Jerry Sanders for Mayor

President's Letter

MOST OF US REALIZE how fortunate we are to live in San Diego. Our geographic location and our climate permit a lifestyle unmatched anywhere in the world. Many of us feel the best thing about traveling is coming home to San Diego. I met an American couple who lived in Monte Carlo (for business reasons) who told me that if they could live anywhere in the world, they would live in San Diego.

We are equally fortunate to have Jerry Sanders as mayor of this awesome city. Recall the situation just a few short years ago when Mayor Dick Murphy resigned. The deficit caused by the city employees’ pension plan had some calling for the city to declare bankruptcy. We couldn’t complete financial audits that were three years old; the city couldn’t qualify for much-needed bond funding; and City Hall was paralyzed. Fortunately, a man of unimpeachable integrity stepped up to run for mayor when this city desperately needed him.

Now, as the opportunity for Mayor Sanders’ re-election is nearing, there are those who are impugning his integrity to satisfy their own political greed. Most notable is Steve Francis, who’s extrapolating 20 feet of Sunroad high-rise excess into Mayor Sanders being in the pocket of big developers. Meanwhile, Francis——the once-conservative, close friend of lobbyists——has done a 180 and is suddenly in bed with big labor and cozying up to dysfunctional City Attorney Mike Aguirre.

The Sunroad “scandal” is a huge canard. The problem was that the Sunroad high-rise was designed to be 180 feet tall, extending into Montgomery Field airspace by 20 feet. When it was discovered the city bureaucracy had mistakenly approved construction that violated FAA airspace, the city demanded Sunroad stop construction. Despite its earlier approval to build to that height, the city said Sunroad must lower the building. Jerry Sanders did not approve the construction plans; nor did he try to get the city to accept the airspace violation. In fact, Sanders attempted to negotiate on behalf of the city to find a solution that would satisfy both the FAA and Sunroad——and avoid an expensive lawsuit. Enter Mike Aguirre. To the surprise of few, our city attorney decided he preferred a lawsuit. Never mind that in other jurisdictions——specifically Orange County (John Wayne Airport) and Las Vegas (McCarren International Airport)——the FAA minimums were raised to accommodate adjacent construction.

So now the Sunroad building has been lowered, and the city is facing a $40 million lawsuit. Thank you, Mr. Aguirre. (Criminal charges brought by Aguirre against Tom Story, a Sunroad executive, were recently dismissed by Superior Court Judge Michael Wellington.)

This city has had politicians in the past who were “in the pockets of the developers.” Jerry Sanders definitely is not. Those who would make this an issue are the ones whose own integrity bears examining.

Candidate Francis is running TV commercials with actors posing as ordinary citizens who say Sanders has dropped the ball; that he hasn’t done enough. But they offer no specific examples. Here are some of the specifics of what Sanders has done in just the past two years:

• Issued previously delayed audited financial statements for fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, enabling the city to reaccess the bond market this year to finance key infrastructure improvements.
• Eliminated 670 employee positions and streamlined city operations, resulting in a savings of $50 million per year.
• Created a budgeting process that has the city investing in much-needed infrastructure and paying down its debts.
• Established a financially sound schedule for paying off the city employees’ pension debt.

Sanders also proposed a new city employee retirement plan that reduces benefits to 80 percent of their pay, instead of the 120 percent in the current plan, saving taxpayers $25 million per year. A 4-4 dead lock on the city council last month sent it down in flames. Sanders immediately challenged the council to put his proposal on the November ballot. In another showdown, Sanders’ threatened veto persuaded city councilmembers to back down after voting themselves and the mayor a salary increase. Under the threat, the council buckled and reversed its own vote.

These are just a few of his accomplishments in a very short time. We need four more years of Mayor Jerry Sanders. Please vote to give him time to complete the job.

JIM FITZPATRICK
President

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