Thursday, November 3, 2016

How to make a non-partisan local election, partisan: and the possible fix


Fight back on this unfair, twisted election glitch. And DO vote for Mary Ann Nihart! 

Pacifica Tribune/Tribune Staff, 11/2/16. "Nihart resigns from City Council race."  

Image result for picture of councilmember Mary Ann Nihart, Pacifica, CA
Return City Council incumbent
Mary Ann Nihart to City Council
for possible Council appointment, or for
Special Election if they and she are willing.
 
"City Council Member Mary Ann Nihart has announced she is withdrawing her bid for re-election due to potential violations of The Hatch Act.
 ....  City Clerk Kathy O’Connell said the voting process will not change. ... If Nihart is re-elected, the city would follow its normal vacancy-filling process, she said. 'The City Council could fill the vacancy either by appointment or by calling a special election,' said O’Connell.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier announced Friday she will seek a change to the Hatch Act to permit federal employees in non-partisan races to run for office, even if a political party decides to endorse a candidate. .... ... 'The Hatch Act should never result in a different entity other than the State of California effectively determining that a race is partisan. ... and I think we should simply establish that an office is non-partisan if there is no partisan label on the ballot. I will work with the Office of Special Counsel and my colleagues in the House to create this bright line under the Hatch Act.'

Image result for picture of councilmember Mary Ann Nihart, Pacifica, CA
The City Council that began City improvement.
Vote for incumbent City Councilmember Mary Ann Nihart!
.... ...  Nihart’s campaign manager, Peter Menard said, 'This outcome is unfair to the voters in Pacifica who want to vote for Mary Ann. She has successfully served this community for many years and represents the city extremely effectively at both the county and state levels. It is difficult to accept that an endorsement by a group of people who do not live in Pacifica can change the nature of our City Council election,' he said."

Related, comments. With regard to Mary Ann's withdrawal from the City Council race, there have been many astute comments, two of these follow. Steve Sinai 11/1/16 article title comment "... You should still vote for Mary Ann". And from the ...confirmed City answers reprint 11/2/16, an action summary from the Local Libertarian, 11/3/16, 12:47 a.m.:Anonymous "What to do next: 1) Vote for Nihart and see to it she wins. 2) Nihart will relinquish her seat, 3) Get the city council to re-appoint Nihart being that she won the popular vote, 4) OR call for re-election, delay the process till a viable replacement candidate is identified, 5) Go to Polls.  ... the immediate objective right now should be to ensure Nihart winsGet out and vote!"

Note photographs.  City Council 2013 by Jane Northrop from The Mercury News/Jane Northrop/Staff, 9/10/13, "City Council appoints Pacifica's first woman City Manager." Left to right: Keren Ervin, Mary Ann Nihart, Lorie Tinfow (City Manager), Lenn Stone, Sue Digre and Mike O'Neill.  Mary Ann Nihart campaigning at Fog Fest 2016 by Carol Camacho from Pacifica Tribune/Staff, 10/6/16, "City Council race takes new twist."

 Posted by Kathy Meeh

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who are these people at the Dem central committee anyhow? Anyone have a list of who they are? It might be nice to have addresses to send letters on how we feel about what they pulled.

Anonymous said...

The Democratic Committee has colluded with Pacifica's eco-fringe to install Deirdre Martin as an illegitament councilperson.
This shameful alliance, which steals the vote of the people, should serve as a warning that people lacking an ethical core can always be relied upon to lie and twist the facts in order to get what they want. This is a new low for Pacifica and marks the beginning of a very dark period in our history.
The Trump disease has taken root in our own little town.

Anonymous said...

Wow! what does this have to do with Trump?
Don't you mean the rampant corruption in Democratic Party?

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:01 - Jeffrey S. Adair is the Chair who signed the letter denying Mary Ann's request that the Dem committee rescind their endorsement of Deirdre Martin.

Officers (2015-2017)

Chair: Jeffrey Adair, Redwood City

Northern Vice Chair: Nicklas Akers, Burlingame

Southern Vice Chair: Cecily Harris, San Carlos

Recording Secretary: Pamela O'Leary, San Mateo

Corresponding Secretary: Cliff Robbins, San Mateo

Controller: Nancy Yarbrough, San Mateo

Source: http://www.smcdems.org/about

Anonymous said...

