I’m a fairly private person when it comes to political views, specifically when it comes to social media as I believe it causes more divisiveness than reasonable discourse to effect opinion change or at a minimum better understanding of another’s perspective. But these are interesting times, and it is a bummer Bailey is running unopposed.
I’ll also explain why I do not support Bailey as our mayor, mainly for those residents who think he does a great job. Our small town needs leaders who are solely concerned with our small town. By that I mean they have zero interest in higher political office or aspirations for a career that centers around politics. Bailey has clearly made decision for Coronado that were, in part if not wholly, based on how that decision would be viewed by those one requires support from to attain the political objectives beyond Coronado. I see that as a conflict of interest. Bailey’s best interest (or any other elected local leader) may not align with that of the City when he is concerned about what his voting record and other decisions will look like down the road.
I know that many do not see this as a problem, and I would be willing to guess those will all be individuals who share his overall partisan political views. Some may even think it would be great to see a local leader “move up” to state or national level politics. I do not feel that way because we become a stepping stone on a career path; we are simply a means to an end. That’s not okay. The City’s best interest must come before all else, including party politics. This is not possible when endorsements are given and accepted. Again, that should be unacceptable regardless of where one stands...Coronado should be our one party.
If one truly does have Coronado’s best interest in mind, there are ways to show it: vow to reject partisan donations (there is a petition circulating now regarding this), reject party endorsements that come with any strings attached, and ideally vow not to seek higher office. Maybe that’s a pipe dream, but partisan politics has no place in Coronado.
So if you do support Bailey (please don’t get me wrong, I want him to do a great job), tell him you support him, but you want him to dump the partisan endorsements. Ask him where he sees himself in 3 to 5 years, and can he ensure that those goals are not in conflict with what is best for our town. We should easily all be able to agree that Coronado is above the party politics dividing the rest of this great country.
Steve Lock
Resident letters submitted to Coronado Electorate News & Commentary (CEN&C) are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CEN&C. Submit letters to CoronadoElectorate@gmail.com
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