Our View: Thanking constituents, Weir announces City Council retirement

You may have agreed, or disagreed, with Ken Weir - and during the two decades he has represented Ward 3 on the Bakersfield City Council, this newspaper has done both.

But this week, he deserves our thanks. He announced his decision not to seek reelection far in advance of the Nov. 3 general election. He has given potential candidates plenty of time to begin their campaigns. He has given his Ward 3 constituents an opportunity to thoughtfully consider and select his replacement.

This is in contrast to what we have seen many other local politicians do when they decide to retire, or step aside for other reasons.

Some leave office before their elected terms expired so their hand-picked successors can be appointed and later run for a full term with the political clout of an incumbent.

Some announce they will not seek reelection so close to the filing deadline that only candidates with insider knowledge are prepared to jump into the race.

Weir did none of that nonsense. He announced his intention not to run for reelection nearly a month before the candidate filing period opens on July 13. City council candidates have until Aug. 7 to file to run. However, if the incumbent is not seeking reelection, the deadline is extended for five days, or until Aug. 12.

Candidates also will compete on Nov. 3 for three other Bakersfield City Council seats - Ward 1 (Eric Arias, incumbent), Ward 4 (Bob Smith) and Ward 7 (Manpreet Kaur).

An accountant by trade, Weir has long been active in local Republican politics. He has been a consistent fiscally conservative voice on the City Council.

In his letter to The Bakersfield Californian announcing his decision not to seek reelection, Weir thanked his constituents for their patience while he missed several meetings while undergoing cancer treatment. He reflected on the city's growth during his 20 years of service and some of his personal accomplishments.

But he again expressed his long-held concerns about an issue that is certain to be a focus as candidates for all four council seats, including Weir's, compete in the November election.

That issue is the city's use of Measure N money - nearly $100 million raised annually from a ballot measure voters narrowly passed in 2018 that added 1 cent to the city's sales tax rate.

Repeatedly, fiscal hawks, including Weir, have criticized the city's increasing use of the money to cover such things as the city's ongoing operating costs; special projects and homeless shelters; and the social missions of private organizations.

"Meanwhile, our city management department has become bloated and they seek to buy the 10-story Bank of America building, while professing that we cannot keep up with expenses unless we consider raising revenues - again!" Weir wrote in his letter to The Californian.

These criticisms are likely to echo through City Council races this fall.

Unlike some tax and spending proposals, Measure N does not sunset, or expire, after a certain period of time. It is not necessary to ask voters to pass future extensions. According to the ballot language, Measure N and the higher tax rate will "remain in effect until voters decide to repeal or amend it."

The open-ended wording allowed Measure N to more easily pass with a simple majority vote. But it also leaves city services and projects dependent on the sales tax money more vulnerable to voters who someday may decide enough is enough and put a repeal or amend measure on a future ballot.

Weir's honorable decision to announce far in advance that he will not seek reelection gives constituents and candidates time to debate such topics as Measure N spending and select the best representative for Ward 3.

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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 5:04 AM.