Two new Dana Point City Council members will start four-year terms in December without going through the usual rigors of candidate debates and canvassing neighborhoods ahead of election day, convincing residents their message speaks to the heart of the community. While in most elections there are some incumbents throughout the county who face no challengers in their bid to return to seats on councils and school and special districts, uncontested newcomers are pretty rare in recent election history.

But with only one candidate filing for each of the three council district races – including incumbent Jamey Federico for his District 3 – the Dana Point City Council recently chose to just appoint the candidates to their seats rather than proceed with an election. Federico recused himself from the discussion and vote.

Appointed with Federico are John Gabbard, who came to Southern California 24 years ago when serving at Camp Pendleton and is now a real estate investor who also serves as chair of Dana Point’s Planning Commission, and Matthew Pagano, chief financial officer for Pan-Pacific Mechanical, who has lived in Dana Point since 1986 and said he is focused on making sure the local perspective is front and center at the City Council.

Both said they are going to take the time before joining the council on the dais in December to get up to speed on city issues and still connect with residents.

Gabbard will represent the city’s District 1 and Pagano will represent District 2. In both districts, the council members have termed out.

California Elections Code offers cities the option to appoint in lieu of an election, which is estimated to have saved Dana Point as much as $37,000 by not requiring the services of the Orange County Registrar of Voters. The three council members will be sworn in during the first council meeting in December, joining council members Mike Frost and Michael Villar representing Districts 4 and 5.

“You have three guys running for three open seats and no competition; what’s the point?” Mayor Joe Muller said in support of  saving the money. “In my opinion, it’s wasting it when the outcome is predetermined.”

Taking a look at recent elections, numerous incumbents faced no challengers and easily returned to their seats; in 2018, there were 38 in council, school board and special district races; in 2020, there were about 45 candidates, and in the upcoming election in November, there will be more than 30 incumbents returning with not much campaigning effort.

“Politicians hate elections; they’re costly, time-consuming, and grueling,” said Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University. “Democracy loves elections because you’re forced to campaign. Democracy, just like justice, shouldn’t have a price tag.”

The city of Los Alamitos canceled November’s election for incumbent councilwoman Shelly Hasselbrink’s District 4 seat last month when she faced no challengers. And in San Juan Capistrano, Troy Bourne and John Taylor, who represent districts 2 and 4, were also recently appointed back to their seats.

Experts say a lack of candidates may result from many cities and boards now being divided into districts, narrowing the pool of residents wanting to run, as well as a tumultuous election climate that discourages others from putting themselves out there.

Marcia Goodwin, a professor of public administration at the University of La Verne, said that while the change to district-based elections initially caused a sense of excitement because they were new and different, drawing a diverse selection of candidates, that might not be the case now.

“When you have a new system, it heightens interest,” she said. “Part of (the idea of districts) was to broaden the demographic representation on the council. Once those objectives are achieved, there are fewer candidates emerging for office.”

Canceling an uncontested election is not uncommon among municipalities, but Goodwin and Smoller said it’s rare for an emerging candidate to “walk onto the dais.”

Bypassing the grueling election cycle and the “boots on the ground” experience could impact how people govern, they said.

“Without campaign fundraisers or precinct walking, a new council member risks missing emerging controversies and service needs,” Goodwin said. “There also can be a tendency for the public to make assumptions about a person’s personality and responsiveness.”

Research indicates that there is more heated criticism and venting against elected officials when members of the public don’t have a personal connection, she added.

Robyn Grant is running for the first time for a City Council seat in Newport Beach. Despite having no challengers, Grant, a previous arts commissioner who also served on other local city and community boards, will appear on the November ballot. There are other Newport Beach council races with challengers.

She continues to meet with residents and said that since launching her campaign in June 2021, she’s met with hundreds of residents and has a full calendar of community association and resident meetings.

Muller said the extra time the two new council members will now have to prepare for their jobs on the dais will benefit their governance.

“It’s an advantage; instead of campaigning for three months, they can work with city staff and get up to speed so when they get there, it’s not all brand new,“ said Muller, first seated in 2014. “My first meeting, I was like a deer in the headlights. It takes about three months to get familiar, and by the end of the year, you realize you know what’s going on.”

That is precisely what Gabbard, 57, and Pagano, 43, said they plan to do. Both call themselves fiscal conservatives who said they want to see the community’s nearly 38,000 residents continue to enjoy a high-quality lifestyle supported by well-run city services, with clean and safe neighborhoods, parks, and a healthy and vibrant ocean, beaches, and harbor.

Gabbard has lived in his district for 17 years. He’s been his HOA’s president for six years and a commander at the Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 9934 since 2018.

“I have worked hard to gain the support of those whom I will represent for many years in silence and without publicity,” he said. “I am blessed to know a lot of my neighbors. Those that I don’t, I’ll meet them soon.”

While taking an opportunity to tune things in with the city, he said he also plans to canvas his neighborhood and others in Dana Point to get out and meet folks.

“I have an obligation to engage with residents in my district and citizens at-large regardless of the election appointment,” Gabbard said.

Pagano has lived in Dana Point since 1986 and also said he plans to meet people in his district while taking advantage of an opportunity to get up to speed with the city’s staff.

“If I do this right, I am merely synthesizing input and perspectives from District 2 and bringing that voice to the council,” he said about meeting with those in his district. “While I will certainly have opinions, I will subordinate any subjectivity to the desires of District 2 and the citizens of Dana Point.”

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