Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006 | The problems at City Hall, mainly centering on the antics of an incredibly incompetent and malfeasant City Council, can principally be traced to one source: the change in the way council members are elected.
Heretofore (pre-1988) council members were nominated by a primary election held for the residents of the district concerned. The general election of one of the two top vote-getters in the primary was held by all registered voters of the city of San Diego.
The argument in favor of the change was that “we need to increase diversification.” That argument was and remains a red herring. The primary ensured that a resident of the district concerned would be nominated and the choice was that of the residents there. What’s the problem with diversification there?
Now we have eight members each jealously guarding the rights and prerogatives of their own district. To be sure, they listed to voters in their own district. They want to get reelected. They do not, however, care at all what the voters of other districts have to say and rarely, if ever, consider the needs of the city as a whole over the desires of the residents of the district they represent.
This must end.
We should start with a general recall election in which, with the grace of God and the triumph of sweet justice, the chief enemies of this city, Peters, Madaffer, Atkins, Maienschein, and Frye, will be summarily and unceremoniously tossed out of office. We then need to refill those seats using the prior system of election.
Please don’t tell me that we should have compromise by creating new seats based solely on the old system. First, the city is in dire financial straights. We don’t need and definitely cannot afford two, three or four new seats. Second, the idea is either sound or not. If sound, then it should be applied to all seats. If not, forget it.
I think we had better change the system soon. We cannot afford the gang in power now. They are ruining the city – if they have not done so already.