Politician of the Year: When I started thinking about this award in early December, I couldn’t settle on a winner. Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, Congressman Scott Peters and Mayor Kevin Faulconer were in the mix, but I didn’t feel like anyone had locked it down. What a difference two weeks, and two votes, can make. The clear winner is new City Council President Sherri Lightner.
Like Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” this award goes to the politician with the biggest impact, like it or not. In an election year that went largely as predicted, Lightner’s decision to join the four Republican Councilmembers to oust former Council President Todd Gloria shook up San Diego politics like nothing else. It was also bare knuckles, old school politics, with so many back room conversations that there was a concern about a Brown Act violation. We may never know how a Council President Gloria would have managed the next two years, but it seems unlikely that Lightner would have run if she didn’t have something different in mind.
The honorable mention goes to Congressman Scott Peters for hanging on to his seat in a tough year for Democrats nationwide. The first re-election is always the toughest, so Peters may be representing the 52nd District for quite some time.
Worst of the Year: Tie. Senate Democrats and “Enhanced Interrogation”. With the exception of Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, Democrats lost every contested race and their Senate majority. It’s hard to have a year worse than that, but the Senate report detailing the scope and futility of the “Enhanced Interrogation” program left its defenders with more shame than ammunition.
Best New Thing: Comprehensive Equality Legislation. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was a mainstay of LGBT lobbying for so long it was hard to watch it die in the House this year. But in many ways ENDA had become too small a goal, particularly with its religious exemptions. Given the pace at which marriage equality is progressing, it makes sense to eradicate discrimination throughout government law, not just in the workplace. It may not happen for a few years, or it may get negotiated back down to something like ENDA, but it’s the right way to go.
Comeback of the Year: President Obama. After the sweeping losses Democrats suffered in November, many saw the president headed to political oblivion as a lame duck. Instead, he took off the gloves and looks to have regained his mojo in the last two months, announcing sweeping immigration reform, a deal with China and a renewal of relations with Cuba. Whether you think he’s a progressive hero or a Communist sympathizer, Obama is as relevant as he’s been in some time.
It’s About TIme: Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins. Yes, Atkins became the first out lesbian to be speaker, but that’s not why she wins the award. She is also the first San Diegan to be elected, and re-elected, speaker. Given that San Diego is California’s second largest city, I’m not sure why it took so long, but I’m glad the wait is over.
