San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer looks to be re-elected to a four-year term, this June, with no endorsed opposition from the Democratic Party. Former (acting) Mayor Todd Gloria opted to run for State Assembly, in a District which wouldn’t elect a resurrected Reagan, and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins found it easier to intimidate fellow Democrat Marty Block, from running for re-election to the State Senate, than challenging the Mayor.
No endorsed opposition from the Democratic Party, in a city with an eight-point Democratic registration advantage, in an election cycle which traditionally has higher Democratic voter turn out. Let that sink in and then ask “Why?”
I believe it is because Mayor Faulconer is doing an exceptional job (DISCLOSURE: I financially support the Mayor’s re-election campaign). He restored integrity to the Mayor’s office, is focusing on key issues which improve the quality-of-life for San Diegans, continues to reform city government so that it is fiscally sustainable, and stopped unnecessary government intervention into private industry, intervention which would have hurt poor people.
Democrat-turned independent Lori Saldaña thinks otherwise. She disagrees with my assessment so much that she launched an independent bid against the popular Mayor, claiming that he hasn’t accomplished much. Saldaña waited until five months before the election to declare her candidacy, has raised little money for her campaign, has no published endorsements from elected officials, but believes she is entitled to debate the Mayor. Her request for a debate is the major strategy she has to raise awareness for her campaign.
I think Mayor Faulconer should debate her. Let me explain why:
I kind of like Ms. Saldaña and she is right to say that we should highlight the differences in both campaigns. Mayor Faulconer adopts a collaborative, centrist approach to governing while Ms. Saldaña adopts the more radical, in-your-face, progressive politics of Filner. Her criticism of the Mayor is that he leads by encouraging council members champion causes he supports (Gloria’s climate action plan and Kersey’s infrastructure plan). In other words, Ms. Saldaña’s criticism is that the Mayor shares credit when things go well and accepts responsibility when things do not. I always thought that was the hallmark of a good leader.
Ms. Saldaña suggests that the Mayor is a placeholder with no real convictions of his own– I have no doubt she will bring that up in a debate. If Mayor Faulconer agrees to debate Ms. Saldaña, and she dares to bring this up, I implore him to ask one simple question:
Why Ms. Saldaña, did you endorse Bob Filner for Mayor of San Diego, when you knew he harassed and abused women?
Ms. Saldaña has explained herself on this issue. She endorsed Filner because she was exhausted from all the pressure the special interests were applying to her:
But in the end, pressures from both inside and outside the campaign wore me down. Trying to explain why I refused to support Filner without outing him became an additional distraction that my opponents exploited in the waning days of the campaign.
We issued a terse, one-sentence statement of endorsement for Filner. Immediately, the critics went silent
Did you catch that? The very reason she says Mayor Faulconer shouldn’t be re-elected is the reason why Filner was elected Mayor–an absence of courage, to resist political pressure and do the right thing. Politician, heal thyself.
Two years ago, Ms. Saldaña wrote a cathartic series about her Filner endorsement on San Diego Free Press. She blamed political parties, the past chair of the San Diego Democratic Party, Bob Filner, Scott Peters, Maryann Pintar, and other local Democrats. She blamed them for putting so much political pressure on her, that she sacrificed her principles, and opted to do what was politically expedient rather than stand up for disenfranchised women.
I like Ms. Saldaña because I think she is an honest person. I disagree with her on over 85% of the issues but I think she might have learned something from the political games she played in 2012. I get that party politics sometimes makes you endorse people you don’t necessarily like nor agree with all of the time. But Mayors have to reject special interests, political pressure from their party, and follow their principles when governing. That’s why the people elected them. That’s what Mayor Faulconer does.
Lori knew Filner was a predator and she endorsed him for Mayor anyway. That has to come out in a debate.
An executive office is a much different job than one of legislator. Executives govern while legislators advocate. Executives offer a vision to colleagues and share credit for success. Executives don’t pass the buck and explain away their mistakes as political pressure. They stick to their guns and do what’s right.
Mayor Faulconer does what’s right. That’s why I support him for re-election
PS: I originally wrote this a week ago and scheduled it to be published today (March 7, 2016). Since the time I wrote it, and the time it was published. Former Democratic Council Member Ed Harris joined the race. As of today, he is not endorsed by the San Diego Democratic Party Committee.