The Road to Civility May Have Some Bumps

The Pasadena Star News said it all.  Funny though that this morning Sir  Eric came out of the closet, so to speak. Supporting Obama and Gay marriage rights.  Apparently, Sir Eric will be taking a page out of the playbook of Obama’s opposition, and will become a one-man Party of No.  And he won’t be changing his opinions, even though his blinders block his ability to see other points of view.  Sounds like he’ll continue with his unrelenting isolationism and paranoia.  And the Pasadena Star-News’ hope that the mudslinging will fade away may be premature.

From the PSN:

But in neighboring Sierra Madre, no one was really sure what precisely the status quo was anymore.

Was it down-the-middle, Kiwanis Club-attending, community voluntarism? For maintaining, as ever, the foothill village atmosphere that no sane Sierra Madrean would ever give up, but not waving the bloody shirt about it?

Or was it the much more radical vision that had lately seemed to take hold of Sierra Madre politics, as chiefly exemplified by the blogger who calls himself the Sierra Madre Tattler? Those politics are actually hard to put a name to – one commentator has labeled them an odd combination of hard right wing and no growth.

In the other election Tuesday in Sierra Madre, Measure ED, citizens overwhelmingly voted against the city ever using eminent domain in a 2,245-372 tally. It was a curious measure, in that there was no threat of City Hall using eminent domain in the first place, if an easy one to say yes to. Still, symbolism is important.

But when it came to the City Council, Sierra Madre voters soundly rejected the Tattler style – snarky, funny, eloquent, nasty – by giving the Tattler’s author, John Crawford, the least votes of any major candidate.

Somewhat amazingly, they also ousted a sitting councilman, Don Watts, a Crawford ally, and resoundingly returned incumbent Joe Mosca by giving him the most votes of any candidate. Crawford had been withering about both Mosca, his sworn enemy, and associated “Moscateers,” acting as if they had no chance.

Instead, radicalism was rejected. Extremely slow or no growth was not – that’s what the moderates who were elected stand for as well, and that’s what’s best for Sierra Madre. The election of the sensible, hard-working Mosca along with longtime civic volunteers Josh Moran and Nancy Walsh is a victory for common sense. Here’s hoping the misplaced mudslinging introduced to town in recent years will fade away.

 

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