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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft - SLO two-way talking points DRAFT - City of SLO: Election Talking Points The following recommended remarks are designed to address potential media or community inquiries prior to and on “Election Day,” as well as when the outcome is known. Pre-Election and “Election Day” Remarks: BEFORE Voting Centers Close: SLO voters will decide the outcome of local Measure G-20 and the Mayor and Council seats. We encourage all eligible residents to participate in this election and make an informed decision. Post “Election Day” Remarks: (Note: Remember, mailed votes will be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received by the County Registrar no later than 17 days after the election, which may impact the outcome if it is a close margin for the measure and/or officeholder seats.) The following are intended as RESPONSES as local media may specifically ask the City for comment in the below scenarios: If Measure G-20 is ahead: Measure G-20 was placed on the ballot by the SLO City Council following an extensive public engagement process to address priorities identified by residents such as disaster preparedness response, business retention and homeless prevention. While ballots continue to be counted, Measure G-20 is currently trending in a positive direction, and we want to thank everyone who participated in the Municipal Election for the measure and to elect City officeholders. If Measure G-20 is behind: Like you, we continue to await the results for all Municipal Election matters and thank the community for your participation in this year’s historic election. If Measure G-20 is approved: We want to thank the community for its participation in this year’s historic state and local election. Measure G-20’s enactment will greatly assist the City in addressing the needs and priorities that residents have identified, in these challenging times for us all. We look forward to keeping the community informed and working with the new elected leadership team to keep moving SLO forward, in these dynamic times. If Measure G-20 is defeated: Though Measure G-20 was not enacted, we thank everyone who participated in this important election. We congratulate our newly elected leadership team and accept the judgements of our voters. What now? COVID and the resulting recession have only made it more difficult to provide the services and address the priorities our community has said it wants. Tough choices will likely need to be made in the coming months about service reductions and other budget decisions, but as always we will keep the community informed of those deliberations so everyone’s perspective can be reflected in our recommendations and decision-making. Will the City be attempting a Measure like G-20 again? Should the incoming City Council request that staff explore this option—or any other potential solutions to address our budget and service delivery challenges—staff will certainly take that Council direction and keep the community informed and engaged around these issues. Potential Sticky QAs: (again, only if asked) Did the opposition (or local candidates who opposed) defeat Measure G-20? Nationally, statewide, and locally there were many important decisions to make on this ballot. We accept the decisions of our voters based on their consideration of all the information available to them, and we thank the public for participating. Did other items on the ballot sink the measure, such as Prop. 15 and other highly polarizing state measures? As always, there many items on the ballot for consideration this presidential year. We trust our voters to carefully weigh the merits of every proposition, measure, and candidate. We accept the decisions of our voters and thank the public for participating. Are the election results a referendum against the City’s current vision? [Or, are the election results a mandate for City staff?] No, the City does not view it that way. The election process allows voters to select the leaders and the policies and vision that guide our community forward. We congratulate the new electeds and ready to work with them to implement the community’s priorities moving forward. But the incoming electeds include candidates who campaigned against G-20. How will the City address their concerns about whether funds will be spent properly? City staff congratulate the newly elected leadership team, who are all individuals who have decided to step forward to lead in extraordinary times. We are looking forward to working with the incoming leadership and, as always—being transparent and accountable with how the City spends taxpayer dollars. Measure G-20 does include an oversight committee that will be reviewing measure spending. Wasn’t the City’s ballot question misleading? No. There was a very comprehensive balloting package that included the ballot question, long form ordinance, resolution, city staff report/council agenda item, Impartial Analysis, and of course pro/con arguments submitted by the public. We are confident that our voters had ample factual and policy information to make fully informed and fact-based decisions on our measure, and others. Didn’t the City campaign for G-20 using taxpayer dollars? Absolutely not. The City cannot and did not advocate for or against any measure, proposition, or candidate. All of us did observe—as we’re certain you saw as well—a highly engaged, community-led debate of candidates, Measure G-20, and other issues of community concern. But the City mailed information out. Yes, as this was a first-ever historic statewide mail election, the City did issue information about the various ways people could vote this year, including information about our Municipal Election.