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Nancy Johnson concedes Morro Bay council race

June 16, 2014

morro bay plantThe city of Morro Bay no longer needs to pick a winner or non-winner in the race for its final council seat. [Tribune]

Incumbent Councilwoman Nancy Johnson said Sunday that she is conceding the election to challenger John Headding. Johnson said her decision would spare the city money and unnecessary political deviousness.

“Knowing the dire financial situation and the deviousness in our local politics, I feel putting the community through the costs associated with re-calculating the votes in this election and an unnecessary runoff in November would add to ongoing challenges,” Johnson stated in an email announcing her decision.

After county elections officials finished their counting process, Headding, the owner of a Morro Bay pharmacy, tallied votes on 49.09 percent of ballots. Johnson received votes on 36.6 percent of ballots.

Obtaining a majority is necessary in the primary in order to bypass a runoff election.

But, 123 Morro Bay voters left the city council section of their ballots blank. If the city were not to count the blanks in the council race, Headding would have won the election.

Prior to Johnson’s concession, the county clerk’s office informed the city of Morro Bay that it would have to determine whether Headding won a seat on the council or whether a November runoff would decide the election.

 


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4years of N. Johnson, seems much longer. If this works out that we can have a write in, we can unseat them both!


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I voted for her 4 years ago because she felt strongly about the future of Morro Bay. Nancy changed in her first two years, and the past two years were an sad exhibition of a growing sense of entitlement, bullying, public meltdowns, proclamations of always voting against the wastewater treatment plant, begging for more dollars for the MB 50th without specs or details about where the dollars were going to. The last straw was seeing her beg to have Joan Solu express their mutual intentions… nothing bad about that, but if you are a council member you should be able to communicate directly instead of wasting time in the meetings. Admirable that she felt strongly for her causes, but never able to communicate what it was she wanted the money for with her fellow council members. I wish her a nice retirement, but without her slamming the people who realized she was in over her head.


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I’m surprised you don’t understand your own city’s election process. There can be no write-in in a run off. And there is no run off anyway.


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But, 123 Morro Bay voters left the city council section of their ballots blank. If the city were not to count the blanks in the council race, Headding would have won the election.


We need to let the Atty in MB figure this out!!


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You mean the guy that has those big bags under his eyes? Is that the guy you want to do the counting?


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Or the guy who left town with huge bags of money from previous council direction?


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Thank you Nancy for your service to our town. You are most gracious and I for one thank you for hanging in there on the Council during such difficult times for Morro Bay. I wish you had won…and maybe you did in a way….as now you won’t have to endure what has been happening under the king irons reign and regime. I hope you enjoy more free time to do the things that give you and your family joy.


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Morro Bay has been officially designated a Nerd Sanctuary.


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That makes Headding a perfect fit.


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At least Headding has brains and know how to deal with $ and or fiscal responsibility. Something the mayor or his bird brain council majority have not a clue about. Really does not matter anyway as under the mayor and his council majority, less Headding Morro Bay is on its way to becoming unincorporated a as a city. Why you ask? because these FOOLS which include the new interim city manager and city attorney do have not a clue about nor care about or city. We have a city attorney and manager in it for the short run. WE have Smuckler who is turning his head toward useless Gibsons position. The current Mayor and council majority will certainly make a statement in history. A statement that ha s brought the city of Morro Bay to its knees.


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Ssorry I think I have it backwards. The mom was really a he? You know the cosmetologist or was it the barber? Sorry, maybe given some erroneous information. Regardless, we still love our cows. Whether they are Bull Cows, Steers , or Heifers.


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Our plan is nearly complete.


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What we’re working toward is a playground for the idle young rich and the retirees, neither whom care to be bothered by the canker of commerce in their idyll.


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Commerce? That’s what Los Osos is going to be for. It starts with a McDonald’s, then some dog feces, you know the rest …


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If we can just get that pesky sewer a little more expensive, we can drive the seniors out to make way for the next wave of Orange County transplants.


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Glad to see her concede the election and make a public apology for her political deviousness. Stepping down today would be a nice gesture as well.


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she’s not apologizing for her deviousness I think she’s apologizing for yours based on your comment. I sure didn’t see you comment on the past 3 elections and expect those council members (Betty, Bill, Carla Melody, Rick etc.) to step down when they lost in the primary. How sad for you she’ll be there until Nov. Go Nancy!!!!!!!!!!!


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That was only because I was not aware of this wacky website at that time. Having a June primary is such a waste of time and not fair to the lame duck council members who are ousted.


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I don’t understand what the question on the ballots was? If NOBODY was marked on those ballots for the council seat then they shouldn’t be counted toward the total number of votes cast for that seat. Hey, Morro Bay, I just answered your question for free, no need to pay some attorney to research it for you.


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I am always curious how there are extra costs involved; what does an outside, 3rd-party counting firm usually charge for an election with under 20,000(?) votes? Couldn’t the city clerk or some other, (hopefully) non-partisan body just re-count them? Have representatives from each candidate/party there, etc.


Still, it was an admirable thing to do to save the city some moola.


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