At three terms, we’ve had MORE than enough of Stocks. Don’t get me started on Bond, after nearly five terms now. Bond seems more and more distracted and confused. He doesn’t stand by his earlier record of being a fiscal conservative, or opposing a “lane diet” for a major artery, Historic North Hwy. 101. Stocks seems to always position himself as Mayor just before a General Election, as discredited Dan Dalager did, as well, before he was voted out of office, in disgrace, then was finally charged, by our “reluctant” DA, who would rather be Mayor of San Diego, with three counts of conflict of interest, accepting a plea bargain for one conviction.

Stocks and Bond made robo-calls during the 2010 to support Dalager, saying publicly, the accusations against Dalager were “just politics.” On the contrary, they were only the tip of the iceberg relative to probable kickbacks Dalager got for the Hall Property and Mossy Public Works Yard back room, never appraised deals. The City robbed the SDWD ratepayers of our headquarters, including the land, which was valued at only $1 million, while the city paid $8.5 million for the Mossy land, another million $ for the “improvements” on Mossy (SDWD’s improvements were declared “worthless” as was the beautiful existing adobe house on the Hall Property). Then an additional $3.5 million was spent to bring the supposed “turnkey” Mossy structure into ADA compliance.

The library is beautiful, but when we finally got to vote on its location NOT DISCLOSED was the additional cost of having to relocate our public works yard, and the cost to the ratepayers $3.5 million of our reserves, for USE only of the Mossy Property public works yard, when SDWD owned its land and structures outright and had been getting $10,000 per year in rent from the City for the SDWD public works yard! Also the library was pushed because its close to public transit, but believe me, that hill is a killer, and ended up costing $6-12 million dollar extra for THE GREAT WALL OF ENCINITAS to be built there, so people can sit out on the deck, do conference calls on their cell phones, and enjoy the ocean view, crowding the parking lot, when the real purpose of a library is to read and check out books, maybe use the computers, there. Had I understood the true cost, I would have much rather just expanded the library by adding a media room, and building another library on land the city already owned, on Quail Gardens Dr., at a much reduced price, and actually more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists. The library was used as a supposed “revenue stream” for another bogus lease revenue bond to finance the Mossy Public Works Yard, the Fires Stations and the library itself, built, in part, on land owned by the County, NOT Encinitas. The only REAL revenue stream is the debt charged to the general fund, WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL, which is contrary to the State Constitution.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but my point is Stocks and Bond have supported an environment of continued debt through escalating operating expenses, excessive raises, excessive permitting fees charged as the city’s”back up costs” increase, unfunded pension liabilities “locked in” except for new hires, and deceptive borrowing to artificially inflate our so-called “reserves.”

I support electing a mayor for ONLY a two -year term, for a maximum of 3 terms, that’s right a TOTAL of only 6 years. We don’t have and don’t need a “strong mayor” system. The old rotational system would have been fine, as Solana Beach practices, if our Council could GET ALONG, and show respect to one another.

I DON”T SUPPORT giving a potential future mayor any more money. Look, all of the people serving have other sources of income; they get generous car allowances and stipends through the SDWD and other agencies to supplement their compensation, including excellent retirement benefits after only 5 years in office! The prestige and influence of being mayor outweighs any financial compensation. These people are supposed to be public servants, not ego-maniacs as Mayor Stocks so often presents himself. If someone is doing it “for the money,” well, we don’t really need him or her serving as our mayor. Two years at a time is ENOUGH, so we can vote him or her out of office if things don’t improve. Right now our mayor, Jerome Stocks is often rude to the public, seldom, if EVER gives eye contact to public speakers, with whom he so often disagrees.