Endorsements: Shore, Garcia for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
At one time, nine candidates were vying for three open seats in the Democratic primary for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Only four remain on the ballot. Debra Shore, Kari Steele and Martin Durkan are elected incumbents. Marcelino Garcia is a newcomer.
All four are qualified to serve on the board. But, in answer to a question about transparency on the Daily Herald's candidate questionnaire, Shore and Garcia both volunteered support for the establishment of an independent inspector general. In Shore's words, “The District awards contracts in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year and the annual budget has surpassed $1 billion with little independent oversight.”
Their strong support for an inspector general is an important statement in an agency whose inner workings are not well-known to the public. In a follow-up question, both Durkan and Steele backed the appointment of an inspector general. We welcome that commitment but are not making a recommendation between them. Our endorsements go to Shore and Garcia.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this incorrectly stated that Martin Durkan was appointed to fill an open seat. Durkan was elected in 2014 to an unexpired 2-year term.