By Bob Livesay
Special to the Herald

It is a new beginning. The local election is over. There is not much change on that level. We have the same mayor and one new councilmember. The one big issue is who will be the new Planning Commission member. It is important because of the Seeno property development. That property must be in part a revenue stream to the city budget. With or without houses is not the issue. It appears at present there will be no houses on that property. That is not an issue.
Commercial/retail in this town is very important. Our center of industry should not have the name “Business Park,” as some have suggested. Industrial Park is the only name. The primary job of this council is to ensure the financial future of this city. Bus hubs do not get us there, industrial/commercial will. So their job is cut out for them.
Will they get there? It all depends on the mayor and Steve Young. They must start thinking of this city first and not agenda-driven ideals.
Enough of the local election. Now let’s move on to the national elections.
It’s no surprise Trump won. What was a surprise to the Democrats was the giant setback it gave their party. They have not seen anything like this since the Civil War. It will take them years to recover.
Just think: a Republican president, House and Senate. Top that with 34 out of 50 governors and about 70 percent of all state houses. The vote total in favor of Clinton does not matter. The state of California gave her total vote a so-called victory. It was not a victory, it just made the folks in California aware of the fact that they will now move to the back of the priority list. The Democrats are talking like winners. Sorry, you did not win. Just watch as coal becomes clean, and there are no more subsidies for solar and hybrid/electric cars. Keystone pipeline will now get done. OPEC will no longer rule the fossil fuel industry.
Just keep your eye on the Rust Belt states. It is going to come alive as it should have always been. Those voters will now be permanent Republican voters. If California, Oregon and Washington do not want to be a part of it, there are many places that will take the opportunities and run with it. The Gulf states will flourish. Sorry, West Coast, you are either going to join in or be out. That is a shame, but it will be your choice. Just watch Silicon Valley join the team.
I will be watching as this very strong Republican administration moves forward. Stay tuned.

Bob Livesay is a Benicia resident

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