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Lois Henry: Twists of council race make it worth watching

BY LOIS HENRY, Californian staff writer
lhenry@bakersfield.com | Saturday, Aug 9 2008 12:00 PM

Last Updated: Monday, Aug 11 2008 9:27 AM

Houston, we have a council race.

I had feared the three incumbents, Sue Benham, Jacquie Sullivan and Harold Hanson would get a free pass to another four years rather than undergo the voter scrutiny all elected officials should squirm through. I think it’s healthy to stir the pot with fresh blood.

But only one council member, Hanson, Ward 5, will face an opponent, Beau Woodward.

This race should be a doozy.

Already it has a few twists.

Woodward was recruited by Mark Abernathy, which isn’t so strange. Abernathy is a regular king maker in Kern County, after all, and already has three team members on the council, Sullivan, Zack Scrivner and Ken Weir.

A fourth Abernathy vote would put them in the absolute majority — a delectable thought for such a power broker.

I wanted to talk with Woodward Friday at City Hall when he turned in his petition, but a “handler” from Abernathy’s office wouldn’t allow him to answer questions. There should be no doubt who’s running this show.

What’s weird about this whole thing is that Woodward is a founding member of Chad Vegas’ church.

This is the same Vegas who has been a thorn in the side of the Abernathy camp for years.

Politics in Kern County lines up like this: Republicans are in charge (with a few exceptions) but they’re broken into different camps mostly along social issues.

In general, there’s the Abernathy camp (less socially conservative) and a bunch of smaller, constantly shifting camps (more socially conservative).

The Vegas crowd is in the most socially conservative group.

Considering that, this actually may be a brilliant ploy by Abernathy.

Woodward will get backing from the usual Abernathy group, plus pull in those who would typically vote anti-Abernathy just on principle.

Recruiting Woodward is either dumb luck or “evil genius,” as one person told me. (Knowing a little about Abernathy, I’m leaning toward evil genius.)

That’s twist No. 1.

Twist No. 2 is that Woodward is, apparently, a political ingenue. He’s not a member of the Kern County Republican Central Committee nor any other political groups, according to Vegas, who counts Woodward as a close friend.

Woodward is the consummate family/business/church-going guy whose main extracurricular activity is playing tennis at the Bakersfield Racquet Club.

Vegas told me he knew nothing of Woodward’s desire to run for council until Thursday when Woodward called him for advice.

So, how’d Abernathy come across Woodward? And why would Woodward want to jump into the fray at this high level?

Abernathy didn’t return my call.

Sigh. Guess we have to put the pieces together on our own.

Here’s twist No. 3, which could actually help clear the fog a bit.

Hanson, while not an Abernathy guy, hasn’t exactly bucked the Abernathy team on most votes. In fact, as vice mayor he put Abernathy’s people in powerful committee positions.

Even Hanson acknowledged as much.

“I tend to think along their lines,” he told me Friday in between calls to start revving up his campaign. “I’m Republican and I’m fiscally conservative. If you looked at our voting record, I would vote with them most of the time. Of course, most council votes are 7-0.”

Woodward wouldn't talk to me but Channel 17 got a quick interview with him when he pulled his papers at City Hall.

He told the television station he was running because he thinks it’s important to make sure we don’t squander the highway money we got from Rep. Bill Thomas (Abernathy camp).

No problem there — Hanson has always said the same.

And, Woodward said, he’s concerned about the unfunded pension liability.

Bingo!

That has been a key talking point for both Scrivner and Weir since their council infancy.

There haven’t been any votes on pension funding since this council incarnation, but Hanson may have “crossed the line” on two closely allied issues.

Last September, Hanson voted to make up the difference in pay for city employees on active duty in the military so they wouldn’t suffer a cut in pay to serve. Scrivner and Weir opposed the so-called differential pay.

Then in January, Hanson proposed a compromise on city employee health care that saved the city $285,000 as opposed to $383,000. It was opposed by Scrivner, Sullivan and Weir and passed 4-3.

At the time, Weir took a dig at Hanson saying it’s easy to say you’re fiscally conservative, but another matter to back it up with your vote.

Hmm. Perhaps Weir was giving Hanson a warning.

Interesting side note: When Hanson first ran eight years ago, he did so without backing of the city firefighters union, who favored his opponent, Sara Takii. I wonder who they’ll back this go around?

Politics is such fun, isn’t it?

I’ve disagreed with Hanson on several issues, but have always felt he was a fairly independent vote on the council, a sentiment shared by other political watchers much more astute than myself.

Vegas said Woodward is likewise his own man. Abernathy’s backing won’t change that, he said.

This will be one race to keep your eye on.

Opinions expressed in this column are those of Lois Henry, not The Bakersfield Californian. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays. Call her at 395-7373 or e-mail lhenry@bakersfield.com.