October 26th 2024.
As the Nov. 5 election quickly approaches, the race for Marin County supervisor has taken an unexpected turn. Candidate Heather McPhail Sridharan has lost the support of some of her former allies, leaving her with less than two weeks to win over voters.
Among those who have withdrawn their endorsements are three members of the Fairfax Town Council: Barbara Coler, Stephanie Hellman, and Lisel Blash. Additionally, both the Skylark Tenants Association and the Bon Air Tenants Association have also revoked their support. The North Bay Labor Council has downgraded its support for McPhail Sridharan, although they have not completely withdrawn their endorsement.
McPhail Sridharan, who currently serves as the board president of the family business, McPhail Fuel Co., and is a former member of the Kentfield School District board, is running against San Anselmo councilman Brian Colbert for the District 2 seat on the Marin County Board of Supervisors. The incumbent, Katie Rice, chose not to seek reelection.
In response to the withdrawal of her endorsements, McPhail Sridharan stated in an email, "I deeply respect the perspectives of the two tenant organizations and Fairfax elected officials who have removed their endorsement of my campaign, and look forward to continuing the productive conversations with them if elected."
So, what led to this change of heart from McPhail Sridharan's former supporters? It seems to stem from a campaign text message sent out by her campaign committee on Oct. 18. The message criticized the use of taxpayer dollars on various projects and called for new leadership. This message did not sit well with Coler and Hellman, who both cited it as a major reason for withdrawing their endorsements.
Coler explained, "I have no hard feelings against Heather, but I just don't feel that I want my name associated with those changing positions." Hellman also shared her concerns, stating, "Heather's campaign text blast last week referring to Project Homekey as a waste of taxpayer dollars was very problematic for many of us."
While Blash did not state her specific reasons for withdrawing her endorsement, she did mention that it was a personal decision and she had communicated her reasons to McPhail Sridharan.
The North Bay Labor Council, which had planned to highlight McPhail Sridharan's photo at the top of their slate card for union members, has also reduced their support for her. Executive director Jack Buckhorn explained, "We were going to put Heather at the top of our ticket and make her a priority, but with her flip-flopping on rent control, which is one of our major policy positions, we couldn't in good conscience make her one of our top priorities."
Buckhorn revealed that McPhail Sridharan had initially voiced support for rent control during an interview with the organization, but her stance seemed to change in subsequent candidate forums. This inconsistency in her position was a major factor in the organization's decision to reduce their support.
It seems that McPhail Sridharan's changing stance on rent control has caused concern among many of her former supporters. Richard Quinones, a founding member of the Skylark Tenants Association, shared a similar experience. He stated that while McPhail Sridharan initially expressed support for rent control in earlier conversations, it became clear that she did not actually support it. This led him to believe that her use of their endorsement in her campaign literature was misleading.
In response to the backlash, McPhail Sridharan stated, "I support sensible renter protections as a critical tool in a toolbox for an overall housing strategy that includes short-term rental subsidies and building affordable housing. Overly aggressive rent-control policies disincentivize landlords from maintaining property and discourage housing development."
Despite the backlash and loss of support, McPhail Sridharan maintains that her position on rent control has not changed. However, her opponent, Brian Colbert, believes that this is indicative of her shifting positions. He stated, "I'm proud of the fact that my core values have remained consistent throughout the campaign."
Political analyst Brian Sobel believes that the withdrawal of endorsements at this stage in the race is highly unusual, but he doubts that it will have a significant impact on the outcome. However, he did mention that there is anecdotal evidence that Colbert is currently leading in the polls. In the March primary election, Colbert received 43% of the votes while McPhail Sridharan received 26%.
With less than two weeks until the election, it remains to be seen how this loss of support will affect McPhail Sridharan's campaign. But one thing is for sure, the race for Marin County supervisor has taken an unexpected turn.
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