Do It Right

I heard recently that Supervisor Das Williams has been under political fire, even from his own base. I’m shocked by the amount of political smoke covered in our local media. As one who’s interested in local politics, I spent some time to read and then re-read all the published articles in search of the fire that seemed to be cooking Das’s political goose.

I’m surprised to learn that he has been accused of breaking bread with parties on both sides of the cannabis issue, that he even went so far as to listen to both homeowners and growers, that he arranged for countless public meetings to seek out input from local citizens and all interested parties.

Maybe I’m missing something. Just to be clear, I’m the first to admit that I don’t see eye to eye with Supervisor Williams on every issue, far from it. I thought that the role of a true politician was to seek facts on an issue, interview concerned citizens, weigh the potential consequences with the greater good that might be derived by the community, and then make an informed decision.

As I find that this process more often then not doesn’t support my positions, regardless, I do take more than a little pride when one of our local politicians makes the effort to do it right. To be actively engaged in positive politicking is a breath of fresh air. I am sick of the perpetual caustic political drivel being fed to us daily by “tweety bird.” Whether we agree or disagree with Supervisor Williams, we can all appreciate the professional civility that he brings to the Santa Barbara political conversation.