By Julie Graboi
Do you want higher taxes, increasingly dangerous road conditions, unsafe bike infrastructure, and a lack of accountability? This is what’s in store for Encinitas if Tony Kranz and, unfortunately, his Democratic running mates succeed in getting into office.
While asking for our votes, they’ve already shown they are unable to listen to residents about issues important to us. Instead, these candidates publicly claim their hands are tied by the state on crucial safety and quality-of-life matters.
Moreover, they ask us, the taxpayers, to impose additional taxes on ourselves so they can continue pursuing an agenda that disregards citizen input. Rather than presenting concrete plans, they ask for our vote to keep degrading the quality of life in our city, ignoring what residents want and deserve.
For example, District 1 candidate and appointed Councilmember Allison Blackwell and District 2 candidate Destiny Preston advocate for a one-percent sales tax increase. If we don’t pass it, they warn that we’ll see “less investment in public safety.”
One thing is clear: administrative and pension costs for the ever-growing number of city officials are ballooning, and they’re likely counting on the sales tax to cover those costs. Promises of spending on infrastructure and deferred maintenance are misleading since there’s no requirement that the money be used as promised.
Given their past bait-and-switch tactics with spending, trust has been broken.
Fellow Encinitas voters, we have a rare opportunity to restore true citizen representation and be heard on the issues that matter most. Bruce Ehlers brings 40 years of dedication to addressing local needs, fixing infrastructure, and promoting transparency in government.
Jim O’Hara, with his platform of “Common Sense, Common Ground,” champions public safety, local control, and the prioritization of essential spending over vanity projects. Luke Shaffer, an Encinitas native, has demonstrated a lifetime of service and is committed to providing residents with a strong voice that advocates for the people, not special interests.
None of these candidates are asking us to tax ourselves. Instead, they ask for the chance to listen to our needs and restore citizen representation at City Hall. I urge you to vote for Bruce Ehlers, Jim O’Hara, and Luke Shaffer.
Julie Graboi is a lifelong Democrat and a resident of Olivenhain.
2 comments
Julie Graboi……you say that our City Council elected officials do not listen to Encinitas residents. Then you recommend ignoring the Infrastructure Task Force recommendation of a sales tax as the best way to improve our city’s infrastructure. The Infrastructure Task Force included City of Encinitas resident volunteers who represented all Districts of our city and who generously contributed their time and great talents (engineers, designers, public safety experts etc). This task force spent over a year analyzing, evaluating and prioritizing our city’s infrastructure needs. It is an absolute false claim to say our City elected officials don’t listen to residents. In fact, you are the one who is tone deaf to our committed, generous and dedicated citizens demonstrated by your complete disregard for the task force’s recommendations. I thank and honor our city’s Infrastructure Task Force and urge the good people of Encinitas to vote for good governance that includes caring for all Encinitans not just a select few:
Allison Blackwell District 1
Destiny Preston District 2
Mayor Tony Kranz
Agree 100%. Enough is enough!
Vote for people who care about Encinitas, not developers.
Bruce Ehlers for Mayor
Luke Shaffer for D1
Jim O’Hara for D2
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