There is a tendency among some around here to think of the sign wars as a symptom of some uniquely quarrelsome gene hidden in the Coastside body politic. In reality, it’s more of a virus, one that has spread from sea to shining sea.
-- In suburban Washington D.C. a Green Party candidate complains that his opponent’s signs were displayed too early.
|
|
-- In Quincy, Mass., a mayoral candidate says local police have been intimidating Asian business owners into displaying signs of his opponent.
And on it goes. So don’t think there is anything peculiar about someone spray-painting over a Half Moon Bay City Council candidate’s campaign signs last week. No, hardly a campaign season goes by without someone on the coast complaining to us about something that happened to some campaign signs somewhere.
Look, who the heck cares? There are important issues in the city and the placement or defacement of campaign signs is not one of them.
An anonymous poster on the Review’s Talkabout Web forum made a very good point over the weekend. He (or she) was writing about what he (or she) considers rather trivial issues that seem to have stolen the limelight this time around: “We have far bigger issues as a community to deal with than ‘recycled water’ or ‘ecotourism.’ … (This is) a community with young people with little to do, schools that need support and accountability, a business district that needs a more friendly city … seniors needing better transportation services, and a growing drug and gang problem. These are serious problems and challenges that require more than lip service.”
It was perhaps the most coherent of dozens of posts on the subject over the weekend. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that ecotourism or recycled water are trivial, but I would agree that voters should to consider community issues beyond the election itself.
With that in mind, you can hear from the candidates themselves This week.
On Wednesday, the Midcoast Community Council is hosting a forum for candidates for the Coastside Fire Protection District, the Coastside County Water District and the Granada Sanitary District boards. The forum begins at 7:30 p.m. at Seton Coastside Medical Center in Moss Beach.
On Thursday night, the League of Women Voters, in conjunction with the Government Affairs Committee of the local chamber of commerce is hosting a forum for Half Moon Bay City Council candidates. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Ted Adcock Community / Senior Center on Kelly Avenue.
-- Clay Lambert
w