Opinion: Fingers crossed Beth Gaines is fit for office
Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the May 9, 2011, Sacramento Bee.
Beth Gaines is scheduled to be sworn in this week as Assembly member for the district that includes parts of Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado counties.
Many wonder if she is fit for state office. We hope she surprises us.
She succeeds her husband, Sen. Ted Gaines, who was elected to the upper house in a special election. Gaines won a rather lackluster victory, besting a Democrat who barely campaigned by 10 percent in a district that is heavily weighted to favor Republicans.
Gaines should understand that it’s a privilege to serve, not a right. She ought to turn down the perquisites of public office, avoid constant fundraising, and devote full-time to representing her constituents.