Editorial: Negative political ads insulting, unnecessary
THUMBS DOWN
to the Congressional campaigns of both incumbent Scott Peters and challenger Carl DeMaio for the dozens of negative, sometimes-insulting, television ads that voters across the region have had to endure. Yes, many were prepared and paid for by political action committees and national party organizations, but we doubt whether one voter’s mind was changed as a result of the deluge of mud and slime. Thank goodness for the ability to record programs and fast-forward through the ads.
THUMBS UP
to the organizers and sponsors of Sunday’s inaugural “Jack-O-Smash 5000 and Fall Family Festival, held at SportsPlex USA in the Poway Business Park. Hundreds of entrants turned out for the well-organized event, which included a “pumpkin-chunkin” trebuchet and a giant Plinko game, with pumpkins used instead of balls. Perhaps the best part of the day was watching members of the Poway Padres Special Olympics team play softball side by side with current and former Major League Baseball stars such as David Wells, Heath Bell and Aaron Harang.
THUMBS UP
to Debbie Kurth upon her “election” as the new honorary mayor in Rancho Bernardo. She sold enough “votes” in the RB Business Association fundraiser to defeat her very worthy opponent, Marc Nimetz. They will both serve as community ambassadors for the coming year.
THUMBS UP
to the announced openings of the expanded Poway Walmart store and the new Lowe’s home improvement store. Both took a little longer than expected to complete, but will likely be worth the wait. The openings mean more choices for local shoppers and more sales tax revenues for the city’s coffers. As the holiday retail season approaches, remember to shop local.
THUMBS UP
to the Poway City Council for its informal decision during a workshop to not move ahead with any of the expensive options presented to enlarge with Iron Mountain trailhead parking lot on Highway 67 near Poway Road. Instead, the city will try to create more spaces on the existing lot by using markers to designate individual spaces in the gravel lot. That will cost around $4,600, compared to the most ambitious of the presented expansion options, which would have cost $436,000.
THUMBS UP
to all who organized, attended or in other ways supported a fundraiser to help local businesswoman Lane Elliott, who has cancer. Around $25,000 was raised within a few hours. It was nice to see the community come together to help one of its own.
