Measure Will Save Taxpayer Money and Enhance Accountability in City Government
SAN DIEGO – San Diego Councilmember Carl DeMaio urged voters in the City of San Diego to vote Yes on Proposition D – the Strong Mayor/Strong Council Ballot Measure.
“Prop D will save San Diego taxpayers money and enhance accountability in city government,” commented DeMaio. “We need a better system of checks and balances at City Hall and Proposition D delivers that for taxpayers.”
DeMaio also raised concerns that failure to pass Prop D will end up costing taxpayers money. “If Prop D does not pass, taxpayers will face higher city spending on a number of fronts,” DeMaio warned.
The budget hawk cited the following costly outcomes if Prop D is not passed:
Duplicative positions that would have to be created in the city bureaucracy if the Mayor returned to serving on the City Council and a full-blown City Manager Office were added back to the city’s organizational structure
Higher Spending that would likely result in the absence of a Mayoral veto to check the parochial spending desires of each individual city councilmember
Conflicts of Interest in Labor Negotiations: Having an elected Mayor with a set term in office also eliminates the conflict-of-interest of having a city bureaucrat serve as the lead labor negotiator on salaries and benefits for city workers. Previous city managers and subordinates negotiated costly labor contracts and received increased pension benefits that were indexed to the outcome of labor contracts they helped negotiate.
DeMaio is holding a number of community meetings throughout San Diego to educate voters on the importance of supporting Prop. D in the June 2010 city election. For more information, visit www.CleanUpCityHall.com
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