Morro Bay mayor running for reelection

February 14, 2014

Morro Bay Mayor Jamie Irons announced Thursday that he is running for reelection.

Irons became mayor in late 2012 after securing a majority of the vote in the June primary. Less than one year into his term, though, Irons faced a recall effort.

In September 2013, Irons called for the firing of then city attorney Rob Schultz and then city manager Andrea Lueker. Irons eventually obtained a majority vote from the council, which reached separation agreements with Schultz and Lueker. However, the attempted termination of the city’s two top executives prompted the recall campaign, which fell slightly short of achieving the amount of signatures needed to create a recall election.

Irons’critics have accused him of lacking transparency, as he never sated publicly why he called for the termination of Schultz and Lueker. Opponents have also criticized him for agreeing with the California Coastal Commission order to move the city’s sewage treatment plant.

But, Irons states that he has displayed transparency in his first term and lists several accomplishments.

“I’ve follow through with my campaign promise of vision, transparency and leadership,” Irons said in a news release. “I’m proud to report the city received a grant to begin the process of updating our 26-year-old general plan, I’ve opened up Embarcadero lease negotiations for public input and I have allocated pavement funds in response to the needs of the community to not only resurfacing streets but also include repair.”

Morro Bay will hold a primary election in June. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff will occur in November.