'Strong Mayor' Government in San Diego?

Hi Friends,

This is an important issue. Please vote on D. Pass it on to your friends. Thanks!!

Reform City Hall -- Vote No on Prop D.

If you had the power to determine how the City of San Diego would spend $1 million dollars, which one of these would you choose:

a) Repair neighborhood streets and sidewalks?

b) Add an additional City Council district, Councilmember and staff?

Likely you would choose a and not b.

This June on Election Day (or sooner if you vote by mail) you will be able to decide for yourself if you want to spend more money to add another council district.

Proposition D, also known as the strong mayor ballot measure, consists of three distinct questions bundled in an all-or-nothing package. Voters are not permitted to pick and choose but must either support or reject the entire proposal.
The three questions in Prop D are:
1) Shall we make the Strong Mayor form of governance permanent?
2) Shall we add a ninth Council seat?
3) Shall we require a supermajority vote to override a mayoral veto?

There are many go od reasons to answer No to all three and vote No on Prop D.

1) Making strong mayor permanent means less accountability because it allows the mayor to make decisions behind closed doors.
Most people are not aware that the mayor essentially has a vote on most issues (through veto power) and that all such decisions are made behind closed doors. That does not allow the public to see how decisions are made, nor can they directly access the mayor during public council meetings. The public has a right to see how decisions are made and a right to know the reasons for those decisions. That's what accountability really means.

2) Creating a ninth council district costs too much money, that could be better spent fixing our streets and sidewalks. ; The cost to add another council district is approximately $1 million per year. These costs cannot be justified at a time of massive cuts in city services. The money can be better spent on basic services such as street and sidewalk repair.

3) Requiring a supermajority vote turns San Diego into Sacramento. We?ve all seen the gridlock in Sacramento because of the 2/3 vote requirement. We all know how long it takes for a state budget to get passed. The Sacramento model doesn?t work there so why bring it to San Diego?

The public deserves a City Government that operates effectively for the benefit of all and real accountability of all its elected officials.

Your No vote will help reform City Hall. Your No vote will:

1) Require the mayor to vote in public where you will have direct access.
2) Save millions in taxpayer dollars by not adding another council district.
3) Prevent Sacramento-style gridlock from gaining a foothold in San Diego.

Please help us reform City Hall by voting NO on Prop D.

Please share with your friends. Thank you!
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Some links and articles:

League of Women Voters website with more on Strong Mayor: http://www.lwvsandiego.org/

Don Bauder, Reader - April 1, 2010 - www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/financial-crime-politics/2010/apr/01/frye-thwarts-preposterous-proposed-ballot-language/

April 22, 2010 - www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/financial-crime-politics/2010/apr/22/developers-bankrolling-strong-mayor-campaign/

John Lamb, City Beat - April 6, 2010 - http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/truth_and_consequences/9141/