If you’re not from San Benito County, or even if you are but do
not pay much attention to local politics, the titanic labels
appearing on the backs of a few automobiles might produce little
more than a shrug and a passing thought of
”
what’s that all about?
”
But I do have the dubious privilege of knowing what the signs
are about, and it makes me angry.
If you’re not from San Benito County, or even if you are but do not pay much attention to local politics, the titanic labels appearing on the backs of a few automobiles might produce little more than a shrug and a passing thought of “what’s that all about?”
But I do have the dubious privilege of knowing what the signs are about, and it makes me angry.
There are two supervisorial terms that are up on June 6. In both, the incumbents are faced with two challengers. With three candidates in each race, it should be simple enough to actually find something to be enthusiastic about – to actually support – rather than focusing on a not-so-clever play on one candidate’s name.
Because that’s what the signs are all about. Tracie Cone, who had my job until she retired last August, is one of the people generous enough to run for the board of supervisors.
Her district is enormous, covering all of southern San Benito County as far north as Ridgemark and that edge of Hollister. The pay is low. The aggravation is high. In spite of that, Cone is joined in the race by the incumbent, Reb Monaco, and longtime County Clerk John Hodges.
Rather than embracing the notion that there are three qualified candidates holding themselves up for public scrutiny and, ultimately, ballot box evaluation, the “No Cone Zone” troops appear to prefer going negative.
Marvin Jones of Hollister is active in most things political around here. His van sports one of the signs. I like Marvin, and I enjoy his sense of humor most of the time. I asked him about the signs this week.
The phrase was coined during a gathering of the San Benito County Militia. The Militia is a group that’s much less threatening than its name might suggest. A more accurate name would be “The Group of Mostly Retired, Mostly Conservative Guys Who Like to Drink Coffee and Gossip Together.”
So one of the militia wags borrowed a page from the Caltrans playbook, some magnetic signs were made and the rest is history.
But it’s not history yet. The election is still a month away.
In our conversation, Jones described the signs as fun, and he opined that anyone qualified for public office should be able to smile at someone poking fun.
Fair enough. But without overstating my case, I think the signs are symptomatic of a serious malaise in San Benito County. Thus far, the problem has not seemed to seep into southern Santa Clara Valley, but give it time.
I’m talking about the personalization of politics. The reason I fear that we may see it on the other side of the county line is because, sometimes, it works.
It was not so long ago that people around here felt free to disagree vigorously about the issues and at the end of it all, remain friends. There was a shared understanding that this is a small enough community that it’s impossible to hide from one another. After the votes on an issue are counted we still remain neighbors. Debating in the realm of ideas and ideologies without name-calling leads to compromise and, yes, progress.
We have had ample opportunity to see the other approach, as anonymous litigants, members of the Board of Supervisors and the district attorney parry and thrust in the Los Valientes duel. That’s all about personalities, and the battle has been conducted at great expense and at the cost of the reputations of people who deserve to be remembered for the things they actually accomplished in public life.
When I was younger and more inclined to brashness, my boss offered a piece of advice that I have found profoundly valuable. He had been reading my brash editorials for a while. Every few days, some other outrage would fall beneath the weight of my pen. Finally, my long-suffering boss suggested that it’s always better to offer a better solution when expressing an opinion.
No Cone Zone? Please. Don’t tell me what you are against. Tell me what you are for.
Voters in supervisorial District 4 are fortunate to be able to select among candidates who are well versed in the issues and who have very different points of view.
Personal attacks – even those just poking fun at someone’s surname – ultimately have a chilling effect and the result can only be fewer qualified candidates. The Pinnacle is asking candidates for local office to sign affidavits pledging clean campaigns. All those who have come to our office for interviews thus far have readily signed them. But when the attack comes from people with no direct stake in the race, what’s to be done?
If you knew in advance that it would cost you business and that your family would be subjected to ridicule, would you still run for public office?
We’re fortunate that there are still a few people who answer that question in the affirmative.
