By Judi Curry
Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet David Alvarez at a “meet and greet” party. Although I walked into the meeting as a Mike Aguirre supporter, I was very impressed with the way David talked to the crowd; answered all questions without hemming and hawing, and told us his plans when he becomes the Mayor of San Diego. Although not ready to endorse him over Mike Aguirre, I couldn’t help but feel that a vote for Mike is a wasted vote, and possibly a vote for Faulconer, my current representative on the City Council.
I decided before I could truly make up my mind about the candidates, I would like to hear Nathan Fletcher speak. I don’t mean in a debate where the answers are canned and fluffy; but in a similar setting as the “meet and greet” for Alvarez.
I called Fletcher’s office and told them I would like to know where he was speaking to small groups, and was told to write a letter to “Rachel” on his staff and she would get back to me about my request. I said that I was a journalist for the San Diego Free Press and the OB Rag and one of my readers had specifically made the request that I hear Fletcher speak before endorsing any one in the election. That was three weeks ago. I have not heard back from her.
I received a call from one of Fletcher’s supporters telling me why I should vote for him, but I stopped him and told him that until I received a call back from Rachel, or someone on his staff, I had no intention of voting for the man. (His call to me was at random and had nothing to do with the letter I sent Rachel.) I am already suspicious of a man that was a republican; then an independent, and now a democrat. I am suspicious of a man running a campaign where his staff members do not return calls or letters.
As much as I did not want to go to a large meeting to hear the candidates, I had decided to go to the meeting held at the Joyce Beers Community Center earlier this week. I was late in leaving the house and received a call from someone there that Fletcher was not going to show up. So I did not go because I knew that he was scheduled to speak at the Ocean Beach Town Council on the 23rd, and I could hear what the 4 candidates had to say then. After all, I didn’t need to drive to the Joyce Beers center when the main reason for me going was to hear Fletcher.
But guess what? Fletcher – and Faulconer were no shows at the Ocean Beach Town Council. They both had over a month to prepare for this event, yet neither of them could find time to address those of us attending the meeting. Fletcher did send a representative, who spent a great deal of time telling who was endorsing him, as if that makes a difference. But Fletcher was not there, and he, the man, could not answer questions that the other candidates were asked.
Faulconer didn’t even bother sending a representative. What does that tell you about him?
In checking the number of meetings that Fletcher has been invited to, it appears that unless they were big fund-raising events he was not interested. After all, us little guys with holes in our pockets will not be shelling out the monies for his campaign. No, it is obvious to me that he doesn’t care about neighborhood blight; he doesn’t care about infrastructure; the only thing that he does care about is being the Mayor of San Diego, and the issues facing the citizens be damned. He doesn’t have time to attend the meetings; he won’t have time to meet with us if elected either.
And as far as Mike Aguirre goes – after hearing David Alvarez speak to issue after issue, I have now put up signs in my yard endorsing him.
I truly wish that Mike had not alienated so many people, and although I would love to see him go head to head with Jan Goldsmith – I don’t think he has a chance, and to vote for him would be a wasted vote. I wish he would drop out of the race and have his supporters support Alvarez. If Alvarez doesn’t become the mayor of San Diego, we will be right back where we were when Murphy, Golding, and Sanders were mayors. Any progress forward will be frozen .
If you liked the way San Diego was run for the past 20 years, then voting for Faulconer or Fletcher will guarantee no change, unless it is for the worst. If you haven’t heard David, find out where he is speaking and go listen to him. Go with a list of questions. He will answer each and every one of them without all the fluff we are getting from Fletcher. Then mark your ballot for Alvarez, third from the bottom on the ballot.
Judith Wesling says
I agree, Judi. I heard David Alvarez speak in a mayoral forum on the radio (KPBS?) and was struck by his intelligent, reasoned and forthright answers. No BS as I get from Faulconer (my council person). I have also heard Fletcher speak (radio also) and it sounds like he owes so much to different groups, and has so much baggage from his Republican days, that he can’t give a straight answer to anything. Not as smarmy as Faulconer though, I’ll give him THAT edge.
