BLOG: 6th Assembly District Election Musings, Vol. 2

In the Fair Oaks Patch’s election results of June 9, Beth Gaines was shown to have the most “mojo” out of the June 6 primary election. In no way does this mean that Gaines is the best for the District.

In fact, the Roseville Patch recently ran a poll in which more than 550 people responded, by a 3-to-1 majority, that the incumbent Beth Gaines has NOT done a good job for her District constituents. (She was representing MOST of the new District 6 area but the Fair Oaks area was not added to her territory until the recent redistricting took place.)

The result of the primary points out a weakness in this brand new “open primary” scheme of things. Now it looks like we may have a case where an incumbent with a poor record is questionably cast as the “favorite” for the November general election. Under the old system, the top winner in each party’s primary would have another five months to “strut their stuff” and show what they’re made of, before the voters have to render some kind of a final judgment. Now it looks to me like there is a thumb on the scale - the “open primary” system itself.

So I’m here with a reminder: Pending the final results of the primary election, which should be out by July 6, there are two other candidates worth considering.

Regy Bronner, a retired successful businessman from Lincoln, who is self-funded with local donations, and Andy Pugno, a special interest attorney who helped write Proposition 8, from Folsom, who is funded by religious right groups, largely from outside the area. One of these two will definitely be the alternative candidate after July 6.

If Pugno manages to be the one who survives the final vote count, 6th AD voters will have no choice but to vote for one of two, Gaines and Pugno, who have EACH made a solemn promise to outsider Grover Norquist, of Virginia, to never, never vote for any tax increase no matter the circumstances or the need, even if there are savings which more than offset the expenditures. It’s a “knee-jerk no” whatever the issue. No negotiation possilbe. Or else the voters can stay home, but they would still be saddled with one of the two.

In my mind, it is only if Regy Bronner survives the count that 6th AD voters will have a REAL CHOICE in November. Regy will have five months to “strut his stuff” and show the voters what he’s made of, starting with the fact that he has NOT made any pledge to any outsider, and is NOT funded by large-scale outside corporate and religious interests as are the other two. He probably WILL cite the Beth Gaines’ “no” vote on open disclosure of who is funding political campaigns (hers included), and other “no” votes on matters of importance to constituents. We’ll wait for it all to come out, if we are lucky enough to be given the chance. I’ve got my fingers crossed for this late count of mail-in ballots.