Isn't it ironic that the Dems (who complain so much that Trump may not accept the election results - mostly because he doesn't trust Dems with respect election ethics), are now complaining because their very own Committee is fixing our local election?

Anonymous said...

No, its not ironic. Its proof positive of the kind of meddling Democratic party indulges in from the lowest levels to the highest levels of power (thanks Wikileaks).

This should be an eye opener. What exactly motivates San Mateo Democrats to meddle in Pacifica? What can the NOBIEs give them? Why are they interested?

Kathy Meeh (Anon's complaining) said...

447, Guess there's a comparison. Far left eco-NIMBIES work to blow-up the economy and efficiency of the City we live in.
Far right fascist Trump would blow-up the world everyone lives in.
That's irony to you?


Anonymous said...

Kathy, what evidence do you have, other than far left propaganda, that Trump actually wants to "blow up" a world that he, his wife and his children live in? I guess it is fair to say (according to you) that close to half the people in this country also want to be blown up. Or do you just make this stuff up in order to rationalize your vote for a lying criminal? You know, that wasn't even a good try at deflection.

Kathy, if you don't want those of us who strongly disagree with your extreme and rabid liberal view on all things except Pacifica, perhaps you should desist with the never ending Trump attacks in what is supposed to be a local issue forum. But you really can't, can you?

**** Expecting to be censored again.

Kathy Meeh (just to be fair) said...

816 good question about the San Mateo County Central Democrats Committee.
But Trump? No Tax Returns, no Wikileaks, FBI bias, and spineless Republican leadership supports sociopath Trump. God help us all should his presidential election prevail.

Anonymous said...

Why are we discussing Trump and the Republican party when it is the Democrats doing the dirty deed right under our noses in our very city?

What is happening in our city is proof Democrats are power hungry. If they could do this to a backwater sleepy town like Pacifica, it defies imagination as to what they do and have done at a National level.

Kathy Meeh (radical center left) said...

855, evidence that unstable, predator Trump would blow-up the world? Guess you haven't been listening to his views on war and nuclear weapons, the nations and categories of people he insults, the violence he incites around him, and his anti-science rejection of climate change.
And do you really think Trump is capable of empathy, of helping anyone other than himself and his own vested interests? My observation is NO; is your observation really YES?

You refer to my CENTER LEFT view as an "extreme and rabid liberal view"? Yet we agree on good City governance, and fixing Pacifica, which proves you are capable of accountable, moderate thinking.
Most Republicans used to be CENTER RIGHT, generally reasonable people with rational constructive counterbalance views. Some Republicans still are rational-- nationally these Republicans are generally called "Never Trump" voters.

Several weeks back, a Presidential Debate fact check indicated (with nuanced variation), Trump lied about 90% of the time, Clinton about 26% of the time (which is considered very low for a politician).
Disturbing as it is, the false right-wing assertion that Clinton is a "lying criminal" is pure rubbish. Clinton has no criminal record whatsoever.
Rather Clinton has 30 years of high level, highly qualified government service.

Again, comments censored on this blog are rare. They occur from a blogger breach of civility, (see blog upper left).

Hutch said...

Considering the sleazy way Martins campaign escalated and used the Hatch Act to oust her opponent Martin has proven that she has no regard for what's right. Her campaign had 1.5 months to "ATTEMPT" to rectify the Hatch Act problem they had created but they did nothing. Maybe it was too late as the honorable Peter Loeb said. But if you're sincere you at least try to do something. They did nothing. Didn't ask the Dems if they could do something. Didn't ask if the endorsement could reversed. Did nothing to ensure a good public servant kept her job. But they did make sure the Dem endorsement was on all marketing material as recently as a week ago when it was still unsure if it wss too late. Combine that wth some people making anonymous complaints demanding Mary Ann quit and she had no choice. Plenty more online evidence that the Martin campaign is copeab

I'm not going to post what Martin said about abandoning beach blvd. But that's all on this webite if u search fot t.

Anonymous said...

Deirdre is a lying, manipulative puppet of the fringe enviros who have tyranized and terrorized our city into a state of chronic decay.
The shallow thinkers who accept this corrupt campaign as the will of the majority are in for a very ugly surprise after these selfish separatists start systematically shutting down projects for the good of all and replacing them with their communistic view of the world.
Pacifica is sunk.

Nihart Voter said...

