Election interference is a subjective term and usually refers to an organized effort to influence an election, preventing people from voting or some other nefarious actions both foreign and domestic.

But there are more subtle ways to interfere or influence elections.

In the Lompoc mayor’s race county Supervisor Joan Hartmann’s effort focused on unseating current Mayor Jenelle Osborne at any cost. You’ll recall that Osborne challenged her during the 3rd District supervisors race, which Hartmann won, but this cost the Democratic machine a lot of time and effort to overcome Osborne’s challenge.

The collateral damage was because of the focus on the 3rd District race, longtime party loyalist and 2nd District Supervisor Das Williams lost his seat.

Something had to be done, and it appears defeating Osborne for mayor was necessary to avenge the loss. So, Hartmann endorsed a candidate who had little chance of winning.

Her choice, Lydia Perez, had moved to Lompoc several years ago, but had no experience as either an elected or appointed official yet. Hartmann thought her choice was somehow familiar enough with city government to be mayor.

Perez initially announced on her campaign website that she would seek a council seat in the 1st District; then somehow, she changed her mind.

When I questioned this endorsement, Hartmann wrote: “My endorsement is not going to swing a race. I endorsed the candidate who was really going to work on behalf of Lompoc residents, not just warm a seat.”

She also claimed that “Perez filed to run before Mosby filed and can’t be blamed for the fact that he entered the race.”

That wasn’t supported by the public record, which clearly showed that her candidate didn’t submit her paperwork until several days after the other two. 

Certainly, as an experienced politician, Hartmann knew what the impact of her endorsement would be.

A third person in the race was going to take votes away from one of the other candidates. And for a politician who professes to understand Lompoc so well, Hartmann obviously ignored how often Mosby has run, and lost for mayor.

The other two candidates, Jim Mosby and Jenelle Osborne, had substantial name recognition, and both had served in elective and appointed positions in city government.

And Osborne didn’t just “warm a seat,” she was a strong advocate for Lompoc, and her presence at regional and national meetings benefitted Lompoc in a positive way.

Osborne’s demeanor during City Council meetings was positive, and as a nonpartisan she was able to bring the council together to form good public policy.

So, was Hartmann’s endorsement “election interference”?

Not in the literal sense, but her candidate is a distant third. In Perez’s Sept. 21 campaign finance report, she reported 13 of 14 donors who invested heavily in her campaign were from the South Coast and Santa Ynez Valley; only one was from Lompoc.

The endorsement caused Perez to acquire enough votes for Osborne to lose and instead elect Mosby, who has an abrasive style; strongly dislikes programs such as code enforcement and environmental protection regulations; and has misinterpreted city budgets in the past.
 
It has taken five years and cost thousands of dollars in legal fees and hundreds of hours of staff time to repair the damage he caused when he was last in elective office, specifically with violations of EPA wastewater treatment regulations, and to improve the city’s relationship with Vandenberg Space Force Base after he violated U.S. Fish and Wildlife endangered species closures and trespassed on base property in the Santa Ynez River estuary at Ocean Park.

Based on his previous temperament while a council member, Mosby’s position in the center seat will likely result in confrontational debate tactics with city staff and misguided attempts to dilute code enforcement efforts which have begun to improve the overall appearance of the city.

Politics is a contact sport and while Supervisor Hartmann succeeded in ousting Osborne, the people of Lompoc lost.

How many years will it take to repair the damage Mosby will do this time?

Reference:
Perez campaign fiancé statement: 638633125527900000.