37th Assembly District Race

* Re “Assembly Democrats Put Their Money on Late Entry Roz McGrath,” Jan. 31.

Jon Sharkey, not Roz McGrath, needs to take on Assemblyman Tony Strickland.

Though she came close to beating him last time, Strickland has a record now, a very conservative one, that needs forceful counterattack. Sharkey is hungry to eat him up in debates.

Port Hueneme City Councilman Sharkey’s campaign, supported by local Democrats, centers around innovative programs to improve the quality of life for locals. State Democrats should have thought of that before they fronted McGrath’s campaign.

The state party has pushed her into a race she said she did not want to enter. A fine and loyal Democrat, she is not prepared or aggressive or seasoned enough to go after Strickland. We still do not know what she stands for.

Sharkey has pushed for the state to return county and city taxes for redistribution so that cities do not have to compete for revenue in the only way they have--by developing precious farmland and open space. Sharkey, as a local elected officeholder, knows how to work the tug of war between the state on one hand and the county and cities on the other, so as to reverse the flow of money out of the local area. The pols in Sacramento may not warm to Sharkey’s campaign for that very reason.

McGrath should gracefully refuse to accept their support, bow out and launch her own locally supported campaign another time. It’s Sharkey’s race, and he can win it with all of our support.

ROBERT CHIANESE

Ventura