Mayor’s race gets crowded
There’s still six months or so until the November elections but the contest for mayor is already getting interesting. In addition to councilmember Jan Howell Marx, who’s already officially announced her candidacy, very reliable inside sources report there will likely be at least three other credible candidates. Former councilmember and former Mother’s Tavern owner Paul Brown is reassembling his past election team and will announce his candidacy for mayor very soon. Former councilmember Christine Mulholland has also been contacting supporters in preparation for a mayor’s run and is an almost certain candidate. And current councilmember and former mayor Allen Settle has been exploring another run for mayor with close friends and supporters. Our bet: he’ll be in, too. Because there is no runoff in this election, any time there are more than two candidates, vote splitting becomes a big factor. This should be very interesting to say the least.
In SLO, even a fence can be controversial
The SLO Chamber has received several complaints about the just-installed metal fence in the front of the new Daylight Home and Patio store on upper Monterey St. Some people hate the looks of it and are demanding to know “how could this happen here.” This relates to the old adage that says “people always want government to move faster unless it’s their neighbor who wants approval to do something they don’t like.” In this case, a fence doesn’t need Architecture Review Committee approval, only adminstrative review, something the Chamber had fought for to help streamline the development review process. And the fence is almost the same as the fence in front of the old Daylight location that didn’t get any complaints. It’s just never that simple.
A new act for the Grange?
The spacious San Luis Obispo Grange Hall on Broad Street has been an "under-utilized" building for years. Now, a group of local musicians, including jazzman Pat Cormick, see this as an opportunity to create a unique new venue and the home for local talent to perform. They are moving forward with a vision of rehabilitating the Grange into a first-class venue for various performing arts functions and educational activities related to the arts. The group is moving fast and hopes to open this fall. A vibrant local arts scene is critical to the Chamber's "creative class" vision of economic development.