Bearman gives nod to Pappas, candidates to debate

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

The campaign of Third District supervisor candidate Steve Pappas got a boost yesterday with the endorsement of former candidate Dr. David Bearman.
Bearman threw his support behind the Los Olivos resident less than 24 hours before Pappas is scheduled to go head-to-head with fellow candidate Doreen Farr in a debate tonight at the Goleta Valley Community Center.


Praising Pappas’ decision to not align himself with a political party, Bearman said he felt Pappas has more experience than Farr and will better represent Third District residents when it comes to development and environmental preservation.
“Pappas, being an independent, allows him to act in the best interest of Santa Barbara County without hewing to any particular party line,” Bearman said in a prepared statement. “He is not tied to special interests.”
Bearman made it clear during the February primary election that it was his opinion that he, Pappas and former candidate Victoria Pointer were the three best choices.
So it’s little surprise Bearman, the president of the Goleta West Sanitary District and founder of the Isla Vista Medical Clinic, has endorsed Pappas.
Bearman said he feels Pappas can mend the sometimes divisive politics that separate north and south Santa Barbara County.
He cited the defeat during the primary election of David Smyser, current Third District Supervisor Brooks Firestone’s handpicked successor, as evidence that Third District residents are ready for a supervisor who is not acting in-step with established North or South County politics.
“We must move away from confrontation between Republicans on the right and Democrats on the left and look to leadership in the middle, a leader who has the best interest of the people at heart, rather than the interests of one political party or another,” Bearman said. “If that’s what you want, Steve Pappas is your man.”
Bearman said he’s impressed by Pappas’ fight against developers who planned to build 150 condominiums on a 15-acre farm in Los Olivos. He also said Pappas’ efforts to “work with the Chumash to hold them accountable for the environmental impacts of their development and to require them to act at least as responsibly as a normal developer, are commendable.
Bearman said he believes Pappas will be able to communicate effectively with ranchers in the Santa Ynez Valley, a faction of the electorate he has received vocal support from.
Attempts to reach Pappas for comment last night were not immediately successful.
It is not yet known whether Pointer or Smyser plan on endorsing a candidate. Attempts to contact the two former candidates were also not successful.
The Third District Supervisor debate begins at 7 p.m. and is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters and Citizens Planning Association and Foundation of Santa Barbara County.
The Goleta Valley Community Center is located at 5679 Hollister Ave.