Let’s get out and vote!
By Jacob Levy, editor and publisher
Elections always seem to carry a good deal of angst with them. Each one is deemed the most important election of the generation. The 2016 election is no different.
We strongly support the slate of candidates we’ve endorsed for the upcoming Irvine city elections. We urge you to vote for Don Wagner for mayor, and Christina Shea and Anthony Kuo for city council. We feel the direction of the city could change fundamentally for the worse if the city leadership reverts to the control of Larry Agran and his slate. A vote for Wagner, Shea and Kuo is a vote for the future, and not the past.
We’re not worried about the major institutions in the city. Irvine Unified School District, UCI, Irvine Police Department, Irvine Ranch Water District and the city staff, among other important entities, will survive, and thrive. Each is a world-class organization. Together, they help make Irvine what it is.
Irvine Co. and FivePoint are the developers who have the strongest impact on the city. We know the quality of their projects, past, present and future. They’ve helped make the city great, and with thoughtful input from the city staff, council and Irvine citizenry, we have no doubt they will continue to do so.
Our citizens are intelligent and engaged, our businesses, schools, and places of worship are thriving. Irvine is a tremendous success. But that just makes the Nov. 8 city elections that much more crucial. The city needs strong leadership, not a visit from the ghost of scandals past.
But what about the presidency? The detail oriented among you likely noticed that we did not make a presidential endorsement. That’s primarily because we’re a local paper.
But we also felt it important to explain our “No endorsement” position publicly.
Various social media sites have assumed that Irvine City News is a Republican newspaper, and that as such we must be Trump supporters. We suppose the Republican presumption is because we’re anti-Agran in the Irvine city elections. And, while those elections are meant to be non-partisan, most know that Agran is self-identified as a Democrat. First clue is that he ran for the presidential nomination of that party.
But, while we may tend toward the conservative side of the political spectrum, we are more of a platform- and position-centric publication, and less dependent on personality or party.
We’re comfortable based on the polls that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will win the state of California in the election (we saw a poll that gave her a 99.9 percent chance here), and with it the presidency. And, while we may not be the biggest fans of Mrs. Clinton, we are certain that the Republic will survive her presidency. In fact, most likely it will thrive. That’s just what this great country does. Whether because of her or in spite of her, time will tell.
We’re not so sure the same can be said of her opponent. Even those we know who are voting for him agree that Trump does not reflect the diversity, optimism, intelligence, or giving heart of this city, or this nation.
We believe strongly in our city, county and country. We are bullish about our future. To ensure it, we urge everyone to vote in this election. Take into consideration all that you’ve read and heard, here and elsewhere. Then vote your conscience and your pocketbook. Vote for your children and for your community. But vote.
And we’ll see you back here in December to discuss what’s ahead for this great place where we’re all so lucky to live.
We strongly support the slate of candidates we’ve endorsed for the upcoming Irvine city elections. We urge you to vote for Don Wagner for mayor, and Christina Shea and Anthony Kuo for city council. We feel the direction of the city could change fundamentally for the worse if the city leadership reverts to the control of Larry Agran and his slate. A vote for Wagner, Shea and Kuo is a vote for the future, and not the past.
We’re not worried about the major institutions in the city. Irvine Unified School District, UCI, Irvine Police Department, Irvine Ranch Water District and the city staff, among other important entities, will survive, and thrive. Each is a world-class organization. Together, they help make Irvine what it is.
Irvine Co. and FivePoint are the developers who have the strongest impact on the city. We know the quality of their projects, past, present and future. They’ve helped make the city great, and with thoughtful input from the city staff, council and Irvine citizenry, we have no doubt they will continue to do so.
Our citizens are intelligent and engaged, our businesses, schools, and places of worship are thriving. Irvine is a tremendous success. But that just makes the Nov. 8 city elections that much more crucial. The city needs strong leadership, not a visit from the ghost of scandals past.
But what about the presidency? The detail oriented among you likely noticed that we did not make a presidential endorsement. That’s primarily because we’re a local paper.
But we also felt it important to explain our “No endorsement” position publicly.
Various social media sites have assumed that Irvine City News is a Republican newspaper, and that as such we must be Trump supporters. We suppose the Republican presumption is because we’re anti-Agran in the Irvine city elections. And, while those elections are meant to be non-partisan, most know that Agran is self-identified as a Democrat. First clue is that he ran for the presidential nomination of that party.
But, while we may tend toward the conservative side of the political spectrum, we are more of a platform- and position-centric publication, and less dependent on personality or party.
We’re comfortable based on the polls that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will win the state of California in the election (we saw a poll that gave her a 99.9 percent chance here), and with it the presidency. And, while we may not be the biggest fans of Mrs. Clinton, we are certain that the Republic will survive her presidency. In fact, most likely it will thrive. That’s just what this great country does. Whether because of her or in spite of her, time will tell.
We’re not so sure the same can be said of her opponent. Even those we know who are voting for him agree that Trump does not reflect the diversity, optimism, intelligence, or giving heart of this city, or this nation.
We believe strongly in our city, county and country. We are bullish about our future. To ensure it, we urge everyone to vote in this election. Take into consideration all that you’ve read and heard, here and elsewhere. Then vote your conscience and your pocketbook. Vote for your children and for your community. But vote.
And we’ll see you back here in December to discuss what’s ahead for this great place where we’re all so lucky to live.
