Editorial: Big Shoes to Fill

With three candidates for three council seats, Del Mar will have one new council member (John Spelich), and two second term members (Tracy Martinez and Dan Quirk) each with four years of experience. Terry Gaasterland is halfway through her second term. The resignation of Dwight Worden and the departure of Mayor David Druker after five terms in office represent a significant loss in the historical perspective of Del Mar politics over the last several decades. Worden previously served as Del Mar’s City Attorney from 1977 until 1983.

What makes this loss of experience significant is twofold as it is both the council members’ institutional knowledge of Del Mar’s slow implementation of our community plan and the standing personal relationships built up over the years,with other elected officials serving on our regional committees. It takes time and patience to become an effective ambassador for Del Mar and gain credibility in entities like SANDAG, NCTD (North County Transit District), and CEA (Clean Energy Alliance).

Druker and Worden, the primary representatives for Del Mar on many of the regional committees, will need to be replaced. While Gaasterland and Martinez have some appointments, Dan Quirk has no primary regional appointments after his removal as the NCTD Board member in 2022 for advancing his own views rather than those of the council.

That leaves new council member John Spelich as the likely choice to fill several of the positions vacated by Druker and Worden. Big shoes to fill.

What should be considered is bringing back some former council members and some long-term Del Mar residents to provide advice to the new council. This would be similar to the practice of many non-profit organizations of having former board members serving on an advisory board. More participation in existing advisory committees would also help if the new council will actually listen to their advice.

In short, we think that the citizens of Del Mar need to step up and help the new council be more effective and move forward with the best possible perspective on what has made Del Mar the special place we all treasure.