EDITORIAL:Votes and voters count

The people have spoken, and now campaigners in the local elections can analyze what went right and what went wrong with their efforts to convince voters that they were the best choice for the job.

This was one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, races for City Council, with candidates raising record amounts and spending that cash as quickly as they could.

In the race to replace termed-out Fifth District Supervisor Tom Wilson, losing candidate Cathryn DeYoung spent an astonishing $2.8 million — more than double that of winner Pat Bates.

Money talks, but it doesn’t dictate results in elections — voters do.

It’s not surprising that incumbents — two on the City Council and one on the school board — were returned to their seats.

Some are shocked that a longtime former City Clerk could not win election to the council, after a campaign that many described as “perfect.”

Now this is one for the election aficionados to puzzle over, but again, voters’ preferences are never clear until all the votes are tallied.

It’s always a good sign when “new” folks want to sign on to the difficult job of running for office and serving in government.

We hope that those who didn’t make it this time won’t be discouraged from trying again if they are so inclined.

One thing everyone can agree on is that this was the cleanest, most positive election in Laguna Beach in years, with no mud-slinging among the candidates. That’s something all the candidates, winners and losers, can be proud of.

Those who won will now have to hunker down and get on with the job of city and school affairs.

One of the most productive things about our democratic process is the fact that issues are raised and ideas brought forward in a public forum during election time that might otherwise not get the focus and attention they deserve.

The recent concerns over self-reported substance use by local students that were aired in a political forum setting just before the election has proved to be an attention-getter.

The newly elected board of education will have its work cut out fielding these issues along with the myriad other issues that come up in the normal course of business.

The City Council has a new dynamic with the addition of local businessman Kelly Boyd, who represents a sector of the community that some feel has been missing from the council over the past few years.

We congratulate the winners and wish them well over the next four years of their service.