Lorie Zapf Stopped By This Evening

I was starting to wonder what was happening with the Zapf campaign, but who should ring my doorbell but the candidate herself. Unlike when I saw her in the debates she was much more relaxed and personable in person. She had a young man in tow who I thought might be her son, but couldn't tell for sure. He had visited before, so this was a return visit.

Zapf, a slight woman full of energy, said she had been walking the district for about a year. She asked if I had concerns about the election. I introduced myself as the author of this blog and said that I had endorsed her. She asked what concerns I had about the election. I told her that her problems with mortgages had not been sufficiently rebutted, that basically I had not seen an adequate rebuttal. She said that her second mortgage on her home was being renegotiated and that it was a mistake for the bank to have issued the notice of default. She asserted that the bank has since wiped out any back fees owed since she got the new second. She also said that the issue in Las Vegas had to with her husband's real estate transaction on a short sale.

Honestly, she seemed believable, but I am nervous about the situation. Zapf looked at the young man accompanying her and they both agreed that there would be a statement on her web site soon. In my opinion, this very slow response is hurting her campaign. She pointed out that much of the negative press comes from the San Diego City Beat, which she said has been hostile to her candidacy. Candidates probably need to have blog sites, twitter, facebook and youtube accounts so that the can swiftly respond to mud-slinging by their opponents. Regardless, I look forward to reading more of her response.

I told her that my key issue was the pension mess. I pointed out that Howard Wayne seems to be the most knowledgeable candidate on the nuances of the issue, but I didn't trust him because of the union endorsements. She pointed out that Howard Wayne voted for the very pension increases that have gotten the state of California into budget trouble. Read a little about that here.

I am still convinced that I will vote for Lorie Zapf, but I am disappointed in the way her campaign has handled controversy. My make or break issue this year is the issue of pensions and who will be the most aggressive in dealing with the mess prior politicians have left us.

Coincidentally, Kim Tran endorsed Howard Wayne today over the very issue of pension reform among other reasons. You can read the whole article here:

Howard has given me his word that he is committed to revitalizing our communities by creating middle class jobs, restoring fire and police protection and repairing our streets. He is also committed to reforming the pension and reducing the budget deficit.

I interviewed Kim Tran last May and was very sympathetic to her candidacy. I think she is making the classic mistake of going on simple trust when Howard Wayne's endorsements and previous record indicate that he is the worst candidate on the pension issue. A possible motive for her endorsement?

Tran quit the San Diego County Republican Party’s central committee last month, calling the party leaders the committee “ineffective, unethical and tyrannical” and complaining that she was being targeted because she had refused to leave the race after the party endorsed Zapf.

I don't doubt that there are Republican committeeman that are ineffectual, as Kim states, but I am disappointed by her actions. Kim seems like she would feel at home with the Tea Party and we need more people like her on the inside of both Democrat and Republican organizations. I hope to see Kim active in politics in the future; but I hope that Zapf will win this race even more.