I have lived through both a city manager form of government and a strong mayor in San Diego. While both have their pros and cons, recent history has shown it is time to eliminate the strong mayor concept and return to a professional city manager form of government.
A strong mayor is supposed to be beholden to the citizens who put them in office, but that has been shown time and time again to not be the case. In reality, they are beholden to the power brokers who control campaign cash and they use our budget as a way to return the favors.
A strong and professional city manager develops a budget that is responsive to the needs of the citizens. This is a concept that seems to constantly elude our elected officials.
Let’s bring back the city manager form of government in San Diego.
— James Kistner, Del Cerro
I fully ed the strong mayor concept when we had a city manager. But I have received a strong walk-up call over the past several years. From unused bike lanes (which cost considerable money) to charging for garbage pickup (what is the monthly bill supposed to be now?), it is obvious that this City Council and the mayor are not competent to manage the affairs of this city. Bring back the city manager position!
— Frank Laughton, Mission Hills
