Not too long ago, the North Coast Current said it would opt out of offering Encinitas City Council endorsements. This philosophy is based on a movement by news media nationwide (San Diego not included) to avoid kingmaking and allow voters to make decisions based on information and analysis.

However, the North Coast Current has now chosen to announce its three preferred candidates for Encinitas City Council, plus a stand on an elected mayor, in part to quell those partisan forces on all sides in the community who have made this news journal a rallying cry for their own causes. Only the North Coast Current speaks for the North Coast Current.

So petty personal bickering and attack-dog political shenanigans aside, here are the Current’s three preferred candidates for Encinitas City Council, presented here in reverse alphabetical order. At the end of this editorial, the Current offers two additional choices, plus a stand on an elected mayor.

Barb Yost caught the Current’s attention with her stated emphasis on neighborhood representation. From uncharacteristic development and the ill-conceived plan to pave over Crest Drive to the General Plan controversy and talk of roundabouts for traffic control, the idea of neighborhood representation is a strong one. Her stand on the development of a comprehensive community study is also encouraging. Further, her insistence on open government is another key reason the Current supports her. In light of a questionably canceled City Council meeting that could lead to the ruin of a plan to convert the Pacific View school property into an arts center, there is no argument here on the need for open government. On her campaign website, Yost states: “We must preserve what makes us different than someplace else.” The Current couldn’t agree more.

Lisa Shaffer is one of the more high-profile candidates running for City Council this term. Shaffer, too, is running on a platform of more open government, fiscal transparency and emphasis on community character. She calls for better management of City Council meetings, a more community-based approach to a General Plan update and more public consultation with experts who can help the city make better decisions when it comes to traffic, pension management and the environment. In a recent North Coast Current story, she said: “Council members and public speakers sometimes stray beyond the bounds of respectful speech.” The North Coast Current, through its own recent reporting and civil editorial commentary, got a taste of that derision. The Current supports Shaffer’s call for civility in Encinitas’ civic affairs.

Tony Kranz is a 1977 graduate of San Dieguito High School (Academy) and an Encinitas resident since 1960. Encinitas would be well-served to have him on the City Council as a longtime local who can recall some of the best aspects of this region’s character. His stands on the General Plan update, open governance, environmental quality and pension issues are generally in line with the Current’s other endorsements. On his campaign website, he specifically states the need for community representation when it comes to the future of the Ecke Ranch property and Pacific View school site. On his campaign website, Kranz states: “My efforts as your city council member will always be to help this community to continue to prosper while doing what we can to keep overdevelopment from negatively affecting our quality of life.” His roots in the community support this.

In addition to these three candidates, the North Coast Current also suggests Bryan Ziegler and Thomas Brophy.

While the North Coast Current doesn’t have a position on the Encinitas Right to Vote Initiative, which calls for a citywide vote on planning decisions, the Current is encouraged by Ziegler’s support of community-based governance. Ziegler is also one of the younger candidates in this year’s race, and the Current appreciates the idea of having a youthful voice on the City Council.

Brophy, as a member of the Mendocino homeowners association in Encinitas Ranch, has been active in holding the city accountable for potential taxation impacts from the Encinitas Ranch Golf Authority. Taking on the city over the management of an environmentally and fiscally wasteful municipal golf course is admirable, in the Current’s opinion.

Finally, the North Coast Current urges a “yes” vote on Propositions K and L. Prop. K calls for the election of a mayor for Encinitas. Prop. L calls for the mayor’s term to be two years.

While the original intent of the present rotational, council-appointed mayor was good, many Encinitas observers have noted that the choice for mayor falls to a City Council majority. Council members who don’t fall in line with the sitting majority are often overlooked for the position year after year.

All council members are elected by Encinitas residents, and every council member should be able to serve a term. In reality, that isn’t happening. Prop. K solves the problem by putting the mayor position to a vote of the residents. Prop. L is in keeping with the spirit of the one-year rotation by keeping the mayor’s term short, allowing voters to elect someone new if they feel the mayor is not a good fit.

Unlike other cities in the county, this is not a “strong mayor” position. The new mayor would serve as a member of the City Council and would hold the same powers as the current appointed position.

Editorials solely represent the opinions of North Coast Current ownership