I'm a racist.
It's politically incorrect to say it, but some races are obviously superior to others.
North County has nine major races (10, if you count the city of San Diego's District 1 race). It's hypocritical to pretend that they're all equal.
Fact is, I've already penciled in the master race, the one that, barring unforeseen events, should enjoy the most lavish attention from now until November.
This isn't to say that the other races don't have merit – they do – but life isn't always fair.
Sure, Escondido has its partisan flavor – a fiery Democratic Latina challenging two Republican male incumbents fixated on illegal immigration. That's pretty hot.
Carlsbad, the affluent bastion of incumbency, is featuring a rare open seat. The Old Guard appears split over which of two outstanding newcomers will join seven-term incumbent Councilwoman Ann Kulchin in the winners' circle. That's tasty.
Bob Emery, the Grand Old Powegian – Curmudgeon? – is retiring after 28 years on the council (and countless restaurant reviews). That's historic.
And as always, Oceanside will be a muddy wrestle spiced by a long-shot challenge to Mayor Jim Wood.
But this year, Encinitas – the Swiss-style federation of quirky coastal burgs – will own the dream ticket.
Councilman 007, James Bond, is calling it quits after 16 years. Two two-term incumbents – Jerome Stocks and Maggie Houlihan – will ask voters to usher them into an exclusive three-term-plus club in North County that includes the venerable – and venerated – likes of Emery, Kulchin and Bond.
Granted, Houlihan has not formally announced, but the smart money on Highway 101 says she's running.
Here's what makes the race so compelling: Stocks and Houlihan are the city's most vibrant lightning rods, but they're at opposite ends of the political – and personal – spectrum.
Stocks – pro-business, conservative, coolly glib, a member of the current three-man majority that often argues for common-sense limits on government; Houlihan – environmentally liberal, populist, passionately in your face, a member of the current two-woman minority that makes headlines with edgy quality-of-life initiatives.
Watching the clash of the titans will be the two sitting council members – Dan Dalager, an ally of Stocks, and Teresa Barth, Houlihan's sister in arms.
Of course, it's possible that one of the incumbents will be turned out, which would be a devastating rebuke to the loser and a possibly lifetime endorsement of the winner and his/her agenda.
If both Houlihan and Stocks retain their seats, however, the winner of Bond's well-worn chair will decide the balance of power in Encinitas.
If the Houlihan team wins, Encinitas could become the most progressive city in North County.
You think a proposed citywide ban of disposable plastic bags is far out?
If Houlihan leads a majority, the diehards in the business community may contemplate putting a plastic bag over their heads – and sucking hard.
The two incumbents aside, the field of challengers is still forming, but five candidates appear to be in for the haul:
Doug Long – A tireless civic volunteer, Long ran a strong third in the '06 race, splitting votes with another pro-business candidate while losing to Barth. A bosom buddy of Dalager's and political compadre to Stocks and Bond, Long's the obvious downtown chamber choice. If Stocks and Long win two of the three seats, it's status quo.
Bob Nanninga – The most flamboyant candidate in North County's history, hands down. He's a columnist, performance artist, coffee-shop owner – as green as noninvasive grass. Nanninga has run for council and lost, but he's paid earnest dues on the Parks and Recreation Commission. If he's elected, Encinitas will get a jolt of progressive caffeine in the jugular.
Rachelle Collier – The word you hear most often about the Leucadia activist is “nice.” Even her opponents like her. She's Houlihan's Doug Long, it appears, the candidate who, like Nanninga, could tip the balance in favor of a more progressive – or, in Collier's words, “open” – council.
Tony Brandenburg – Given an evenly divided council – Stocks/Dalager vs. Houlihan/Barth – Brandenburg, a longtime Olivenhain resident and former school trustee, could be viewed as the Swiss (i.e., neutral) candidate. In that regard, it doesn't hurt to have the word “Judge” in front of your name and, at least in Encinitas, a ponytail on the back of your head. (Brandenburg is a judge for Indian bands.)
Joe Sheffo – An ex-aide for local politicians – and a former editorial writer for the North County Times – Sheffo appears to be betting that his political and journalistic experience, and his rock-ribbed views on taxes, will separate him from the community activists he's up against. He's running on ideas, not a resume of service.
As I say, it's a fluid field. Tough to handicap.
The most intriguing question is what kind of pull Stocks, who barely squeaked through in his two previous elections, and Houlihan will have – or not have – on an election that, at this point in the summer, stands out as the fall's master race.
Logan Jenkins: (760) 737-7555; logan.jenkins@uniontrib.com.
