Bearman Endorses Pappas in Supervisor Race

Dr. David Bearman, the former candidate for the Santa Barbara County 3rd District supervisorial seat, has endorsed Steve Pappas. He’s the first out of three former candidates to step out and place his support behind one of the two remaining, and may be the only one to do so this election season. Both David Smyser and Victoria Pointer haven’t returned phone calls to The Independent.

Bearman wasn’t a huge fan of current Supervisor Brooks Firestone , who is stepping down at the end of the year after one term, and said that Farr probably could do a better job than the current supervisor could. “But Pappas is better than Farr,” he said.

The Goleta doctor cited Pappas’s time in elected office and qualifications as some of the reasons he was supporting Pappas. Pappas will be able to “implement safeguards that both protect the beauty of Santa Barbara’s unique natural gifts while not unduly hamstringing business,” Bearman said.

Bearman received 1,472 of the votes, or 9.68 percent. He should be able to help Pappas in Isla Vista and at UCSB, where Pappas struggled. Bearman finished second behind only Farr in I.V. and UCSB. Pappas had only 10.3 percent of the vote in I.V. and UCSB, while Farr reeled in 62 percent of the vote.

Though an endorsement from the conservative Smyser isn’t likely, Pappas’s nonpartisan profile may help him snag many of the 3,175 votes that went to Smyser in the primary.

Pappas came in second behind Farr, with 25.6 percent of the vote. Farr had 35.8 percent. The election is November 4.