending these meet-the-candidate nights."
Melville asks, "What are they afraid of?"
She asks if Mariscal and Patino are afraid they'll be asked about the diluent-contaminated soil from Guadalupe being transferred to the Santa Maria landfill, the continued promotion of the county split after studies showed it to be a losing proposition, the fact that the citizens of Santa Maria haven't been able to vote for their mayor in the last ten years (due to mayors resigning mid-term), and the forced retirement of former Police Chief John Sterling, despite hundreds of citizens pleading that he be retained.
She concludes by saying that, "The citizens of Santa Maria deserve city council members who are willing to attend public meetings and be accountable for their actions."
One Tin Soldier agrees.
(September 29th -- Tin Soldier has just been informed that Mariscal decided to attend the Thursday night event -- and both Mariscal and Patino attended the live TV debate on public-access TV Friday night.
Democracy in action.)
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