Don Balch
District 1 City Council
candidates Marshall Merrifield (from left), Sherri Lightner and Phil Thalheimer
appear relaxed following an April 22 forum at La Jolla High School. The three
continued their debate the next day at La Jolla Village Square.
Candidates
showcase differences in debate
Alyssa Ramos
May 01, 2008
The
trio running for San Diego City Council District 1 spoke to a La Jolla audience
Wednesday, April 23, highlighting the differences in their personalities and
goals as they answered impromptu questions in what promised to be an “old
fashioned” caucus-style debate.
Sherri
Lightner, Marshall Merrifield and Phil Thalheimer joined a small group of
residents and members of various local community boards at La Jolla Village
Square for a question-and-answer session. The candidates remained friendly with
each other as they spouted spontaneous answers to attendees after each
presented a five-minute speech recapping past achievements and laying out
future goals for the city. Attendees voted for their favorite candidate after
the debate – La Jolla resident Lightner was first, Merrifield second and
Thalheimer third.
Before
the event, community members interacted with the candidates. Alex Varon, La
Jolla Shores Association board member, University Community Planning Group
member and a volunteer for Lightner’s campaign, said that after working with
Lightner for six years in the community, he decided to join the Sherri-shuttle
campaign trail. Lightner’s attention to detail is helpful, and she’s very
oriented toward the different processes, Varon said of his and Lightner’s
planning board work. She knows the municipal codes by heart.
“I
don’t think we’d be in such a mess if our politicians knew the codes,” Varon
said.
Varon
and others in the community reflect Lightner’s summary of her own campaign:
“Sherri Lightner is the community’s candidate – Your Neighbor Downtown.” She
said her goal is to take the power from the city and hand it to the
communities, especially to the planning groups.
“My
community background will be most helpful,” Lightner said. “We don’t trust the
city to do what is right for us — the neighborhood knows what is right for the
neighborhoods.”
Lightner
said her first goal is to restore faith in government by taking neighborhoods
downtown, and then she wants to restore the city’s fiscal integrity.
“We
cannot sell bonds,” she said. “The current council member has not listened to
the community. I plan on listening to you.”
While
Lightner describes herself as a neighbor representing the community’s needs
downtown, Merrifield describes himself as a businessman, focused on solving San
Diego’s financial crisis through fiscal responsibility.
Merrifield
said he is the independent man — he’s not endorsed by anyone and he hasn’t made
any promises. Merrifield is running for city council because he believes the
fiscal course of the city must be changed, he said, and he has the skills to
change it.
“Efficiency
is comparable to when you’re running a business,” he said. “The City of San
Diego can benefit from this.”
Regarding
the bond issue, Merrifield said he has a plan to fix San Diego’s credit rating
but it will take time.
“I’m
capable and willing and we want to give back,” he said. “We have a bond rating
problem. It’s going to take time to get to that.”
Thalheimer
said he wants to remain accessible, so citizens will receive his cell phone
number when they get candidates’ forms in the mail. Thalheimer wants to bring
ethics back to city government, he said.
“I’m
looking for transparency – you need to know what’s going on behind those closed
doors,” he said.
Thalheimer
was employed by General Dynamics before working his way through the City of San
Diego for 10 years, first as an intern, he said. His plan is for fire, life and
safety, he said.
Although
Thalheimer said his knowledge of city business, and his own — he runs a
well-known flight school — would help him separate “some businesses that should
go outside” of city monies, he would cover police, libraries and other
businesses inside the scope he laid out.
Thalheimer
said he helped the cross on Soledad Mountain stay “as it is, where it is” when
he worked with the Mount Soledad National Memorial. He said he also led
Southern California’s effort to support Jessica’s Law.
“It’s
not a comfort for a Jew to stand in front of a cross,” Thalheimer said,
regarding Mount Soledad. “I also stepped up and sat on the Jessica’s Law
board.”
All
three candidates’ names will be on the June 3 ballot for District 1, which
includes La Jolla, University City, Torrey Pines, Carmel Valley, Del Mar Mesa
and Rancho Penasquitos. One candidate must win at least 50 percent of the vote,
or the top two finishers will race again during a November runoff.
For
more information on Lightner, go to www.sherrilightner.org or call (858)
454-4764.
Merrifield
lives in Carmel Valley. For more information, go to www.joinmarshall.com or
call (858) 232-6748.
Thalheimer
lives in Carmel Valley. For more information, go to www.philthalheimer.com or
call (619) 887-9455.