It’s Incumbent Upon Voters to Re-elect the Incumbent in District 1

Go figure. I’m the most senior member of the Encinitas City Council. Who woulda thunk?

I ran for a seat in 2010 during the Stocks era. That’s the year Dalager had the gall to run for re-election after he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He lost. So did I. During one of the forums, I said I’m not a tree hugger.

When 2012 rolled around, I ran again. I was blessed that Lisa Shaffer was also running for another open seat. She worked hard, got a lot of attention and left the impression that she and I were aligned. So I really didn’t have to do much to get elected.

Then in 2016, I was re-elected at large. That was before districting.

Now it’s 2020, we have districts, and I’m running for council in District 1. It goes from the ocean and north of Leucadia Boulevard to La Costa Avenue, runs east, widens south toward Encinitas Boulevard at about Saxony, continues east and nicks off a tiny corner of Olivenhain.

 
Don’t blame me for the placement and shapes of the districts. Blame Tasha Boerner Horvath. She tried to anonymously sneak the gerrymandering past the public and council but got busted through a public records request. 

Districting makes getting elected harder because voters in any district are more aware of what’s going on in their neighborhood than the city overall.

One question is, well, what have you done to make life better in District 1? My answer is very little.

Another question is, OK, have you represented the majority of residents in your attitudes and votes? Not really. I’m much more in the corner of the minority and special interests, especially developers.

I really enjoy the power and celebrity of being on the council and representing the city in other government agencies like the North County Transit District (NCTD). I have authority. I’m a big cheese.

For years, my slogan has been Deep Community Roots. That’s because my family moved here in 1960 when I was a baby. Some people say my deep community roots are clogging drains and sewer lines and invading water mains, but that’s not true. The accusation is a metaphor meaning I’ve betrayed my constituents. I deny that.

One of my accomplishments as a council member is having mastered govspeak. Here’s an example: “I believe we should have a conversation about bifurcating the project to mitigate the issues it causes.” Go ahead, figure out what that means.

I’ve voted to approve virtually every development that’s come before the council during my tenure and voted to deny virtually every appeal opposing a development. 

But I’ve recently made a show of denying the Surfer’s Point project and temporarily tabling a proposed development just north of Central School. The former is in my district, the latter is not. Guess what. It’s an election year! I have to make it seem I’ll fight on the residents’ side.

Most folks know my nickname is Mr. Roundabout. Some people call them traffic circles. I especially like the really tiny ones because they do a great job of plugging up the roads.

 
I say the more roundabouts the merrier in Encinitas. But not at big, obvious intersections where they might actually work and do some good. Put them at little intersections along Santa Fe Drive and Leucadia Boulevard west of the freeway. Then, of course, at T intersections on the Coast Highway in Leucadia. Boy, talk about impeding traffic! There more than anywhere else.

OK, enough for now. It’s incumbent upon District 1 voters to re-elect the incumbent — that’s me, your man Tony Kranz!