What can we do? Instead of choosing from the candidates that decide to run you go out and find your own candidate. You recruit. Because the kind of person you want probably isn’t going to think about running for office. If they do, they probably don’t think they can win. And they certainly can’t afford to run on their worn. You want someone WITHOUT amibition. Someone who doesn’t really want the job. Someone who isn’t looking at the job as a stepping stone to another job up the food chain, or to get something out of it like money, prestige or “fame”. You need integrity, honesty and humility. You need a public servant. You need to beat the bushes and recruit.

But you’ll need to do a lot of it and it will have to be a coordinated effort. Because you’ll need to cover a lot of offices. Not just the mayor. Not just a council seat or two. You need to do it across the city; a coordinated clean sweep.

And while you’re finding those candidates and trying to get them elected, you’ll need to work at the same time to defeat the kind of candidates you don’t want. I don’t want to see Scott Peters replace Mike Aguirre. I don’t want to see Scott Peters as Mayor, President of the council or on the council at all. But that’s just me. Maybe those he represents really like the job he’s doing. Or maybe they’re just not informed.

I haven’t been happy with my representation on the council since Christine Kehoe left. I wonder if there’s way to get her back. Maybe as Mayor.

http://www.kpbs.org/tv/full_focus?id=7897

“In April of 2006, when they told the FAA they wanted to build to 180 feet, the FAA said no that will be a hazard. In June of 2006, they said we’ll keep it lower at 160 feet which does not violate the critical airspace and then behind the FAA’s back, Sunroad went ahead and built to the higher level”

“Mayor Sanders would not respond directly to Frye’s request that he enforce a stop work order against Sunroad. But Jim Waring of the city’s land use department says by allowing Sunroad to continue construction, the city is lowering its financial exposure in a potential lawsuit by the developer.”

Well, yes. When the very system you’re fighting blocks you at every turn.

Will *I* vote for Scott Peters? NO. I won’t vote for our lovely Mayor either. (Didn’t vote for him either time and TOLD YOU SO.)

Would Donna have been able to accomplish anything? Well, I think Donna and Mike together would have accomplished more than Mike on his own.

Is this city crooked? Yes. What can be done? Even a clean sweep by the voting public wouldn’t do much because the very corruption is in non-elected offices. It in the upper escheleons of the city and it’s in the private sector. The good ol’ white boys running finance and construction.

Anyone, ANYONE, that lists any developer as a campaign contributor is NOT getting my vote.

Now I look forward to seeing what the City intends to do about the Mini-Dorms. What a loophole! That alone will destroy San Diego neighborhoods. And who’s behind that? Gee….real estate developers? Go figure.

Mike lack social graces?

So what? Politeness might get you liked but it still won’t get THIS job done.

I say go get them Mike. I’ll vote for you every time.

Can you be right about things and still not accomplish anything to fix them? Well of course, and this recent incident goes a long way toward showing why Aguirre apparently hasn’t and probably won’t. Suppose Mike had responded to the SDPD request for clarification with common professionalism? Why, I’d bet his investigation would have continued without comment. (Though he wouldn’t get to look one bit the Savonarola.)

The ‘abrasive’ description is a straw man. If he we’re abrasive and effective, it wouldn’t matter. But grandstanding is counterproductive, and letting righteousness get in the way of judgment is counterproductive. Come on Luna, the City Attorney has no business calling anyone corrupt outside of a criminal charge.

Now, not everyone can be Eliot Spitzer, but it’s not hard to imagine someone /like/ Spitzer stepping into the City Attorney’s role here and really fixing things. However hard I try, I just can’t see Lansdowne and others as being out to stymie Honest Mike at every turn. It’s Mike who is responsible for his anemic record, all posturing aside.

Until we see some goods, I’ll consider Aguirre a pundit. A fine one, but that’s not what we’re paying him for.