LEMON GROVE COUNCIL CANDIDATES OFFER FRESH PERSPECTIVES

By Miriam Raftery

October 25, 2008 (Lemon Grove) - Who has the best fresh ideas for Lemon Grove?   Which candidate can squeeze the most benefits out of shrinking tax dollars?

What seeds of future development should be planted for the city’s future—and was the Council’s vote to raise its pay 40% a sweet or sour deal?

These are among the pithy issues for voters to consider in the Lemon Grove City Council race on the November 4 ballot. Six candidates are running for two seats; the top two voter-getters win.  East County Magazine contacted all candidates through their contact information at the Registrar of Voters site to help our readers pick the best of this year’s crop of candidates. 

Two (George Gastil, photo above, and incumbent Mary England) provided interviews and a third (Ranger Dick Whitmore) responded to questions via e-mail.  The other three (incumbent Thomas Clabby, attorney/business owner Paul Fine, and businessman Michael Richards) did not respond.

George Gastil’s fresh ideas

“I bring fresh ideas and energy to our community,” said challenger George Gastil,  a history professor at SDSU and Grossmont College.  He believes his ten years on the Lemon Grove School Board demonstrates his commitment to the community years.  His government experience also includes working for State Senator Denise Ducheny. “The City of Lemon Grove needs to be more in touch with the residents. We need to have neighborhood councils so that people in each section of the city can talk about priorities for their particular areas.”   For instance, neighborhood groups could recommend whether or not sidewalks, speed bumps, or street repairs are needed in their area.

Gastil believes residents should be consulted about the type of redevelopment they want to see in Lemon Grove.  “What do we want downtown to look like?  We need more trees and places to walk,” said Gastil, who also wants to ask residents what type of retail they want in hopes of encouraging residents to shop in Lemon Grove and also attract residents from neighboring communities to boost the local economy.  A Lemon Grove resident for many years, he and his wife have raised their children here.

“We also need to strengthen this community,” Gastil observed.  “Our community needs some new energy. We used to do a parade. We don’t anymore.  A multi-cultural festival is something that can pull this city together, show off one of our greatest attributes, which is our diversity, and make us more attractive to other communities.”  The festival could also celebrate the city’s cultural and agricultural heritage, he added.  Gastil also calls for creation of a farmer’s market as well as community gardens for residents to grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Gastil criticized the current Council for voting to raise Councilmembers pay by 40%.  The raise would take effect after the election.   “If elected I will put a motion forward to cancel the pay increase,” he said, adding that a more modest raise could be considered later if the City has more money.  “How could we raise the pay 40% when we have streets that are falling apart and we have a state budget crisis?  If we’re asking our constituents to tighten their belts, we need to do the same.”

“Crime is up in Lemon Grove,” said Gastil, who also reports a rise in graffiti, drug abuse and family violence.  “I want to bring back community policing,” he said, adding that causes of crime also need to be addressed.  Better lighting, help for the homeless  and after-school programs for children can prevent these people from becoming victims of crime, he believes.  “Why don’t we have a Boys and Girls Club?” asked Gastil, who said one of his first actions if elected would be to try and bring a Boys and Girls Club to Lemon Grove.  “Everybody says where is the money going to come from, but there are people out there who care about kids.  We need to get them involved.”

Lemon Grove School District has solar energy collectors on five of its eight school.   “I think we should be pushing solar. That’s indicative of the priorities I would seek for the City,” said Gastil, who also supports energy-efficiency retrofits for older buildings and improving energy efficiency for new buildings.   “Also we need to be very aggressive about going after grants and special funds,” he noted. “For example, there are funds available through Senate Bill 375, the Smart Growth bill just signed. There is funding you can get for smart growth projects, like making sure there is housing close to public transportation.” 

He supports smart growth provided projects are attractive, include shade trees and pedestrian-friendly features, and are scaled appropriately for the community (“no skyscrapers”).  Gastil also expressed concerned over the trend among cities to bring in big-box retail stores to boost the sales tax base.  He suggests considering a pooled tax base with neighboring communities and regional planning. 

“What’s at stake is the energy level of the community,” said Gastil, noting that many civic volunteers are aging.  “We need a new core of involved citizens to make it vibrant again…We need to get people of all ages and cultural backgrounds involved.”

Gastil is endorsed by Congresswoman Susan Davis, Congressman Bob Filner State Senators Christine Kehoe and Denise Ducheny, the League of Conservation Voters of San Diego County, the San Diego County Democratic Party,  Lemon Grove School Board member Timothy Shaw, community leader Dr. Abdussattar Shaikh, and Jim Duffy, candidate for Sheriff and past president, Deputy Sheriff’s Association of San Diego County.

Mary England’s fruitful efforts

Incumbent Mary England, owner of a public relations firm and chair of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce, has served on Lemon Grove’s City Council for eight years.  She has served on the redevelopment panel and helped shape the downtown specific plan for Lemon Grove.   Redevelopment is a top priority for England, who notes that Citron Court, the city’s first mixed-use redevelopment project in nearly half a century recently broke ground on Broadway.  It will include 2,500 of commercial space and 26 residential units.  “We’re very proud of that,” said England, who looks forward to seeing the fruits of her labors take shape.   Citronica, a second mixed use project currently in the planning stages, will have 3,400 square feet of commercial space and 54 apartment units in its first phase.

