Councilwoman Marti Emerald was shocked at the results of District 6 a week ago. The day of the election she was smilingly predicting a Wayne win, if not walk over. What would a Wayne win have meant? With just two seats in GOP hands and another resounding labor victory, it would have meant a disheartened small business community that would finally cave into the Chamber of Commerce ‘corporate welfare’ types who long since gave up the fight. A Wayne victory in D6 would have meant an easier re-election campaign for Emerald. Now, of course, the small business community and the local GOP smell blood in the water.
In fact, in certain cramped quarters, there has been some chatter about Councilwoman Emerald re-considering a re-election bid. According to well placed sources she “wants to see where the new lines are”, when the City of San Diego’s 9 seats are created in December 2011. This time around it’s doubtful Emerald will be able to count on the massive Democrat turnout that gave her a narrow 2008 victory. She’s already been in the middle of a series of embarrassing scandals. Her voting record is much more partisan than her campaign indicated it would be.
But there is more. It’s no secret that Emerald didn’t handle the stress of her campaign well, or even the stress of office. She was a wreck by the end of the race. More than once she’s been seen weeping in the city parking lot after embarrassing incidents. She knows what’s coming, sooner rather than later, and is asking herself – “is it really worth it”? She knows that after the narrow victory, it’s going to be personal for everyone involved, and that it’s no hold barred this time around. Does she really want another month after month of hand to hand combat. Does she want to take the chance that she will lose and be publicly humiliated?