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Question. How does a candidate, who was recalled from her City Council seat in November, possibly have a chance at being elected Mayor?
Answer. When the public forgets about it through the holiday season and the opposing candidate fails to remind the public.
The battle between Carey Davis and former Councilwoman Wendy McCammack for Mayor of San Bernardino will be decided Tuesday. (This is your reminder to go and vote.) The debates have been many. Mailboxes in town have received a fair share of political pieces, surprisingly a greater number from McCammack who should have had a significant fundraising disadvantage.
In addition to the usual puff pieces, McCammack has sent some hard hitting mail attempting to link Carey Davis to current Mayor Pat Morris. And, they are effective pieces. Whether they can help McCammack overcome significant baggage issues of being recalled and having been the longest serving Councilmember in a bankrupt city is yet to be seen.
But McCammack has gotten an assist from the lackluster campaign of Carey Davis. Davis’ signs were up late and McCammack is winning the yard sign battle. Davis has sent minimal mail. And he and his supporters just mailed there first “hit piece” on McCammack last week. A solid prediction is that Vote by Mail ballots will outweigh election-day voters and the Davis campaign was late to the party.
Turnout in this election will be key, not by the number of voters who show (that will be dismal), but by the content of the voters who show up. Unfortunately, voter apathy has set in. The public is asking itself a very real question, does it really matter who gets elected when the future of San Bernardino is really in the hands of a Federal Bankruptcy Judge?
McCammack has a loyal following of voters. It is the only reason she finished first in the Mayoral primary, while being recalled at the same time. And Davis hasn’t been exceptionally inspiring as a candidate, particularly at the debates. For all the campaigning, most people don’t know him. In a low turnout election, whose voters show could be all that matters.
Carey Davis’ performance in the debates and lethargic campaign has opened a small window for McCammack where one didn’t exist before. While Davis is highly likely to be elected as San Bernardino’s next Mayor, it is no longer a sure thing. It is obvious that Davis’ supporters understand that with the late negative mail they just recently began dropping.
“It’s a great day in San Bernardino!”
