Councilman Carl DeMaio spelled out his ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ for City government last night in Mission Valley, and the GOP County Committee responded with applause and cheers at their monthly meeting. Introduced by Chairman Tony Krvaric as “the man who makes Reform seem exciting and achievable,” DeMaio delivered with a summary of his 90-page plan to stabilize City finances and resume real services to the public.
DeMaio’s ‘Clean Up City Hall’ website is: http://www.cleanupcityhall.com/ His full 90-page Roadmap Plan is here: http://cleanupcityhall.com/uploaded/FinancialReport.pdf
……………….Getting Back to the Three “Rs”
DeMaio stressed the ‘3 Rs’… Roads, Response Times and Recreation. When a city does not deliver these highest priorities, he said, it should stop and make changes until it can do so again. Potholes in City streets are a daily nuisance, Library hours are repeatedly reduced, and fire stations are browned out. These are symptoms of a deeper financial disease, largely traceable to the growing sinkhole of City pension payments.
DeMaio presented a chart showing the projected rise of City pension spending unless real Reforms are made soon, in 2010 – $150 million, 2012 – $250 million, 2016 – $345 million, 2022 – $450 million. This insatiable maw already damages City services, and the problem will only worsen unless remedial steps are taken now.
Councilman DeMaio said his plan allows a 5-vote council majority to take practical and legal steps to cut these projected costs nearly in half (to $250 milion in 2022, instead of $450 million). All that is needed to do so … is the political will to act.
………………The ’10 Commitments’ …. and Setting an Example
DeMaio gave a wider perspective by predicting San Diego will be an influential example to other California cities if we show it can be done here, and also give them a ‘Road Map’ to use in their own localities.
Other key elements in his “10 commitments” include (a) putting all City contracts on-line, (b) revealing the salaries City employees receive in the same way, (c) moving decision-making out of the Back Rooms, and (d) ending the perks and special benefits for elected officials, including their own Cadillac-level pension plan.
Tony Krvaric gave Councilman DeMaio 45 minutes of the GOP’s monthly business meeting for his detailed presentation. Judging from the 25 times DeMaio’s speech was interrupted by applause, it was time very well spent.
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Jim Sills is a political consultant…… If you have questions about
your future in San Diego and California elections, you can contact
Jim at this e-mail address: YourElectionVictory@hotmail.com
He has aided the campaigns of Rep. Darrell Issa, Assemblywoman
Shirley Horton, California State Senators Joel Anderson & Tony
Strickland, Rep. Devin Nunes, and Assessor/Recorder Greg Smith,
among many others.
Comments 1
The speech was wonderful and I was surprised how many people were there, especially considering the national championship was being played then.