She believes in working closely with developers on redevelopment projects.  “We know the higher you go the more expensive it is, so we allow developers to come in to drive, and then the marketplace will drive,” she observed.  “We’re not going to hold any developer back.  We’ll go with the [strategic] plan, but if a developer has something different, we are very willing to look at it.  There is a financial issue.  We have to remember too, where we are building and who we are building for.  The developer takes all of that into consideration, because they are the risk taker.”

Asked to name the biggest issues facing Lemon Grove,  England replied, “To continue to provide the services that the citizens want at the same level without raising taxes.  We are into a budget revise. We always run lean.  We must, because we don’t have as much retail as other cities; La Mesa and  El Cajon have more.”

Maintaining police and fire services are also priorities, she added.  “One of the big issues is our fire department,” England noted, adding that a high percentage of experienced firefighters will retire soon.  “We’ve invested some of our money for onsite training…We have to make sure our people get the experience.” 

Last year, England chaired the city’s 30th anniversary celebration, a public celebration that cost $30 a person.  “I garnered money from the private sector for things citizens of Lemon Grove could participate in and have fun without spending taxpayer money,” she said, citing a flat-screen TV drawing through Lemon Grove cleanup days as an example.  “we enhanced concerts in the park and had free birthday cake.  “I’ve been a professional fundraiser for political candidates for the last 12 years and for nonprofits for probably 20 years.”  When the city faced budget cuts eight years ago, she asked to go to the private sector to fund concerts in the park and a bonfire.  “For the last eight years we haven’t had to lose taxpayer money and citizens didn’t lose anything that they loved due to lack of money,” she said, noting that the December 2007 bonfire, which included a canned food and toy drive, was the city’s last public event.

England would not support a tax hike at this time, but added that the city does not yet now what the “hit” from Sacramento will be in terms of funding cuts following the state budget’s recent adoption.  “Never say never,” she cautioned.  “The state has just been so unpredictable and volatile.  No city is on an even keel.”  

Asked about energy, England said she would support solar if it made economic sense, but added that some organizations have invested in converting infrastructure to solar and “it didn’t pencil out.”

England believes the City must be proactive to prevent crimes ranging from robberies to identity theft, a key problem currently, along with elder abuse.   As growth and redevelopment occurs, more sheriffs will likely be needed, she observed.  “If we increase the number of people and businesses, we have to increase safety for them.”

England stressed the importance of electing or reelecting “people who will do the job for the people.  Many of my opponents have not attended a council meeting,” she said.  “Citizens are best served by people who are aware of the issues and have their best interests at heart.”

Asked about the pay raise, England replied that councilmembers have not had a pay raise for many years.  “We voted that it would only be accepted in this election cycle,” she added.

A Lemon Grove resident since 1963, England said she’s been honored to serve the community and hopes to continue. “I’m very excited about continuing redevelopment and seeing change,” she concluded. 

England is endorsed by Supervisor Dianne Jacob, the Deputy Sheriffs Association of San Diego County, Lemon Grove Firefighters Local 2728, the Lincoln Club, Assemblyman Joel Anderson, San Diego County Apartment Association, and the San Diego County Republican Party.

Ranger Dick Whitmore’s seeds of change

Challenger Ranger Dick Whitmore, a playground director, wants “more community involvement in Concerts in the Park, parades and having town hall meetings.”  He added that citizens need to be able to meet with Councilmembers before meetings and faults Council for often voting for staff recommendations without listening to citizens.

He believes that before the City asked for funds for Broadway improvements, it should have brought landowners, tenants, Chamber of Commerce representatives and shoppers to a town hall meeting.   

He also hopes to work to be more supportive of the Lemon Grove Chamber of Commerce and to give voters more input into decisions on “which streets should be repaired first, when parks are to be sold, traded or land swapped.”  Sidewalks should be “where students are walking to school in the street,” he said, citing Palm Avenue and Washington Streets specifically.

Whitmore has walked door to door to register voters and encourages people to attend planning and council meetings and become involved in youth sports and school activities.

He pledged to continue working with the League of California Cities in “holding the line on the state taking more money” and to try and get some funds returned to Lemon Grove.

Whitmore advocates requiring helmet and safety equipment at skate board parks and believes students who ride bicycles to school should be required to wear helmets and have a place to lock up bikes at school.  He also wants to see a program or event that would involve churches, service groups, the Chamber of Commerce, youth teams, schools and the library.

In addition, he wrote, “I would like to know if anyone is interested in a war memorial for Lemon Grove servicemen.”

Whitmore did not list endorsements in his e-mailed response.

For additional coverage of this race, see:

www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/ca/sd/race/151

www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20081009-9999-lez9lemon.html

George Gastil is the only candidate who provided a website to ECM, Smart Voter or the Registrar of Voters:   

www.georgegastil.com

Candidate Michael Richards provided responses to the League of Women Voters:

www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/ca/sd/vote/richards_m

For details on the Council pay raise vote, see:

www.signonsandieog.com/uniontrib/2007/1003/news_7m31gpay.html