Jerry Roberts
Supervisor Das Williams sent a warm and fuzzy, full-color campaign mailer to his neighbors in Carpinteria this week, portraying himself as a Mr. Dad homeboy.
One one level, the misspelling is just a silly screw-up, the kind of clanger that afflicts nearly every political campaign at one point or another, in a business built on urgency, adrenalin and quick turnarounds.
From another angle, however, it’s a humiliating unforced error in what should be a no-sweat re-election for Boss Das, not only because opponent Roy Lee is a city council member in (checks notes) Carpinteria — but also because it validates Lee’s critique of Williams as a career politician out of touch with his constituents, a moke with enough campaign cash to hire far-flung professional political consultants who can’t manage to spell the name of his own town right.
In the end, the blunder is unlikely to impact Das’s bid for a third term on the Board of Supervisors. But it’s one more drop in a drip-drip-drip of missteps steadily eroding his political brand as he looks ahead for the next office he can run for.
At post time, Spencer Brandt, Williams’ campaign manager, had not responded to a request for comment.
“He spelled it wrong.” I’m not for or against the guy, but can all us reasonable adults agree that he himself didn’t type the word incorrectly on a keyboard in a graphic design program? At worst, they put it in front of his face to proof & sign off on, and he missed it, as his professional graphic designers also did? “Das Spells Carpinteria Wrong” is a bit misleading.
And Jerry Roberts’ comments like “All righty then!” and calling the one-letter-misspelling “humiliating”, among other over-editorializing angles, should put this article under “op-ed” rather than “local news”.
Maybe the improper spelling was due to a contact high?
“One one level” how do you shit on a guys spelling while having shit spelling/grammar. The world is wild!
Jerry Roberts is not a journalist, he’s an attack dog.
We need more ‘dogs’ like Jerry Roberts. It’s called bulldog journalism.
We don’t need political discourse littered with dog feces like this.
sounds like (from all your posts defending Das) that you are his attack dog!
I’m not pretending to be a journalist. And this comments section doesn’t have the sort of reach and influence that Roberts has. So your whataboutism, like the rest of your comments, is grossly dishonest. (And if you don’t want all the other Anonymous comments here attributed to you then stop being such a sneaky coward and use your ID.)
“One one level”
This is just one of several typos and grammatical errors in this trash piece, the kind of garbage that poisons political discourse.
It’s fine to ‘carp’ on Das. He’s a phony and a hypocrite. And with such a big war chest for his campaign, someone competent should be proofing his content. This wasn’t a simple autocorrect mistake that could be blamed on a computer. Das deserves scrutiny by journalists and the voting public. Thanks to Jerry Roberts and others who hold his feet to the fire.
It’s not fine to be dishonest trash.
agree and that’s my so many who follow local politics have lost faith in Das- he seems dishonest and disingenuous.
why do you hide your handle? odd seemingly that you seem so intent on bashing him. Do you know him? I do. Quite well. Perhaps rather than assume and make things up in your head, pick up the phone and call the guy. Send him email, or request a meeting. He will meet with you and chat. He’s a very approachable and nice guy. As for the lame comments about his kids in photos, he’s showing that he’s a family man. that he cares for and loves his kids. yet you want to make that a bad thing? lol…ok.
Hey, Das is living by the sword and dying by the sword. His votes and record are all he’s got. Lots of us aren’t confident in him. If you are, that’s one vote for him. I think he’s failed.
“shut up and just vote”
Also, as the guy who attacked a twice cancer survivor with a splenectomy for wearing a mask, what you think is completely and utterly irrelevant.
“the misspelling is just a silly screw-up, the kind of clanger that afflicts nearly every political campaign at one point or another, in a business built on urgency, adrenalin and quick turnarounds”
A responsible, honest journalist would have left it at that. The rest is the sort of garbage that we would expect from a political operative in the Lee Atwater mold … but Jerry Roberts presents himself as a journalist. How much is Roy Lee paying him to write this trash?
Das is not well liked in “Carpenteria”. Roy is not ready to be a Supervisor. Jerry Roberts is stud.
Why would you think Roy is not ready for the job? The guy has been running a service based small business for years and has been on the Carp City Council for six years.
As far as I’m concerned, anyone who has managed to maintain a small business for that long, pay employees, and provide service to the community understand all the basics necessary to be a good public servant. Accountability, ability to understand and maintain a real budget, transparency, service mind set, a history of problem solving, the ability to listen without being defensive and vindictive (Das).
What more do you think Roy would need to at least be qualified?
Das is just another useless carreer politican like salud. “Smells like skunk” he sold out carpinteria
Nah, Salud is awesome. Always shows up when we need him.
sold out? right. that selling out has paid for your roads, schools, infrastructure and other things that would have come right out of your pocket. time to move on and stop sounding like a cranky ol fart. weed is legal and it’s not going to change. people said the same thing about booze, and still do.
Salud is a great human being. Anyone attacking him is the arch opposite.
Just a pet peeve, but I really hate when politicians stick their kids in their photo ops and campaign materials. It’s like IG influencers using their kids for credibility and likes, it’s gross. Pure Das.
Agree. Das uses his kids like props more than any local politician I’ve ever seen. It’s gross.
