Our view: Council would benefit from candidates' familiar and fresh perspectives

Of the five folks running for Encinitas City Council, we urge voters to cast their ballots for incumbent Dan Dalager and newcomer Teresa Barth.

Dalager is seeking his second term on the council, and he serves the people well. He knows Encinitas and takes a pragmatic, if folksy, approach to his duties on the council.

Dalager's not without controversy. During his turn in the mayor's seat, he renamed the city's annual holiday parade as a "Christmas Parade," and supported 2005's Proposition A -- the Ecke family's measure to rezone parts of the poinsettia ranch in order to build houses, which was roundly defeated by voters.

But he's also a huge supporter of city parks, and he is extremely accessible. Many in Encinitas know that on most days they can head downtown to raise their concerns with "Danny" at his tool-sharpening shop. Dalager may not always agree with you, but you can count on him to have solid reasons for his viewpoint.

With Mayor Christy Guerin leaving her post to work for Congressman Brian Bilbray, her seat is open. Voters would do well to replace her with Barth.

Barth says the current council has lost touch with many Encinitas residents, and with the defeat of two city-sponsored ballot measures during the last two years, she's got a point. An active Cardiff-by-the-Sea resident, Barth would give many residents there and in Leucadia a new voice on the City Council. She advocates opening more lines of communication between the city and those residents, who often feel their concerns about the character of their neighborhoods aren't being heard.

On top of that, Barth knows her stuff. She's been active in the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce, the Cardiff Library and led the committee that launched work on the Cardiff specific plan (the slow progress on implementing that plan has prompted Barth to press the city for more action).

Doug Long, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, would make an excellent candidate on any other ballot -- he's Dan Dalager version 2.0. But Dalager version 1.0 is working just fine for Encinitas, and Councilmen Jim Bond and Jerome Stocks vote with Dalager more often than not.

Barth will contribute a welcome fresh perspective to the council, and through that, make it more responsive to Encinitas' communities.

Vote Dalager and Barth for Encinitas City Council.