5 Simple Reasons to Support George George
Published: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 12:05 AM PDT
 I am a resident of Rancho Penasquitos and have been for 21 years. I am also a fire captain who has worked at the Rancho Bernardo Fire Station for three years.
I would like to start today’s blog with some quick, simple reasons why I am supporting George George for the 5th district city council seat.
1.) George George is the only candidate who has ANY public safety experience.
We have now had two major, catastrophic fires in San Diego. We have seen councilmembers “talk the talk” on improving public safety but very little has been done. As a career firefighter, I have watched our public safety services erode year after year. We are at a crossroads as a city -- do we tackle this problem head on or do we eventually become a city that can’t protect its citizens or visitors? That’s the path we are headed down without a councilmember like George.
2.) George’s campaign is not funded by developers.
George has taken ZERO DOLLARS from developers. His opponent, Carl DeMaio, has taken nearly $50,000. His financial reports read like a “Who’s Who” in the development world in San Diego. Check it out on the Center on Policy Initiative’s web site.
3.) George has lived in the District for 45 years.
George has a long record of living and voting in the 5th district. He and his wife, JoAnn, raised their children in Rancho Bernardo. George has coached youth sports in the community, attends church in the area and owns a small business in the district. His opponent, Carl DeMaio, has never voted in District 5 and has only lived there a matter of months. DeMaio claimed in a court document to be a resident of Virginia while at the same time he was registered to vote in San Diego. When asked in public forums to explain this discrepancy, DeMaio brushes past it. Do we need a councilmember who is a San Diegan only when it suits his political and financial purposes?
4.) George has successfully managed multi-million dollar budgets as an assistant fire chief in San Diego and a fire chief in Solana Beach.
We have seen lots of campaign rhetoric over the past few years where candidates are quick to say they can clean up our financial crisis. What they find, however, when they get to city hall is that it isn’t so easy to do. Legal and financial constraints make running San Diego “like a business” a near impossibility. We need somebody who has both government and private business financial experience. As a fire chief and now a small business owner, George has both.
5.) George has no political agenda and would spend his time on the council devoted to us as his constituents and not to planning his next political move.
George’s first and only priority will be San Diego and its issues -- nothing else. He has no financial or political motive for running for City Council. George is running because he sees the safety of our citizens eroding every single day and he understands what we need to do to fix our problems.
My next post: Why George is the right person to help solve our public safety crisis.
--FRANK DECLERCQ
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