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 h Happy Day! We have finally arrived at the moment
in time when politicians are agreeing that clean water, clean
air, and stemming the degradation of our natural and urban environments
should be priorities as integral components of our economic prosperity
and quality of life.
 But
is this one of those "the more things change, the more they
stay the same" kind of situations? I mean - who could be
against clean water and for pollution? Yet, unacceptable levels
of degradation continue. Long-term practices and malpractices
in dealing with growth have led to conditions that make it hard
for people to determine what can really be done. But recent polls
have shown that out-of-control growth and development is emerging
as a major theme in upcoming campaigns.
Mayoral candidates
Supervisor Ron Roberts and Judge Dick Murphy faced off before
a full house focused on environmental and quality-of-life issues
at the UCSD Faculty Club in July. I served as ringmaster. It
was evident from the attendance - during the so-called dog days
of campaigning, when conventional wisdom will tell you that no
one but political junkies are paying attention to politics that
San Diegans care about the environment and want a Mayor who will
do so as well.
Cosponsored by the San Diego Coalition for Transportation Choices (www.sdctc.org), the Sierra Club Political Committee, and the League of Conservation Voters of San Diego County, volunteers and audience members asked questions on topics ranging from growth to global warming.
Roberts spoke
of his "Urban Vision." Murphy's campaign theme is "2020
Vision."
I guess they
both feel the need to be careful not to forget "the vision
thing." You wouldn't want to have that doggin' you like
it dogged George Bush.
While vision
is of interest, most San Diegans are as concerned - if not more
concerned about how they are going to fit that vision into our
communities and how it will protect and not degrade our quality
of life and natural resources.
A straw poll
that asked attendees to state their positions before and after
the event verified the conventional wisdom that Roberts is the
leader at the moment. But the fascinating feedback sent in via
email revealed candid insights from real voters. Since in many
ways, as the moderator, I had the worst seat in the house. I
was extremely interested to see how it went over with the attendees.
Some observations:
"Murphy's
presentation was much more direct and to the point than Roberts,
who comes off like a polished political pro with a grab bag of
nice things to say about everything but little that was specific."
"I was
very impressed with the responses provided by DM. At least he
knew what this crowd wanted to hear and wasn't afraid/concerned
with saying it. RR seemed to try for no commitment while sounding
concerned."
"I learned
that Ron Roberts is the slick politician he is trying not to
be. He was trying to put out as many 30-second sound bites as
possible. That made Dick Murphy look lackluster initially, but
he came out strong in the closing when he made the personality
difference between the two very clear."
And
my personal favorite,
"I
hope the folks who watch the UCSD event on TV don't assume these
guys will do exactly what they promise."
The
most pithy comment about the real problems: "The spirit
of both candidates was hopeful, but the reality of the financial
and fiduciary restraints which government must deal with will
make it difficult. We cannot expect a strong government that
promises everything, yet delivers only a thinly-veiled and watered
down solution to our enormous environmental problems."
The best question
of the evening from the audience was submitted by ten-year-old
Cait-lin Sussman, who asked their position on the Children's
Pool vs. seals issue in La Jolla. Both candidates answered that
the Children's Pool should be for children and that the seals
should stay out on their rock. I still mean to question the candidates
on their seal communications skills.
Little did
they know that this is the "wrong answer" - both environmentally
and with Caitlin's set. Caitlin, who is past President of Torrey
Pines Elementary School student body, had done her own ballot/survey,
collecting more than 1,000 signatures. The "vote" was
910 in favor of letting the seals stay and 130 in favor of encouraging
them to leave. It's sad that too many adults assume that "for
the children" excludes watching wildlife.
Caitlin was
frustrated in general with the ways many of the questions were
answered - and she noticed that, too often, the questions weren't
really answered at all. It got her thinking about how questions
are asked and what questions children would put to candidates.
The Children's
Vision is something I think we should all be interested in. Because,
back to the vision thing again, it really shouldn't be so much
about the candidate's vision. While important, it should be much
more about the people's vision. That's what I want more of at
City Hall. People - including children from all over San Diego
are invited to submit questions for the San Diego City Council
and Mayoral candidates at www.SanDiegoVision.net
or via mail to: SDCTC, PO Box 90220, San Diego, CA 92169. 
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