Aguirre is smart, he had a lot of information at his fingertips. But he has acquired a lot of bad PR for actions in the past, and he’s pugnacious. That would bring up memories of our former mayor. Although God knows we can use some fighter spirit in this city.
joyce watkins says
great article judi, and so informative……i asked for Alvarez signs for my yard…but they never brought them…..maybe you have an extra….and hi judith!
judi says
Come on over and get them, Joyce. I have a few extras.
Judi
Mark Bauman says
Joyce, I bicycle about 140 miles a week around San Diego and all I ever see is a never ending jumble of Faulconer signs. They are plastered on every sign post, telephone pole and fence. Anyway, while cycling north on Nimitz today I spotted my first Alvarez sign and then about 50 yards further was another Alvarez sign had been yanked down and supplanted by a Faulconer one. Seriously, Kevin must have a full time band of sign planters roaming the byways of SD – of course that’s his way of doing business; use money, influence and paid minions to barge ahead. I’m not 100% certain of the efficacy of signage, but name recognition probably works. In that case David Alvarez needs to close the sign gap.
judi says
Joyce, I have 4 signs on my front porch. Have to leave for a while. Feel free to take what you want. I can always get more. Judi
Esther Palomino says
At Judy Watkins, I would be happy to deliver one to your home…. email Alavarez or myself itsmepalomino@gmail.com or call me 619 723 1765 I will make sure you get what you need…. I can give your mine since my landlord said I cant have mine up…. Hope this helps you :))) cheers! God TEAM DAVID ALVAREZ for Mayor of San Diego
Gretchen Kinney Newsom says
Judi – I too was disappointed that Nathan Fletcher and Kevin Faulconer were unable to attend the Ocean Beach Town Council mayoral candidate forum. Here’s a small correction to the timeline – invitations were sent to the top mayoral candidates to appear before the Ocean Beach Town Council on October 10th (i.e. candidates had nearly two weeks to prepare for the event, not a month.) ~Gretchen Kinney Newsom, (Newly Elected) President, OB Town Council
Dittzblonde says
Fletcher’s spokesperson was such a bad representative that it would have been better if he had sent no one. She represented herself as just some campaign volunteer and acted that way, very giggly and flustered. She’s actually a very well paid professional, who makes an act out of herself. I shudder to think that if Nathan is elected, this is the level of competence we will see in city governance.
Andy Cohen says
It seems that the Fletcher camp is AFRAID of the ‘lil ‘ol San Diego Free Press. I have submitted several requests to sit and talk to the candidate for a campaign profile piece similar to the ones I have written on Scott Peters, Bonnie Dumanis, Sherri Lightner, and Bob Filner.
I would like to think that I have been very fair in the pieces I have written on the candidates I have interviewed, and if you ask Scott Peters’ staff, I’m pretty sure they’ll wholeheartedly agree. They take the time to speak to me, so I owe it to them to give them a fair and balanced hearing, whether I agree with them or not. My approach would be no different with Fletcher.
But alas, my multiple requests–including one to Rachel, who I think it’s safe to assume is Rachel Laing, who formerly worked as a spokesperson for Mayor Jerry Sanders, have gone completely and totally ignored.
I find it rather strange that a candidate who is trying to win support among the Democratic base would refuse to talk to the very people he is trying to win over. I think that is as telling as anything else. The Republican base already despises him, and he thinks he has broad appeal to the middle of the road voters (and maybe he does), but he’s going to have to convince a sizeable chunk of those to the left of the political spectrum to support him if he has any chance at winning at all. To shun a group that as a newly minted Democrat that he really needs to win over makes exactly zero sense to me whatsoever.
Rachel Laing says
Hi, Judy, I’m the “Rachel” you wrote to. Your email of Oct. 15 was one of hundreds of similar requests, all of which I’m seeking to fulfill. There’s no excuse for not responding quickly to requests, but I do wish you’d have spent five seconds following up instead of penning an 850-word article about how I failed to fulfill your request.
