Morro Bay Primaries On The Block

by Jack McCurdy

A ballot measure giving voters the opportunity to eliminate primary elections in Morro Bay has been approved by the Morro Bay City Council.

Morro Bay is the only city in San Luis Obispo County to hold primary elections.

Primaries have been held in the city since voters approved such elections eight years ago and have been very controversial ever since. Primaries were the product of a people's initiative spearheaded by activist John Barta, who some thought was motivated by a goal of making elections more costly for candidates, enabling those backed by money from business interests gaining better chances of winning. Barta was an attorney in a local real estate office at the time.

That strategy never seemed to generate a clear benefit for business-type candidates and certainly didn't recently when Jamie Irons, Christine Johnson, and Noah Smukler swept the primary in 2012 with majority votes, eliminating the necessity of them running against their challengers in the general election that year. Then, Irons and Matt Makowetski won election in the June 3 primary with majority votes a few weeks ago, avoiding a November 4 runoff against either John Headding and/or Nancy Johnson.

The vote to place the precincts measure on the ballot next November was approved by the Council on a 3-2 vote with Mayor Irons, Christine Johnson, and Smukler voting yes and Council members Nancy Johnson and George Leage voting no. Nancy Johnson came in third in her reelection bid in the June 3 primary and declined to face John Headding in a runoff in the general election next November 4. So her term is up in December.
At the Council meeting last week, Irons said primaries have turned out to be "more duplicative and costly than productive." That is, costly for residents, he added.

Smukler said "the idea of bombarding the community with year-long election campaigning is questionable and borders on abuse."

"We have tried this (primaries)," Christine Johnson said, "and people have come to expect campaigning from February to June. A lot of confusion is being generated (in that period)."

Nancy Johnson said the city "shouldn't go back to the days when it was possible to win with less than a 50% vote," which is possible in a general election but not in a primary. "Winners need to be determined by more than 50%." Leage echoed her sentiments.

Irons noted that "I was in support of primaries" when they were approved by voters, but isn't now. Final action on the ballot measure to eliminate primaries still must be approved by the Council.

What wasn't mentioned in the discussion was the possibility that some or even many voters will see the elimination of primaries as removal of opportunities to vote and the loss of an election (primary) where people are given another, second — in addition to the general election — chance to express themselves politically. And to listen to candidates and learn more about political issues in the city. And possibly enjoy doing it.

Taking action to discontinue primaries has been under consideration for a number of years, and this concern about some people possibly opposing losing their opportunity to vote in an election was a point that may have contributed to the move to halt primaries not being made in the past.