I'd be interested in who the remainder of the SMC Dem Committee are. The list is the exec board but there are other members. I understand that this Adair guy thumbed his nose at our Sacramento leadership who requested he take it to the full committee for a vote. This is bullshit. Deirdre could have requested that her endorsement be removed but she didn't. Anything to win? Cynthia Kaufman is no stranger to this back room dirty dealing. Check her out on google.

Anonymous said...

Kathy,

Respectfully once again, the current issue in Pacifica has nothing to do with current national politics nor with current presidential campaign. Why are we discussing issues that are not relevant to our condition of Pacifica?

We know that a particular party has inserted itself into partisan politics when they did not have to.
The real question is why? What is the backhand reach around that Democratic party gets from a supposedly far left faction in Pacifica? This stinks to high heavens. And hopefully, it'll open up enough eyes, ears, nostrils and heads in our city to the true nature of politics at all levels.

Please stay on point and I hope that this blog will remain a balance of views that agree or disagree with you.

Kathy Meeh (Trump is a bully too) said...

844, there is little that is respectful about your anonymous serial, simplistic "all Democrats are to blame" for 1) NIMBY promoted politics, 2) the San Mateo County Central Committee decision, 3) the previous change which occurred through US Congress related to the Hatch Act.
Rather than continue irrelevant jabs against your own probable insertion of national politics into this discussion, why don't you do some research to discover when the federal Hatch Act was changed, and which political party was in charge of Congress at that time. Let us know.


TnT said...

Trumpinistas and Trumpaphobics unite and vote for Nihart! Prove you're Merican's. Keep Pacifica Great.

Anonymous said...

I'm not comfortable that Sue V has this in the bag and she always had the best signs. Sue is one of us and not taking a chance sorry I'm voting Sue Vaterlaus and only Sue Vaterlaus. Nihart can run again in 2018 if Jackie fixes her problem but Sue will never have a chance this good again and sue will be with us for eight years not just a few.

Steve Sinai said...

6:12, there are two open seats on council. A vote for Mary Ann does not affect a vote for Sue. I'm voting for both.

Kathy Meeh (1+1+O'Neill = 3, a City Council majority) said...

612, vote for 1 progressive candidate (Sue Vaterlaus), then throw-away 1 potential progressive candidate vote (Mary Ann Nihart).
Therefore, subjecting the City to no chance to regain the 3-2 progressive majority on City Council?
As Steve 716 indicated, there is no voting advantage in doing that. Plus not voting for 1 of the 2 progressive candidates (-1) is a vote for the opposition (+1).

My guess, rather than voting for 1 (Vaterlaus)-- in reality, you're voting for 2 (Martin and Duffy), both NIMBIES.

Anonymous said...

I don't have any faith that council will appoint Mary Ann even if she won first place let alone if Durrdre Martin takes first and Mary Ann second Sue gets pushed out the door.

Anonymous said...

Let's not risk it all with an all or nothing approach. Let's lock down Sue's seat first then Mary Ann's if there's enough votes to go around. If your house number is even vote Mary Ann and Sue. If your house number is odd vote Sue only. That way Sue comes in first but we're still helping Mary Ann.

Steve Sinai said...

10:28, your logic makes no sense. I'm starting to suspect you're a dishonest Martin troll trying to confuse voters, like Kathy suggests.

People should vote for both Nihart and Vaterlaus.

Anonymous said...

I would have considered voting for Sue V. except when I asked her a question on her website about dog parks, rather than answer it, she decided to remove Q&A from her website. I think those of you FP's who support Sue V are going to get the same type of unpleasant surprise the "Nobies" got when they elected Mary Ann to CC. If you don't believe me, check out some of her old posts on Riptide. Very enlightening!

Kathy Meeh (memo to NIMBY troll) said...

929, the choice for City Council is simple: Vaterlaus and Nihart represent a continued accountable future for this City; whereas, Martin and Duffy represent more "nothing for Pacifica".

And without specific content (rather than broad "glittering generalities"), your comment amounts to nothing more than a "dog whistle", and an invitation to Rip "old posts" outer space. Not "enlightening" at all.

Anonymous said...

Sue has an axe to grind being voted off City Planning Commission. Word is she wanted to get back at Mary Ann by getting on city council.

Kathy Meeh (word to sideways distraction) said...

129, hum, Sue and Mary Ann are on the same page. "Word is" some anonymous comments are BS. BS designed to disrupt voting for the progress City Council candidates, Nihart and Vaterlaus.
Is that working for you Anonymous? Short answer on this blog: NO. Meantime save us all, don't vote!

