OPINION: Downey can't afford wishy-washy candidates

If there was one section I enjoyed most from Tuesday’s city council candidates forum, it was the “yes or no” portion of the evening.

Let me explain.

Moderators Mario Guerra and Eric Pierce of the Talking Downey podcast laid out several of the issues the city is currently facing: everything from the hotel occupancy tax and the Downey Unified School District Bond, all the way down to the widening of our freeways and Ojos Locos.

Candidates were asked to state if they supported each topic with a yes or no answer, and then could elaborate as much or as little as they wanted. If their answer was too muddled or vague, either Guerra or Pierce would ask for simple clarification.

Yes or no?

The strategy was to get each candidate officially on record on various topics. Too often, politicians say a lot while saying absolutely nothing. At the very least, they try not to take an obvious side.

Candidates Joaquin Beltran, Art Montoya, and Dr. Anthony Felix were probably the worst offenders on Tuesday. Still, if you’ve read any of my candidate stories from over the last several weeks, you’d see that every candidate – every single one – has been guilty of being wishy-washy at some point this campaign season.

From a strategy standpoint, I get it: candidates don’t want to risk peeving off a potential voter and losing their vote, or even – as Felix alluded to Tuesday - alienate themselves from their future colleagues.

Those are fair points, albeit not great ones.

Here’s why.

Downey has no time left for indecision, for wishy-washy, for campaign strategy.

Our city has been described as in “transition.” May I offer a different word that starts with “T.”

Turmoil.

We are very likely to lose our mayor to the state assembly by year’s end. Our Mayor Pro Tem is fighting for her political life with a recall election on the horizon. Two seats will be decided next month; one is already guaranteed to provide a rookie councilmember.

We still do not have a permanent City Manager, and interim City Manager Mark Scott is limited on the number of hours he can work due to CalPERS. His limit may carry him through the calendar year, but it will most certainly expire before the end of the fiscal year.

That’s before acknowledging the slew of other administration staff that have either already left, will be leaving, or are rumored to be leaving soon. Many of those positions will also need to be solidified, however it is unlikely to happen until the new city manager is selected.

With so many hanging questions at Downey’s top, voters need and deserve to be as informed as possible on Nov. 8.

Candidates who are not straightforward and clear, who say “it depends,” or who choose not to answer do a disservice, both to themselves and to the constituents they are attempting to sway.

As residents, we don’t expect to always agree with you, nor do we expect that you will always agree with the rest of the council should you be elected.

That’s democracy. That’s why there are five of you up there on the dais.

We want to know your viewpoints. We want to know where you stand – clearly – and why.

At a time where there is so much at stake in Downey, it helps to know the person who’s box you're checking on election day.

The candidates forum can currently be watched on the Downey Patriot Facebook.

Alex Dominguez is a staff writer for the Downey Patriot.