SOUNDING OFF:Silva shows lack of regard for constituents

Where in the world has Jim Silva been? In the last month before Tuesday’s Election Day, the GOP cand- idate for the 67th Assembly District has been all but invisible to the constituents of this district. This goes back, really, since his bruising primary victory in June.

No signs, no mailers, no candidate forums, no walking precincts, no press releases, etc., basically added up to “no comment” to the constituents he was ostensibly asking to vote for him. Has he been hiding out or is he just so arrogant that he doesn’t feel he needs to be accountable for his actions and positions?

In the meantime, his challenger, Ray Roberts, was speaking out on the issues (from supporting our mobile-home conversion ordinance to opposing flawed legislation like Proposition 90), appearing at City Council meetings and openly discussing his views with citizens of all political persuasions. I even see some of his signs out.

Maybe Silva felt that he could just coast to victory on the strength of party registration and not have to lift a finger to be accountable to the people he would serve. That is a craven and cynical attitude to take. Or maybe he decided to just take a long vacation and show up on Election Day. If that is the case, it was too bad that the voters of this district did not send him on a much longer vacation after Nov. 7.