City Councilman Brian Maienschein wasn’t at all impressed with a flip comment I put in the weekly column today. While I gave him trouble mostly about what I perceived to be his lack of follow-up on a proposal to abolish the city employee pension system, what really got him were my comments before that. Referring to Maienschein, Toni Atkins, Scott Peters and Jim Madaffer, I wrote about their willingness to lead the city to major reform. They weren’t willing, I said:
No, those four are done doing anything big – if they ever started. It’s management time.
Maienschein said that last part stung.
He pointed to completion of State Route 56, rebuilding Scripps Ranch after the 2003 fires and protecting the San Pasqual Valley as three “big” things he’s done while in office.
“I don’t think rebuilding a community after a devastating fire is a small thing. I don’t think anybody affected by the fire either directly or indirectly would think that was a minor issue” Maienschein said. “And the San Pasqual Vision Plan protected 11,000 acres from development. I just didn’t have 40 press conferences talking about it like some other politicians tend to do.”