Despite a 35-year-old relationship with Morro Bay, I am still considered an outsider by some. It was that long ago, however, that I persuaded my less than year old granddaughter to move her parents here—making it possible for her working Grandma to visit on weekends—and be a part of her life.

I visited the library on Morro Bay Boulevard with her, explored Cerritos Peak with her, watched boats from Windy Cove, and strolled the laid-back Embarcadero. We ate at the Whales Tail and watched the Boat Parade from the adjacent park. We shopped on a vibrant Boulevard and took the Ride About home, laden with packages.

In time, my granddaughter graduated from Cal Poly, and I became a resident.

Having experienced that other Morro Bay, I am convinced that this election depends on choosing the candidates who can bring 21st century vitality to our sagging economy and make Morro Bay all that it can be instead of the tired retread it’s become. We should look to people whose logic and reasoning are untainted by self-interest. Those who know that business can truly prosper when it fills a need—not a whim—that the financial underpinnings of a town benefit more from the families and children who dwell within its borders than those who come for the day.

Morro Bay should be a town where jobs can support a family, not a town so in the throes of failure an elementary school is closed. It’s time to elect people to our City Council who have more to offer than John Barta’s blessing.

To that end, I’ll be voting for Jamie Irons, Christine Johnson, and Noah Smukler.