Friday, May 30, 2008

My Vote for Steve Francis


I finally mailed my absentee ballot yesterday after debating who I was going to vote for mayor. Now being the good Dem that Gracchus is, I normally vote for the endorsed Democrat in the race. This time, however, I couldn't fill in the bubble for Floyd Morrow.

I have meet Floyd Morrow on several occasions, I have talked with him and I like the guy. I think he is sincere in why he is running for mayor, I just don't believe he is a credible candidate. So that left me with the "less-of-two-evils" candidate to choose from.

Now, I'm not one to buy into the "new and improved" Steve Francis despite receiving flashy mail pieces touting union endorsements and showing Steve with his new best friend Donna Frye. As Public Enemy says "Don't Believe the Hype." But what is the alternative to Steve Francis?

It is Jerry Sanders who has shown himself to be about as competent in the job as was Dick Murphy. Sanders is emblematic of a current type of Republican pol who believes that being both petulant and disingenuous are governing virtues. Mayor Sanders has refused to work with others on the council to try to solve some of the myriad of problems in the city. Instead he has demonstrated that he has no leadership skills and that his primary duty as mayor is in keeping the status quo when it has come to the special interest downtown.

Now, I know what supporters of Sanders are going to say: Hey, he came into office with the city in crisis, while at the same time embarking on a new form of governing with strong mayor. And how can you trust Steve Francis? He'll say anything to get elected.

Well that might be true about Steve Francis, but I'm willing to give him a shot at running the city after what I have seen Sanders do for the last three years. I know if Steve Francis is elected mayor, I might not agree with some of the policies he will put forward. But I believe that he will be more willing to work with the council in trying to solve some of the city's problems and for that reason I gave him my vote yesterday.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more. Sanders has only shown himself to be a downtown toadie. I'm not sure I trust Francis, but would you ever hear Sanders even pay lipservice to the statements Francis has made about making San Diego a self-sustaining green city? San Diego's challenges in the future are more than cutting pensions, and Sanders hasn't got a clue about any of that.

Anonymous said...

Good for you! I voted Bidwell.. just because I can this time, and he makes me laugh, but if it comes down to just the two in November I agree with you 100%.

(and I'd rather have Bidwell over Morrow any day).

Anonymous said...

Sanders isn't my first choice, but at least we know what we're dealing with.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't sound like you know what you are dealing with if you vote for him. Spend 2 hours over at blogofsandiego.com, www.sandiegoreader.com/news/ and sdcoastal.org. It takes a while to get the full picture because so much of what Sanders has done is not reported in the mainstream media. The UT protects him. Sanders does not support the most basic and central American value.

Democracy.

Nothing else matters if the democratic process is subverted.

Anonymous said...

(Sigh.) It's times like this where I wish Juan Vargas was running for mayor. I mean why not? It keeps his name ID alive and he just might have made it to the runoff...

Anonymous said...

I think voting for a person who has connections to the rich elite in this country is a very bad idea and a very bad road to continue to go down.

I agree some of his ideas sound good. However he does not need to have his people or lobbyists on the offical boards or committees to get his way and more money. He knows the rich and elites agenda and can work for them behind closed doors at anytime. The rich elite are his personal friends why would he need them on a committee to be influenced by them?

I prefer voting for someone like Eric Bidwell who has absolutely no connections except to the people of San Diego.

Eric is the only candidate who truly would work for the benefits of the people as he needs the government to work for him and other people like him.

Do you think these other rich guys care if the governement works at all? They have money and they can get out of any problem they have at any time with their connections and their money.

What about the rest of us?

People need to start voting in their own best interests and stop being dazzled by fancy suits and fancy talk.

I can not believe how many people in this country vote for people who deliberatley and publicly work to hurt them personally everyday.

People are voting against their own personal best interests and they do not even realize it.

WAKE UP!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, I don't live in the city and could not vote for mayor. Strategically, it would have been best to vote for Eric or Floyd. We want the GOP to have to spend money on defending Sanders against Francis' money in November. The more they have to spend on the mayoral race, the less they'll have to spend fighting us down ticket!!