New returns released tonight show former Escondido city councilman Ed Gallo zooming out to a 148-vote lead on outgoing Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler. The Mayor had trimmed Gallo’s lead down to just 33 votes yesterday as the Long Count of Mail Ballots and provisionals continues countywide. Today’s tabulations reversed that 3-day trend.
They are competing for the 3rd and last seat available this year.
Mayor Holt Pfeiler, who has survived many a contrary political wind in her 18 years on the Escondido Council, is seen as a moderate. Ed Gallo is an articulate conservative.
Gallo’s election could actually mean a 2-seat gain for the GOP. Here is how that scenario might play out.
The new 5-member city council will have to fill a vacancy early next year, since conservative councilman Sam Abed was elected Mayor last week. Should Ed Gallo finally be seated, he is expected to form a 3-vote majority with Sam Abed and Councilwoman Marie Waldron (who is a Rostra correspondent) to choose that successor.
The Escondido council coalition would then be be in a formidable positIon to direct the city’s policies for years to come.
This was the best election cycle for conservative Escondidans in a decade. The Republican Party of San Diego aided Waldron, Abed and Gallo, all of whom were cheered at last night’s meeting of the SD Republican central committee.
Comments 1
Lori Pfeiler is a dinosaur RINO — an outdated though not extinct species who should be put out to pasture. She was and is an ardent supporter of the idiotic CA HSR boondoggle — which, as it turns out, will never be built in San Diego County, but will cost us billions to build AND operate elsewhere.
I don’t know Gallo’s view on this particular issue, but it’s time Escondido got more such fiscal conservatives on its city council. This vote update is indeed good news.