Hansen: In local races, what matters is the person, not the party

This year’s Laguna Beach City Council race can be boiled down to one word: character.

With three open seats, I thought the race would be more about the issues, but it’s really not.

To give you an example, about a month ago, candidate Robert Zur Schmiede said he was politically independent. He wrote a letter to the editor distancing himself from Village Laguna, which had created a yard sign that supported both Zur Schmiede and Toni Iseman.

While appreciating the endorsement, Zur Schmiede did not want to be aligned with a particular group.

“These signs make it seem as though we are running as a team,” he wrote. “They are inaccurate and misleading.… The support of my candidacy by any organization only implies that it endorses what I stand for, not the other way around.”

Village Laguna President Ginger Osborne replied to Zur Schmiede, saying that no offense was intended.

“We want to spread the word about him among Lagunans who share our objective of preserving the city’s unique village character,” she wrote. “Our support in no way threatens the independence that he so values. We’re confident that his independent thinking is going to be good for the city.”

It was a smart move by Zur Schmiede. He already has the Village Laguna vote. He wants the other majority.

“I remain deeply committed to serving Laguna Beach in a transparent and inclusive manner,” he said. “I have always been a political independent and am not running as part of any coalition or in coordination with any other candidate or group. Before I cast a vote, I promise I will gather as many facts as possible and listen to all sides before acting in the best interest of all of our residents.”

Most local races are nonpartisan and for good reason. Imagine Washington, D.C.-style political gridlock in Laguna. You thought nothing gets done now? Imagine adding overt partisanship to the mix.

But being nonpartisan in practice is a bit harder. While about 75% of city elections across the country are nonpartisan, several larger cities are not, including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Supporters of partisan elections argue that without a political label, voters get confused because they are asked to choose a candidate they know nothing about. So they end up casting their vote based on the candidate’s name, perceived ethnicity, hair color or smile.

There is also the feeling that nonpartisanship tends to produce elected officials who are more representative of the upper socioeconomic strata because “in true nonpartisan systems, there are no organizations of local party workers to bring lower-class citizens to the polls on election day,” according to the National League of Cities.

By contrast, supporters of nonpartisan elections say that political parties are irrelevant to providing services.

So what does all this mean to Laguna? Not much because most of it doesn’t apply.

Laguna is generally informed, so people know the candidates. We probably will not be picking a winner based on hair color, and we don’t have to bus in “lower-class citizens.” Minority disenfranchisement has not been a hot-button issue.

One criticism of nonpartisanship that might have some merit in Laguna is the popularity contest factor. In other words, if a candidate claims to represent “everyone” in Laguna, does that mean when an issue comes up for a vote, everyone in the constituency must be consulted? At what point do we trust a candidate to make our decisions for us?

If we are not beholden to a party or slate, is everything ad hoc?

My feeling is no. It’s like that friend you’ve known for a long time. If something happens, and a decision needs to be made, you inherently trust that your friend will make the right decision.

That’s why the Laguna Beach City Council race has come down to character. The issues will come and go, but if you trust the person, then the process works, regardless of party.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at davidhansen@yahoo.com.