Campaigns are always incredibly fast-paced and busy, but this one — in which those who want to participate in the dialogue are trying to fit a year’s worth of media, debates and other activities into three months — is especially so. There’s not a single person on the campaign who’s not working 18-hour days, seven days a week. I say this not to excuse my lack of a prompt reply but rather to assure that it is NOT because we don’t consider you, the SDFP or any other San Diegan worthy of our attention.
I also want to apologize to the folks at the OB Town Council who found my presentation wanting. Speaking in front of audiences is unusual for me, and I was struck with a case of nerves. My aim was to provide community members a chance to ask their questions about Nathan’s positions and plans, which is why I stuck around for the entire meeting to provide that opportunity. I appreciate all the Obecians who came up to talk after the meeting.
judi says
Dear Rachel. Thank you for your response to my article in both the San Diego Free Press and the OB Rag re: why I am not voting for Nathan Fletcher. As a former administrator when there was too much work for one person to do, I delegated others to fulfill that role until the need was no longer there. Perhaps what you are attempting to do is just overwhelming, and it might be more feasible for you to do the same thing – delegate. If it were just me that did not receive a response for a request to know where Mr. Fletcher was speaking, I would feel that my request “fell through the cracks”. However, that isn’t the case, for I know of others that also sent you emails – at the suggestion of someone at the campaign headquarters – that you did not respond to.
Your comment about giving you 5 seconds is laughable. I gave you 1,814,400 seconds before I wrote my article. I even called back to the campaign headquarters and was again told to send you an email. Since I had already sent you one, I was not about to send you a second one.
This might also surprise you – but YOU are not running for office. Nathan Fletcher is and he is the person I want to hear. I don’t want to know who is endorsing Mr. Fletcher; I want
hear the man; I want to ask him questions; I want to hear his answers. I don’t want to have the answers come from a second party; I want them from the person running for office himself.
In the spirit of Halloween, I can’t help but feel that what you wrote is just “gobbledygook” . If I wanted to have someone else interpret Mr. Fletcher’s “positions and plans” I would read the Union Tribune. I have attempted to hear Mr. Fletcher two separate times; he was a no-show each time. This is an indication to me just how he will run the city if he is elected. We have already had enough of that – and I decided it is in the best interest of San Diego to give David Alvarez my vote. He shows up when and where he is expected to; someone from his campaign ALWAYS returns my calls; and even David, the man himself, is interested in what his constituents have to say.
Anna Daniels says
I don’t think Fletcher or his handlers are afraid of SDFP. They have made a political calculation that either they can win without expending any effort courting the progressive vote, or that subsequent critiques in SDFP could leave him vulnerable with his core constituency. That political calculation will of course be tested.
Ken says
I saw this petition about Fletcher as an ALEC lackey floating around the internets yesterday.
judi says
One of the mistakes I am finding in the Alvarez campaign is one that he probably had no control over but want to point it out to readers of the SDFP. Please notice that the colors of his signs are the same colors as Faulconer’s. If people have already seen Faulconer’s signs and see David’s signs also, they might think they are for the same person. Too bad – they should be more distinguishable from each other. Alvarez didn’t get his signs until last week, several weeks after Faulconer had his up and blanketing neighborhoods. To help Alvarez’s campaign it might help if those of us supporting David had signs visible for others to see.
Ernie McCray says
Thanks for letting us know what’s happening, Judi. I’m with
David all the way, ever since he put his hat in the ring. Mike would be great but like you said he has no chance.
Esther Palomino says
For Ernie McCray
Mr. Ernie McCray,
I would never forget your name were you a Principal @ Marvin John Elementary?
I just wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten you as you were a huge inspiration to me in Elementary and really opened my eyes “hurt people hurt people” I will never forget that message you told me as I was about to be suspended for hurting a student that was a bully now he and I are Good friends, Steven Pasquerella
…. If its you I hope to reconnect
email itsmepalomino@gmail.com
phone 619-723-1765
Your Proud former Student Esther Palomino from John Marvin Elementary :)))
Proud to Support David Alvarez for Mayor of San Diego, peace and Love
Elisa Brent says
David Alvarez is not prepared to handle the financial conundrum that the city is already burdened with. The pension debt is growing exponentially and our city will be insolvent in the next few years if Mr Alvarez and his Washington backers get their hands on the pension. A collapse on the scale of Detroit will be in San Diego’s near future. This young man does not have the strength to stand up to the financial backers supporting his campaign. Be really inquisitive about who is going to be running the city and controlling the pension. It is an asset for anyone on the receiving end. This Pension Party as Mike Aguirre has named includes Dens and Reps. Do you know for certain that Mr Alvarez will stand up against the Washington special interests? Investigate for yourself and then vote for the true Democrat and progressive Mike Aguirre.
