Our view: New blood in conservative Del Norte

With all the troubling financial congestion in front of us, it's good to have the election in the rear-view mirror. Except, of course, for that pesky 2,499-2,499 tie for the final Harbor Commission seat.

Here are a couple of glances in that mirror before we turn the corner:

Blue county — no, red county

Del Norte is known as a political mixed bag, an image reinforced by the fact that Democrats held the slightest of edges in voter registration before the June primary, but Republicans were back ahead by the general election.

While the registration totals point to balance, a look at one race will tell you Del Norte is considerably more conservative than most of the West Coast. John McCain outpolled Barack Obama here, 4,967-4,323. California as a whole went for Obama 61 percent to 37 percent. Orange County was the only other coastal area won by McCain.

In an election that was nothing short of a disaster for the GOP nationally, there were other signs of a Republican-leaning electorate in Del Norte. While the races are nonpartisan, well-known local Republicans Charles Slert, Jack Reese and Scott Feller were the front-runners for City Council and Harbor Commission.

All that did nothing to spoil the Election Night party at Crescent City's Democratic Party headquarters, where about 50 people toasted the election of the nation's first black president. Del Norte Democrats could take some solace in the solid victory margins here for Congressman Mike Thompson and Assemblyman-elect Wes Chesbro, albeit against little-known Republicans.

Infusion of new blood

Del Norters weren't in the mood to re-elect incumbents, which is potentially good news for the City Council, Harbor Commission and School Board.

There will be three new faces on the five-member Council, including Slert, Donna Westfall and Kathryn Murray. A change in leadership was needed at City Hall, which has been in financial disarray for years.

All three newcomers bring tools to the task. Slert has a well-defined vision of a better city, Murray is already hooked in and respected as chairwoman of the Planning Commission, and Westfall has been an outspoken critic of City Hall who should serve a watchdog role on the Council.

The Harbor Commission gets some local government expertise in Reese, a former county supervisor, and a well-spoken idea man in Feller.

Whether the purge of the three incumbents in the nine-candidate race is complete depends on what happens in that tie between Commissioner Garry Young and challenger James Ramsey. Young has suggested a "wrasslin' match." Perhaps it could be held at the harbor, with the price of admission being that spectators agree to help clean up the place – something challengers called for repeatedly during the campaign.

And the School Board gets Francis Costello, ironically the only candidate who opposed the $25 million bond levy that voters approved. That twist uniquely qualifies her to push for careful stewardship of the precious local tax dollars that will now be coming the school district's way for building projects and improvements.