Tuesday’s primary produced some surprising, and some not-so-surprising results. As expected, Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s particular polite brand of politics was validated by voters, but other races slapped political insiders right across the face.
Co-hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts were joined this week by two guests who helped offer some insights into how things parsed out.
Laura Fink, who runs a political consulting firm, and Aimee Faucett, who helps run the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, agreed that the two contests with the most unexpected results were the races for City Council District 1 and city attorney office.
“Those two really stood out in my mind because conventional wisdom was defied,” Fink said.
Deputy City Attorney Mara Elliott was the underdog in both donations and endorsements, but she shocked everyone Tuesday when she sailed through the primary. And in a crowded race that wasn’t expected to produce a clear winner until November, votes are still being counted but businesswoman Barbara Bry is getting very close to the more than 50 percent needed to secure a seat.
“That in and of itself seemed to defy political gravity,” Fink said of the big turnout for Bry.
Faucett told Lewis that if Bry does win, the folks the Chamber of Commerce represents have some questions.
“The business community does have concern about how far she will go relating to pension reform,” Faucett said.
Also on this week’s podcast, Keatts and Lewis talk about their late-night election coverage and dive deeper into some of the results. Plus, they reveal the newly organized opposition to the Chargers’ plan.
Hero of the Week
The folks behind a new nonprofit created to save the crumbling Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park get a big thumbs-up this week. Save Starlight is working to revamp the large outdoor amphitheater, which is one of the many assets in Balboa Park in need of some care.
Goat of the Week
Poway Unified School District is on its way to earning the most goat awards ever. The district is in the news again for its questionable financial dealings. VOSD’s Ashly McGlone highlighted some big questions about a contract with the financial firm Dolinka Group. The contract surpassed a not-to-exceed amount by a lot of money, and while district staff are defending it, a few board members are asking for an audit.