Rachel Laing says
Hi, Judy, I’m the “Rachel” you wrote to. Your email of Oct. 15 was one of hundreds of similar requests, all of which I’m seeking to fulfill. There’s no excuse for not responding quickly to requests, but I do wish you’d have spent five seconds following up instead of penning an 850-word article about how I failed to fulfill your request.
Campaigns are always incredibly fast-paced and busy, but this one — in which those who want to participate in the dialogue are trying to fit a year’s worth of media, debates and other activities into three months — is especially so. There’s not a single person on the campaign who’s not working 18-hour days, seven days a week. I say this not to excuse my lack of a prompt reply but rather to assure that it is NOT because we don’t consider you, the SDFP or any other San Diegan worthy of our attention.
I also want to apologize to the folks at the OB Town Council who found my presentation wanting. Speaking in front of audiences is unusual for me, and I was struck with a case of nerves. My aim was to provide community members a chance to ask their questions about Nathan’s positions and plans, which is why I stuck around for the entire meeting to provide that opportunity. I appreciate all the Obecians who came up to talk after the meeting.
Elisa Brent says
Rachel, I commend you for your efforts on behalf of Nathan. I personally know this campaign is extremely fast paced and people should understand the forum and debate process is hit or miss as to whether or not a particular candidate is available for each event. You did seem a bit nervous but who wouldn’t be especially when you were met with an understandably disappointed audience.
No matter what our next mayor whoever it may turn out to be will have a lot of work ahead of them. The pension is a ticking time bomb. If the wrong people take control there will be disasterous effects on our economic solvency. Mike Aguirre is the only candidate I trust to save our solvency.
Miyo says
Fletcher’s pecking order: CrossFit > Obecians
>
> Hello,
>
> I am working on the Nathan Fletcher campaign. See.www.NathanFletcher.com
>
> He is a CrossFit training enthusiast and has been doing it for many months now….i think it’s important that we have a fit Mayor…especially a CrossFit Mayor, don’t you?
>
> … Would u be interested in putting up some of his campaign signs on your corner in exchange for Nathan coming in for a guest session? Feel free to,let your patrons know and we”ll,talk it up as well.
>
> I think it’d be a nice win-win. What do u think? Pls advise. Thanks.
>
> Regards,
>
> Joe Vecchio
judi says
Are you serious? That sure sounds like a bribe to me. A sign and he will come talk to us? Is that how he will run the Mayor’s office? If you were working for me I’d fire you in a minute!
Cross fit makes him a good candidate for mayor? Maybe the best thing would be if he would just run out of town!
Man! “win – win” for whom??
Sorry – this is only more fodder for not voting for him.
nostalgic says
If more votes for any Democrat don’t happen, this discussion is meaningless. Vote, and ask someone who might not vote to get their vote in. Nobody is looking at a 51% Kevin Faulconer. It could happen, couldn’t it?
doug porter says
I’m hopeful about the turnout, as is the registrar of voters, even though this is a special election. Early mail-in returns (some people even fill out their ballot on the day they get it!) suggest a 55% turnout; not great in general but good for a special election.
All three of the big players seem to have taken a page from last fall’s Get Out The Vote efforts and a fielding people throughout the city.
judi says
Did you hear? Fletcher was a no show at the forum held yesterday. In fact, everyone was a no-show EXCEPT David Alvarez. And this was NOT the forum held in Balboa Park. This was a different one. And….David called to tell people he would be a little late because he was held up in traffic! People – this is a man that is concerned about San Diego. If he says he will be somewhere he is there. So..what is this – #3 no show of Fletcher at those places I wanted to hear him speak.
