Editorial: Clear Choices

The campaign for two seats on City Council has highlighted significant differences among the four candidates. Our most critical challenges require support from other jurisdictions at the regional, state, and federal levels. This means we need leaders who know how to build trust and negotiate alliances.

Terry Gaasterland is an eight-year incumbent, so we have ample evidence of her approach to regional relationships. Two damning examples stand out:

• At SANDAG, instead of supporting the nominees who had majority support for election to Board leadership positions, she chose to participate in a showy, staged walkout in protest of the vote. And how was that received? The newly-elected Vice Chair said, “The idea that we’re going to throw a fit and walk out of meetings if we think things aren’t going to go our way is not how democracy is supposed to work.”
• After Del Mar, Solana Beach, and the 22nd DAA signed a carefully crafted joint resolution with mutually agreed-upon goals and objectives related to SANDAG’s rail realignment project, Gaasterland made statements to the media that the 22nd DAA Board saw as a clear violation of that joint resolution, causing them to pause housing negotiations with Del Mar. As one board member said about Gaasterland’s conduct, “We had a deal, and Del Mar broke the deal. It’s as simple as that.”

It is clear that Gaasterland is not the candidate who can build trust and create effective alliances with those we need as our regional allies.

Candidate Jeff Sturgis does not offer a realistic plan as to how he would rebuild the regional relationships he calls “demonstrably ineffective” on his campaign website. Citing the Fair Board’s decision to say “no” to an affordable housing site, he says on his website, “This is emblematic of the majority of residents that cite ‘Del Mar hires consultants and studies everything to death, but never does anything.’”  This is a garbled analysis, at best, and does not signal a candidate who has a workable plan for repairing our regional relationships.

The other two candidates, Meghan Spieker and Jas Grewal, offer better strategies, summed up as bridge-building and collaboration. It may sound appealing to declare that Del Mar alone should control its fate — regional, state, and federal statutes be damned — but that simplistic approach has already cost us.

Candidates Spieker and Grewal offer constructive engagement strategies to work with other jurisdictions to find solutions for mutual benefit. Spieker brings an impressive background in solving complex legal and business issues, as well as nonprofit leadership. Grewal’s experience as a banking executive and extensive service on a variety of Del Mar advisory committees will allow her to hit the ground running.  Both are members of the Planning Commission, which is an ideal training ground for Council service.

We have two candidates who seem ideally suited to repair Del Mar’s reputation and guide us through intricate, consequential challenges. Electing Spieker and Grewal is our best way to move forward constructively and effectively.