DEL MAR — Other than two ballot measures, both of which passed, Election Day on the local level was relatively predictable and uneventful in the county’s two smallest cities.
In Del Mar, voters approved Proposition H, which allows City Council to increase the transient occupancy tax paid by hotel visitors up to 13 percent. The current rate is 10.5 percent. With the passage of Proposition G, the Garden Del Mar project can now move forward.
Because of its size, Garden Del Mar triggered compliance with Measure B, which requires a voter-approved specific plan for commercial developments larger than 25,000 square feet. Garden Del Mar, the first major commercial development in the downtown area in nearly 20 years, exceeds the limit by 527 square feet.
In the City Council race, there were an equal number of candidates as seats available. Carl Hilliard, the only incumbent on the ticket, will return for his second term. Mayor Dave Druker and Henry Abarbanel are retiring.
New to the council are Mark Filanc and Don Mosier. Filanc is president and chief executive officer of Escondido-based J.R. Filanc Construction Company Inc. He currently serves on the city’s Planning Commission. Mosier, a professor at Scripps Research Institute, has been a member of the Design Review Board for the past five years. Crystal Crawford will take over as mayor in December.
With no ballot measures and only the incumbents running, Solana Beach opted to forgo an election. In December, Joe Kellejian will begin his fifth term. Dave Roberts and Lesa Heebner will each begin their second. Roberts has being serving as mayor since late June, after Kellejian agreed to split his term to give Roberts a mayoral opportunity had his re-election bid been unsuccessful. Councilman Mike Nichols will be appointed to the position next month. The decision to not hold the council election saved the city more than $10,000.
previous post
