Ah, those Democrats. They know how to put on a show. The San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee met last week for its local endorsement session, and it brought to mind the Will Rogers quote: “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”
Endorsement committees interviewed candidates for the Board of Supervisors in Districts 2 and 3, assessor/clerk/recorder and sheriff, and recommended, respectively, San Mateo-Foster City School Trustee Noelia Corzo, San Carlos Councilmember Laura Parmer-Lohan, businessman David Pollack and Sheriff’s Capt. Christina Corpus. The Corpus endorsement over incumbent Sheriff Carlos Bolanos was approved without comment.
But when it came to all the hard work of the endorsement committees, their recommendations were given the equivalent of lovely parting gifts.
The Central Committee endorsed Menlo Park Councilman Ray Mueller over Parmer-Lohan by a dramatic margin. In the race between Corzo and Belmont Councilmember Charles Stone, neither of them reached the 60% endorsement threshold, with Stone getting 57% to Corzo's 43%. And in the race for assessor-clerk-recorder and chief elections officer race between Pollack and incumbent Mark Church, it was evident no one likes Church, particularly, but Central Committee members also described Pollack, in the words of one member, as "woefully unqualified."
LET ME EXPLAIN: Let us bestow on Mark Olbert the benefit of the doubt and assume the former member of the San Carlos City Council had the best of intentions at a time of changing landscape.
Olbert put together a panel of “former elected officials from San Carlos” who will discuss the topic, “Running for Office and Serving the Public” this Monday evening. I have no doubt he saw it as a public service — help the kids out on what it takes to win and do the job.
Anyway, Olbert dutifully set about publicizing the event and it took no time at all for people to notice that all seven panelists are what we here in this column call unmistakably white guys.
Admittedly, San Carlos has not been on the cutting edge when it comes to electing women. But there are two on the City Council now, Laura Parmer-Lohan, and Mayor Sara McDowell, and former Councilmember Inge Tiegel currently is serving as city treasurer. So, there were women close at hand, as it were.
In an exchange on Nextdoor, Olbert said he did try to contact past women councilmembers, but he avoided those currently serving on San Carlos council or school board “to avoid any potential Brown Act issues,” suggesting a minimal understanding of the Brown Act, which sets the rules for elected officials participating in public and private meetings.
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One Nextdoor denizen posted, “Welcome to the old white guys club.” Responded Olbert, “All the more reason for more women to hear what’s involved so they can decide to run.”
Yes. Well.
It seems unlikely women have been pestering Olbert to explain politics, or that they need an explanation.
The shifting landscape I referenced is likely to manifest itself this November. Nearly every city in the county, including San Carlos, has moved its elections to even-numbered years. Combined with district elections affecting nearly every jurisdiction, 2022 should be a year of sweeping change.
Young, progressive people of color, a substantial number of whom are women, are asserting themselves in the June 7 primary elections, but countywide seats and legislative offices are a tough nut to crack for first-time candidates. My guess is that local school and council elections will be the first level of success for a new generation of officeholders, and that the revolution will be underway.
How much money candidates raise and from whom is a critical element of any political campaign and, no surprise, is revealing about how they will vote. Among the things candidates do with that money is send you mail, post ads on social media and air mainstream media ads, all of which also will tell you where they stand on the issues they think are important to you. I wonder how many people who complain will soon announce they are sick of campaign mailings and throw them out without looking at them. The campaigns all have websites and you ought to look at those. Finally, the Daily Journal, bastion of journalistic integrity, will be running profiles on the candidates. They will be on the front page. Hard to miss.
Meanwhile, I am going to follow the money.
Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.
Mark, I will put my knowledge of the Brown Act up against yours any day of the week. You followed it. I had to obey it.
More importantly, you ignored the rest of what I put in that NextDoor post. Nice cherry-picking, wise guy.
I do agree it would've been better to have some women on the panel. If I hadn't been pressed for time I could've done more outreach and found some. Yes, it's on me that I didn't do that. But as a private citizen attempting to do something to help more people learn how to run for office -- something that I don't recall the Council every taking up, despite my request they do so when I was serving on it, or you, either, for that matter (apologies if you did but I didn't notice it) -- I hope the panel will motivate more people to run.
Including more women, and people of any other gender. Or have you forgotten that there are more than two?
RWC_Resident, many would say Mr. Olbert has the same issue with his hands, as a history of Mr. Olbert’s LTE’s and comments would show. Unfortunately nowadays this appears to be standard operating procedure, as we have folks cherry-picking data to insist there’s man-made global warming, or cherry-picking so-called experts to write a paper to convince us of this same man-made global warming farce, or cherry-picking portions of quotes in an attempt to promote outrage against an opponent. Readers beware. Take everyone’s data and their conclusions with a grain of salt and do the research to learn the facts. After a while you identify folks who don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Mr. Simon – yes, please continue to follow the money. In addition to detailing records on key votes or on accomplishments, if any, as opposed to a candidate’s “promises” which cost nothing to say.
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(6) comments
Mark, I will put my knowledge of the Brown Act up against yours any day of the week. You followed it. I had to obey it.
More importantly, you ignored the rest of what I put in that NextDoor post. Nice cherry-picking, wise guy.
I do agree it would've been better to have some women on the panel. If I hadn't been pressed for time I could've done more outreach and found some. Yes, it's on me that I didn't do that. But as a private citizen attempting to do something to help more people learn how to run for office -- something that I don't recall the Council every taking up, despite my request they do so when I was serving on it, or you, either, for that matter (apologies if you did but I didn't notice it) -- I hope the panel will motivate more people to run.
Including more women, and people of any other gender. Or have you forgotten that there are more than two?
Mark Simon's hands are permanently stained red from all the years of cherry-picking to fit his own narrative.
RWC_Resident, many would say Mr. Olbert has the same issue with his hands, as a history of Mr. Olbert’s LTE’s and comments would show. Unfortunately nowadays this appears to be standard operating procedure, as we have folks cherry-picking data to insist there’s man-made global warming, or cherry-picking so-called experts to write a paper to convince us of this same man-made global warming farce, or cherry-picking portions of quotes in an attempt to promote outrage against an opponent. Readers beware. Take everyone’s data and their conclusions with a grain of salt and do the research to learn the facts. After a while you identify folks who don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
This would be more meaningful if you used a name. Perhaps a made-up name. That might even be fun.
If you think the Brown Act precluded you from inviting a single current officeholder, then you don't understand the Brown Act.
Mr. Simon – yes, please continue to follow the money. In addition to detailing records on key votes or on accomplishments, if any, as opposed to a candidate’s “promises” which cost nothing to say.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.