Additionally.. I’ve always found this to be a uniquely male trait in politics. Like “look.. I’m such a great dad, my kids love me!” You rarely see female politicians doing this. They’re literally breastfeeding on the floor to vote because maternity leave is shit in this country.
I’m not a fan of Das and think he needs to work outside of politics for a few years to gain perspective and tone down his unwarranted arrogance. I’m also not a fan of Jerry and Molina’s misogynistic newsman bravado that faded into the sunset decades ago. News and journalism has evolved and changed. Das is annoying but this ain’t it guys.
Jerry-
Mr. Lee is not exactly content being a Carp council member. He is working overtime to move up the next rung of the career politician’s ladder to the SB County Board of Supervisors. If he should win the election, I would bet a lot of money that sometime in the future, from a place far away, the loud sound of “Come to Sacramento Mr. Lee!”
So exactly who should go to Sacramento, or to the Board of Supervisors? Roy Lee is a City Council member in a city that has been greatly impacted by County decisions. Das has led those decisions. Is it moving “up the next rung of the career politician’s ladder” to want to serve his city in a more effective capacity? Career politicians generally don’t care that much about the local offices they serve in (or are placed in by party activists looking to groom future state and national candidates). Their time in local office is spent trying not to displease any possible future supporters and avoiding any potentially unpopular decisions. The Santa Barbara City Council is full of these – just look at the State Street paralysis! Roy Lee is a local businessman who is looking to serve his local community in another local non-partisan position. For Das or his supporters to try to hang the “career politician” on Lee is disingenuous at best (more like hypocritical).
“For Das or his supporters to try to hang the “career politician” on Lee is disingenuous at best (more like hypocritical).”
Project much? Lee’s whole campaign, and that of Das’s critics here, is to hang that on Das.
To state that Das Williams is a career politician is to state a fact.
He has been in politics for the last, what, 22 years of his working life? With no career to speak of before that. What, four years or work experience outside of politics?
That is the definition of a career politician. You can’t argue it.
Roy Lee, at this moment, has about the same amount of political experience that Das had when he was first elected Supervisor.
Beyond that, he has a LOT of experience running a business that can not succeed without servicing customers.
So tell me why you think Roy is “inexperienced.”
Dishonest evasive response to my comment.
If Mr Lee wins, serves a term or two, and the voters decide he would be a good representative in Sacto or DC at the time, wouldn’t that be meritorious? Das did it for crying out loud. Certainly the laughable minority reportesque foreshadowed notion does not disqualify his candidacy or eventual election as insinuated.
It serves the public interest for all sides by creating vacancy and inviting more to participate in an open contest for the seat being vacated. Squatting on seats for term after term doesn’t serve the general public interest as well as turnover which results in greater voice for the public, more participation thereby resulting in more candidates in all races. When a seat is controlled by professional politicians in the way that many have been when term limits are not in place, it discourages some people from participating in the first place.
Jerry Roberts is not the Santa Barbara News Press or La Times. He and Josh are 100% upfront as to where they are coming from and have every right to editorialize and participate in the conversation on their own “podcasts”. They are both distinguished professional journalists/ editors and have excellent records when riding in the boat of more parochial media owned by others.
Their podcasts provide a rare platform for in-depth interviews and comments from public figures in our community, and they are cordial knowledgeable hosts but also not unafraid to ask a question. Quite surprised that Das is scared of sitting down with Jerry tbh. The questions and tone that Jerry has taken about him reflect the public’s sense and Das himself is the only missing participant – just come in and tell your side and let the Voters decide.
I’ve been impressed with the depth of knowledge of the other journalists who appear on Jerry’s podcast, (Ryan Cruz, Callie Fausey, Nick Welsh, etc.) and the format which allows enough time for questions to be fully asked and answered.
Always surprised how many are hostile to free press and want to silence any reporting or commentary that doesn’t comport to their own perspective.
“If Mr Lee wins, serves a term or two, and the voters decide he would be a good representative in Sacto or DC at the time, wouldn’t that be meritorious? ”
Your dice are loaded.
“Always surprised how many are hostile to free press and want to silence any reporting or commentary that doesn’t comport to their own perspective.”
Only the right wing does that. Criticizing bias is not silencing.
You’re right dargolf about criticizing and glad that we both agree that it’s all good to express opinions. Das must be of the opinion that if he gives an in-depth interview on Jerry’s show it will cost him votes among some of his faithful that form part of the core Newsmakers audience and the Independent not endorsing speaks volumes.
How can we both be agreeing about the lie you told and that I refuted?
“Das must be of the opinion that if he gives an in-depth interview on Jerry’s show it will cost him votes”
No, this is a blatant lie. Das said why he didn’t agree to an interview with Jerry Roberts.
Exactly, he chose to make a self serving excuse claiming bias by a nationally recognized journalist with a long history of support of local Democrats and titans like Dianne Feinstein. Don’t you realize what a joke that is to almost everyone else. I don’t buy his “reason”. Imo it can only be because Das knows that if he takes the tough questions and answers truthfully based on his record he can and will lose votes. He’s kind of like in the same position as Trump at this point, he has his loyalists and probably can’t change any votes, he needs to hold on to what he’s got.
“Das must be of the opinion”
“Imo it can only be”
So you can’t tell the difference between Das’s opinions and your own.
“He’s kind of like in the same position as Trump at this point”
This is an appallingly stupid comparison.