But remember – I was offered a chance to have him come to my group (?) if I would put a sign for him on the corner where I live.
I can see it now – his entire term of office – if elected – will be one of scandal, bribes, and no-shows. You think Filner was bad? You ain’t seen nothing yet!
Rachel Laing says
Nathan wasn’t a “no show.” He declined the invitation weeks ago because he had a veterans’ event (in addition to the evening one that got canceled). All of the candidates have missed forums. If they politely decline in advance, this shouldn’t be an issue. If you throw a party without checking your friends’ schedules in advance, you can’t be upset with them for RSVP’ing no. It’s equally rude to cancel an event for which you’ve already accepted an invitation because someone else invited you to another event.
Elisa Brent says
Mike Aguirre never received any information on the People of Color Mayoral Forum until today. Too little too late. He would have loved to have participated. Judi, you need to look at Jerry Sanders. He is by far worse than Filner. His blatant cover up of skimming the budget to pay for the pension debt that he says he reformed is worse than anything Filner ever did. Join me in calling out this fraud. We need to hold him accountable.
judi says
I agree with you on on Sanders. In fact, I agree with you on Aguirre. But Mike doesn’t have a chance, and I think that Alvarez does so that is how I am voting. I will be happy to ask that an investigation start on the Sanders pension.
Esther Palomino says
Judi, Great response!
to Nathan Fletcher’s worker Rachel Laing.
Nathan Fletcher is already showing the example of a Perfect Snake politician…. L
eave town Nathan Fletcher go take your voting record and put it where it belongs not here in CALIFORNIA & Especially Not in San Diego!
Ro says
Judi, I couldn’t help but laugh at the blatant bribe offered by Miyo. How incredibly dumb.
Sorry Miyo, but your offer is laughable at best and offensive at worst. Makes me think of a snake-oil salesman….step right up ladies and gentlemen ….. No way, not for your guy, thank you very much.
Miyo says
Ro, Sorry my post was unclear to you. I had COPIED a Fletcher email written by JOE VECCHIO. I wanted to share information about Fletchet’s pecs . . . pecking order, whatever. Fletcher obviously cares more about CrossFitters than Obecians or SD Free Press. Another comment – does this guy do anything that is not measured in months.
bob dorn says
My Oh My Oh, We’ve been bitten
By That Thing from ol’ Joe Vecchio,
Which he must have written
When he was oh so igh, h,
Crossfit Pecs of Fletcher Nathan
In light so strong they seemed to glisten,
Caused ol Joe so much Elation
He lost all sense of (can’t rhyme this. Anyone?)
bob dorn says
(Last line should end with… high oh.
judi says
Hey Bob, love you dearly, but don’t quit your first job just yet.
Alex Alexander says
Mrs/Ms Judy
Anyone with the reasoning of voting for the person you want is a “wasted” vote, you are now a contributor to the problem of electing the right person.
About Mr. Nathan Fletcher, he and his team have calculated each sentence that comes out of his mouth. You will never know how he really feels about any issue.
Elisa Brent says
Mike Aguirre is the only real candidate that stands for the truth and complete transparency. A bombshell will be out soon to shake all the skeletons out of cityhall.
judi says
I’ve been hearing about a “bombshell” for two weeks now. What I have heard I am not at liberty to write about because I was told in “confidence.” But…am curious to see if we are talking about the same thing.
Elisa Brent says
Email me your#
Elise says
I would be careful who you vote for in this election.
unless we want another Filner situation I think all candidates should be vetted for character issues and respect for others beginning with Kevin Falconer. He is not who he appears to be. Inquire about his interpersonal behavior in his marriage with another couple. It maybe OK with all involved but I think it points to poor judgement
judi says
Wow Elise. I heard some stories about Fletcher, but never heard anything about Falconer.
Robin says
Rachel Laing’s response to your article has fully cemented my decision to vote for David Alvarez.
She had plenty of time to read your article, do a word count and submit a wordy response…but didn’t have time to ‘follow up’ on the initial request you sent her. Instead of ‘blaming the victim’, she should simply have graciously apologized and left it at that.