City Council: None of the the above

Employee pension costs are set to skyrocket, state budget decisions could have drastic impacts on city services, downtown Glendale is poised for a major revamp — who cares?

Instead, the big picture of this City Council campaign has been about dragging skeletons from the closet, rehashing of decades-old personal and political missteps, the race card, and every other accusation from whichever angle — so long as candidates don’t discuss actual policy.

The political establishment may be prepared for this sort of mud slog every two years, but that doesn’t mean voters don’t deserve better. Candidates can’t even get dried off before they start accusing each other of who started what first — a petty school-ground discourse.

Speaking of which, in the race for school board, there are more candidates vying for the same number of available seats — two. That contest has been noticeably absent of vitriol, focusing on policy, funding cuts, Measure S, the classroom and other major issues. So don’t tell us it’s impossible.

The City Council race of 2011 has descended to the point of being farcical, and while the Glendale News-Press, as the paper of record, may have to cover it, it doesn’t mean the editorial board has to condone it.

And so the News-Press will not issue endorsements in the City Council race this year. Because we’re not going to push a product we ourselves wouldn’t buy.