Anonymous said...

gee I voted for vaterlaus and nihart because they were the most progressive, and had more experience than picking up trash on the beach. Word on the street is post at 129 above is more Martin disinformation.

Darkman said...

All these anon comments strike a surprisingly close to a stgunkian post. Me cries, foul.

Johnny TerraNova said...

Vote Martin and write-in Rich Campbell!!!

Anonymous said...

Kathy

You know they are on the same page how? You knew nothing about the Hatch Act until it was brought up on a different local blog.

Go Trump!

Kathy Meeh (I know our City election is non-partisan, do you?) said...

335, the better question is: how is it that the Stink website had insider information into the draconian drama going on at the San Mateo County Democrats Central Committee???
Interesting point, there does seem to be some Trump-like, bully tactics from that source.

BTW, the City requirement to run for City Council office is "residency". "You must be a resident", so advised by City legal, Michelle Kenyon at a recent City Council meeting.

Anonymous said...

30 hours until we are stegink & martin free! Yeah!

Anonymous said...

The San Mateo County Central Democrats Committee is a microcosm of the entire Democrat Party which can be summed up in one word, "corruption". The sad thing is that modern day Dems have absolutely no problem if their candidate is corrupt. The end always justifies everything else for them. The "D" for them is not only a get out of jail card, but it has become a virtual treasure map. Absolutely no problem for Dems that Bill and Hillary left Arkansas back in 1992 with nary a penny to their names. Fact. After two terms in the Presidency, a short stint in the Senate and as Secretary of State, the power couple have amassed a fortune to the tune of almost a quarter of a billion dollars (by some estimates). Boy, "Pay to Play" sure pays, doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

Given how OCD a certain someone is about Nihart on their blog, how this certain someone obsessively posts literally hundreds of times about Nihart on Next Door, and how this same certain someone showed up to a council meeting to demand that Nihart drop out of the race, I think it's safe to say we probably have a good idea who the anonymous agitator that hounded the OSC is. And a Dierdre supporter to boot!

Anonymous said...

Of course the stinkman's fingerprints are all over the "anonymous" complaints about Mary Ann.

This is a guy who found out that Mary Ann was scheduled to speak (as a private citizen) at a nurse's conference, so naturally he did what any normal person would do and started calling around to her work and elsewhere to find out if she actually showed up to it or not.

What kind of creep stalks people like this?!

Anonymous said...

My comment regarding corruption breaks none of your posted rules. Yet you censor it. It really is shameful how afraid you are of free speech and opposing views. I can't understand why anyone would follow your recommendations for candidates, libraries, Highway 1, etc. I'm quite sure they are not. You people criticize Riptide yet you are no better. Probably worse because at least Maybury admits he censors.

Anonymous said...

The First Amendment only relates to government's relationship with free speech rights, and doesn't have squat to do with a private blog nixing your posts. Get over yourself.

Anonymous said...

@9:37 - You really need to take a reading comprehension class. No one claimed first amendment rights. You were accused of being afraid of free speech. Clearly you are afraid of opposing political views. You attack Repubs/conservatives incessantly and yet you are scared to death to allow them a response. Your posted censorship rules make no mention of this cowardly policy of yours. So I guess we should add "liars" to the list describing the administrators of this forum. And Kathy, I have never witnessed a nastier person than you with your foul posts. You really need to enroll in some anger management classes. Perhaps they can help Fix Kathy.

*** Of course I expect this to be censored too. But at least I know you saw it.

Kathy Meeh ("Nasty girl" against Trumpism in comments from you) said...

1017, "Mirror mirror on the wall"... who is the fairest fascist of them all?

Nasty girls like me are going to help take down your Presidential candidate tomorrow, and provide free college to educate and humanize people like you.

Anonymous said...

Yeah Kathy. I'm with her! Demolish Trump, Vote Blue in every contest and remember to thank Don the Con for getting out the vote.

Anonymous said...

current huge hwy 1 traffic gridlock. This could effect voting. Traffic backed up sharp park rd several hundred yards and north of pac manor shopping center into S curve.. delay long enough to probably keep people from voting if they have dinner and family matters to attend to...

Anonymous said...

Trump, Trump, Trump!

Anonymous said...

5:13 Peter Loeb and his freaks must be real proud of their traffic jamb.
What losers.

Anonymous said...

Those losers won by a 2-to-1 landslide.