CAMPAIGN 2018: Marina Mayoral race

Marina Mayoral candidates Bruce Delgado and Bob Nolan share a similar vision for the city: Continue new development on available property and the former Fort Ord, attract young professionals, and get Cal Am out of Marina.

But Nolan, a career member at the Marina Police Department, criticizes how the incumbent, Delgado, is running the city. He says Delgado helped get Cal Am here by voting in favor of the test slant well for the proposed desalination project.

“I would like to see Marina keep control of their water supply and develop a sustainable water supply. There’s no development, there’s nothing, if we don’t figure out the water situation,” Nolan said.

Delgado tells KION what he voted for was just a test. And it is the state who decided to move the project forward.

“The best scientists at the time were telling us that we needed good science to make a decision on the full project. Now that we have the good science, we want to depend on it to oppose that project,” Delgado says.

He touts his experience, saying he’s the best person to deal with the complex water issues.

“When you’re talking to state leaders and regional leaders, you need to be abreast of the details,
understand the science, and what’s gotten us here politically and scientifically, and that’s pretty hard to replace,” Delgado says.

New housing developments are sprouting up and are well advertised around Marina. Nolan says while this development is good, a vibrant downtown is needed for growing revenue.

“What we really need do to is develop our commercial philosophy,” Nolan said. “People that are going to take over are going to be millennials and we have to get them involved in the process.”

He is also frustrated over recent council decisions – citing their consideration of more than 600 thousand dollars in debt forgiveness for the owner of the SpringHill Suites Marriott hotel. Delgado says we need to incentivize these hotel developers.

“(The hotel) brought us 550 thousand dollars in tax revenue in the first year. And next year with the hotel tax probably passing in November, it’s going to bring us 650 thousand. So over the 30-40 year life time it’s going to bring us six million dollars every decade.”

Speaking of taxes, Nolan says they’re too high, and the city never gave the promised additional funding to Marina Police and Fire. “It’s always a tax initiative – we need more money,” Nolan said. “My last years when I worked as the Commander, we got what we had last year.”

But the incumbent argues taxes on the ballot this time are largely on out of state residents. And previous measures were to offset rising expenses and to keep city departments afloat.

“For every hundred homes built, 20 have to be below market rate. And there’s more homes being built here than any other city,” Delgado said.
Nolan tells KION, “I hate to call myself a change agent, but it’s probably more of ‘going in a different direction’.”