Non Troglodyte Republican Wins Mayors Race in San Diego

Following up on earlier post about the San Diego mayoral election:

Republican Councilman Kevin Faulconer defeated Democratic Councilman David Alvarez, 54.5% to 45.5%, to become the city’s next mayor, according to unofficial results tallied by the county registrar of voters.

The tally includes all absentee votes and votes from all 582 precincts. Unofficial turnout for the special election was 37%.  LA Times

A couple of things worth mentioning:  Faulkner is not one of your troglodyte  Republicans, enraged by human behavior not his own.  According to some of the commentors in the LA Times link (above), he supports marriage equality, is well thought of by the LGBT community, has marched in Gay Pride parades and supports reproductive rights.  Secondly, the turn out was 37% — not what it would have been in a full election year.  This doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have won had participation been fuller, but discouragement in the ranks of the opposition must have taken its toll.  Thirdly, the most recent scandal, and the more salacious — Democrat Bob Filner’s persistent pushiness with women— is more remembered than the previous scandal — GOP fiscal malfeasance and corruption.

The important question now is, how Faulkner’s plans to renege on pension contracts, and to job out city services to low bidders will affect the city and its citizens.  If streets can be kept clean at lower cost, and if the lower wages to accomplish that do not drive down city tax collection, throw more onto welfare or homeless rolls, folks will be happy.  If on the other hand such private contracts devolve to cronyism, shoddy services and increased income inequality, second thoughts will surface.