Sunday, June 29, 2008 | With regard to Will Carless‘ piece describing the real or apparent conflict of interest the councilman from District 8 has with the possible creation of a redevelopment district centered on Barrio Logan.
How is it that the few residents of District 8 who bother to vote seem to select individuals whose families have substantial real estate interests in the District? First, there was Ralph Inzunza, now a convicted felon, whose brother (a fellow politician) was a slum lord, followed by Ben Hueso whose family, according to Carless, owns 15 properties in or near Barrio Logan.
Hueso seems to be a favorite of developers including the Baldwin family— eight of whom donated $2,500 in campaign contributions in 2006 alone and who have business interests in Otay. Six Sunroad executives were good for $2,375 and members the land use law firm, Selzer Caplan, were also generous kicking in $1,850.
Hueso’s often silent votes on land use issues that come before the city council are unpredictable, raising questions about whether his votes may be influenced by campaign contributions. But to be fair, that question could be asked of the majority of the current City Council.