Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Come On, Carl

Councilmembers Donna Frye and Carl DeMaio sat at a table at the front of a meeting room inside San Diego County's Health and Human Services Complex.

Local political and social activist groups Empower San Diego and Common Cause sponsored the "Strong Mayor Forum."

Frye and DeMaio were invited to discuss Proposition D, the June ballot measure that if passed would make the current strong-mayor style of governance, enacted in 2005 with 51 percent of the vote, permanent. The proposition would also create a ninth council district.

From the front of the room, each councilmember stated their position to the 40 people in the audience.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Councilmember DeMaio spoke first: "I want to end the debate on who is in charge. I don't believe that the strong-mayor system of government ends the debate, but it is a lot better than the old system of government. A strong-mayor form of government, I believe, is the best platform to move the city forward and adds more accountability."

Frye started her remarks with some history: "Unfortunately, the current strong-mayor form of government is still the same ill-conceived form of government that was drafted back in 2004 behind closed doors and presented at one full city council meeting."

According to Frye, if passed, developers have direct access to the mayor and will only need the votes of four councilmembers and the mayor to proceed.

As for more accountability, Frye added: "If we continue with this form of government, guess what we won't see at council meetings? The mayor. Cause he or she won't show up."

While DeMaio cited improved accountability and a bolstered executive branch that would accompany a strong-mayor style of government, Frye hammered away at the diminished access to the mayor, the cost of adding a ninth council district, the unbridled and covert mayoral power, and requiring a supermajority of councilmembers to override a mayoral veto.

DeMaio and Frye answered questions from the audience. DeMaio reiterated that Proposition D does not solve all of the issues in city government. "A lot of the issues that [Frye] and I fight on a daily basis are still going to be there despite a Prop D victory or failure."

Some anti-Prop D audience members, as well as Frye, took DeMaio's concession as an opening. "I wish we could convince [DeMaio] to come over and join us," said Frye. "I will keep pressing to get you to switch sides."

After Frye's comments chants came from the audience: "Come on, Carl. Come on, Carl."

"We'll make a deal with you, Carl," said audience member and San Diego blogger on local politics Pat Flannery, "If you oppose Proposition D, we'll make you mayor in 2012."

The meeting ended shortly after.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Next Article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?

Councilmembers Donna Frye and Carl DeMaio sat at a table at the front of a meeting room inside San Diego County's Health and Human Services Complex.

Local political and social activist groups Empower San Diego and Common Cause sponsored the "Strong Mayor Forum."

Frye and DeMaio were invited to discuss Proposition D, the June ballot measure that if passed would make the current strong-mayor style of governance, enacted in 2005 with 51 percent of the vote, permanent. The proposition would also create a ninth council district.

From the front of the room, each councilmember stated their position to the 40 people in the audience.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Councilmember DeMaio spoke first: "I want to end the debate on who is in charge. I don't believe that the strong-mayor system of government ends the debate, but it is a lot better than the old system of government. A strong-mayor form of government, I believe, is the best platform to move the city forward and adds more accountability."

Frye started her remarks with some history: "Unfortunately, the current strong-mayor form of government is still the same ill-conceived form of government that was drafted back in 2004 behind closed doors and presented at one full city council meeting."

According to Frye, if passed, developers have direct access to the mayor and will only need the votes of four councilmembers and the mayor to proceed.

As for more accountability, Frye added: "If we continue with this form of government, guess what we won't see at council meetings? The mayor. Cause he or she won't show up."

While DeMaio cited improved accountability and a bolstered executive branch that would accompany a strong-mayor style of government, Frye hammered away at the diminished access to the mayor, the cost of adding a ninth council district, the unbridled and covert mayoral power, and requiring a supermajority of councilmembers to override a mayoral veto.

DeMaio and Frye answered questions from the audience. DeMaio reiterated that Proposition D does not solve all of the issues in city government. "A lot of the issues that [Frye] and I fight on a daily basis are still going to be there despite a Prop D victory or failure."

Some anti-Prop D audience members, as well as Frye, took DeMaio's concession as an opening. "I wish we could convince [DeMaio] to come over and join us," said Frye. "I will keep pressing to get you to switch sides."

After Frye's comments chants came from the audience: "Come on, Carl. Come on, Carl."

"We'll make a deal with you, Carl," said audience member and San Diego blogger on local politics Pat Flannery, "If you oppose Proposition D, we'll make you mayor in 2012."

The meeting ended shortly after.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.