Carl DeMaio re-affirms his commitment to become San Diego’s next voice in the US Congress

Carl DeMaio today re-affirmed his commitment to become San Diego’s next voice in the US Congress.

“I care more about getting things done – the right things done – than holding a particular political office or title. That’s why, after much consideration as to how I can get things done for San Diego, today I re-affirm my commitment to be San Diego’s voice for reform in Congress.”
–Carl DeMaio

His full statement is below.

The last eight months have brought very difficult and painful times for our city. I want to begin by commending the thousands of San Diegans from every political party and walks of life who stepped forward during the Recall process to send a clear bipartisan message to Bob Filner that he had to go or be removed.

I also want to thank the thousands of city employees who kept our city services running without the leadership and supportive environment that they deserved.

Our city is grateful to have this chance to turn the page.

From my time in the business world, to my time in politics, my entire career has been dedicated to what I call the “Reform Agenda.”

It’s my passion. It’s what drives me.

I founded an entire company – the Performance Institute – to help fix broken government programs and highlight excellence in government.

I entered politics because I got frustrated with city politicians who tried to cover up the financial crisis at City Hall and were unwilling to make tough decisions to fix the problems.

I have been willing to ruffle the feathers of powerful special interest groups because we need to be honest about our problems and courageous about the solutions to fix them.

Every election our politicians promise change. But Americans are frustrated because change almost never happens in government.

But in San Diego we made change happen. We got an ambitious “Reform Agenda” implemented by bringing Democrats and Republicans together – and all those in between – to look beyond labels and not care who got the credit.

We balanced the budget and protected neighborhood services by implementing efficiencies, forced greater openness and transparency, cut red tape on small businesses, and made San Diego a model in Pension Reform.

Those reforms were a good start and kept our city out of bankruptcy.

But our city deserves more than just mere stability – we deserve to soar!

That’s why I ran for Mayor in 2012.

During that campaign, I met literally thousands of San Diegans. I listened to their frustrations with business as usual at City Hall. I shared their disappointment with elected leaders who violated their trust. Having been an orphan, I understood their fear about making ends meet and giving their children the best opportunities that life has to offer.

I was inspired by their hopes and aspirations. I took their ideas and solutions for making our city better – and published a 350-page Plan called the Roadmap to Recovery.

Thousands of San Diegans stepped forward across party lines and beyond socio-economic status to support our ideas. Many Democrats told me I was the first Republican they ever voted for.

But on election night, we still came up short. The special interests who had controlled this city for so long, and who had opposed our reforms, used dirty politics to hang on to power by electing Bob Filner.

Despite our great ideas, the opposition was able to apply labels that are designed to deceive, detract, and divide.

I also concluded that the Republican Party has a big problem with its brand – primarily due to the actions of national party leaders.

Because I did not want to see any good candidate with good ideas lose because of a tarnished Party brand, I committed myself to help change the Republican Party by taking our approach to “reform” to the national level.

By running for Congress as a “new Generation Republican” I am challenging the party to do four things:

First, we must become more inclusive – and reach out to all communities to listen to their struggles and represent their hopes and dreams. Republicans can no longer be the party of old white men – they must win the trust and support of Latinos, African Americans, Asians, Women, Youth, working families, and gays.

Second, stop being the party of “NO.” The whole notion of the “Reform Agenda” is that we must make government work again. We cannot just point out problems, we must also offer common-sense solutions to every issue facing the country – and be willing to vote “YES” to actually get things done.

Third, we must refocus on the issues that unite, rather than the issues that divide. As someone who believes in limited government and personal freedom in all aspects of life, not just some, I do not believe government ought to decide how we live our private lives. Instead of focusing on divisive social issues, we must refocus our priorities on fiscal, economic, and quality of life issues.

Fourth and finally, we must lead by example. To do this, we must Fix Congress First – and demand that Congress live under the same laws they expect the rest of us to live under.

When I first announced for Congress, I did not know what kind of reception these ideas would receive in Washington or across the country.

But in the last few months I have met with and heard from thousands of people across the country who are excited by this “new Generation Republican” approach.

I believe I can be part of big change in Washington, just as I’ve been proud to be part of a team that has made big changes here in San Diego.

That’s why, after much consideration as to how I can get things done for San Diego, I have decided to continue my campaign for Congress.

I care more about getting things done – the right things done – than holding a particular political office or title.

I also recognize that the “Reform Agenda” is bigger than any one individual. I am confident we have several exceptional individuals in our city who possess the integrity and sincerity of position to carry out our reforms as mayor.

In the coming months of this election, and beyond that as San Diego’s next Congressperson, I will continue to play a leadership role in holding our local, state and national governments accountable to the people.

In closing, I want to express my appreciation for the thousands of San Diegans who contacted my office to offer their advice, feedback, and support in the past few weeks. Your faith and confidence means a lot – and has always given me the fuel to advance our vision of positive change for San Diego.