North City voters have a tremendous opportunity to elect two outstanding candidates to represent them for the next four years on the City Council.
Following interviews with all candidates and careful reviews of their qualifications, we strongly recommend the election of Scott Peters in District 1 (which includes Rancho Peñasquitos) and Brian Maienschein in District 5 (which includes Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Sabre Springs and Scripps Ranch.) Both list improvements to Interstate 15 and the speedy completion of State Route 56 as top priorities.
Both believe the city charter should be amended to give the mayor more authority, especially in areas related to the city budget and employment of city department heads.
A La Jolla resident, Peters has earned high praise, and endorsements, from the development AND environmental communities. Thats no small accomplishment and is high praise to his consensus-building talents. His platform is based on what he calls the "Three Ts Technology, Tourism and Trade" and says his vision for the city includes "A San Francisco downtown with San Diego neighborhoods." He vows to restore fiscal accountability to the taxpayers and to defend the regions natural resources, including the Peñasquitos Canyon and San Dieguito River Valley, against urban encroachment and pollution.
A Carmel Mountain Ranch resident, Maienschein knows the issues of his district better than most, growing up in the Poway area. He is a strong advocate for the privatization of certain city services, such as data processing, of allocating more financial resources to the citys neighborhoods, and more accountability of the performances of city employees. He is no supporter of career bureaucrats.
Like Peters, Maienschien wants to see the I-15 commuter lanes extended from Ted Williams Parkway to Escondido. But he also advocates creating additional ways for motorists to get on and off the eight-mile stretch of commuter lanes south of Ted Williams.
Scott Peters and Brian Maienschein are the type of community leaders we need on the City Council. We are convinced they are the best candidates for the job.