Letter to Editor: Fed Up with Negative Political Ads in District 1

To the Editor:

We are annoyed and sickened, maybe fed up would be a better phrase, by the negative ads R. Ellis is putting out in his campaign to unseat the incumbent Sherri Lightner for the position of City Council Member in San Diego. Ye gods, it is as though he has lost all civility and wholesomeness in a mean spirited effort of trying to tear down another American citizen who has done nothing but serve the people of this community for a good portion of her adult life.

We pray to all that is holy that it doesn’t work!

What has happened to us that we let this junk even come into our homes? Is this what we really want? 

It has permeated into hundreds of campaigns across the nation and the pundits tell us: “It works” ….. Well we don’t think that is what America is about and we would like to shout that from the rooftops. Sure we want tough, spirited campaigns but we don’t need the lies and slurs and misinformation that we are getting!

Its way too late for this campaign but what we need is nonbiased verification of anything that is going to be said or given out to us “minions”, as we were called by one campaign recently. 

Take what Sherri Lightner has done for us and then try to justify the stuff R. Ellis is putting out about her….. She did not do these things single handedly but with the help of many people in the community that she has served so well for many years. She has worked to:

• Save the La Jolla Post office
• Restore lifeguards at Windansea
• Initiate the largest ever street resurfacing project in the City, 35 miles already paved in District I
• Increase open hours at the Library
• Increase open hours at recreation centers
• Effectively push to save over one BILLION dollars in public funds via historic financial reforms of pensions and retiree healthcare
• Become a major role player in creating a budget surplus, even when all else was heading south
• Save the fire pits at the beach
• Save the July 4th fireworks
• Restore lifeguards, police and firefighters to the City’s payroll
• Restore fire engines to depleted fire stations…. Do you remember when we did not have the necessary fire engines with which to fight a fire?
• Led the creation of the City’s first–ever policy for a sustainable and affordable water supply. Probably more than anything else Sherri Lightner should get kudos for this.

Ms. Lightner also earned the appreciation of the residents in the town of La Jolla for protecting the character of the neighborhoods there as well as the open spaces. That is likely the most contentious of all the topics with which she deals but she does it without prejudice or favoritism.

This is Sherri Lightner’s reply to R. Ellis’ most recent attack ads:

• “FACT: My pension is not $500,000, and it is certainly not $500,000 in taxpayer funds. My pension would be less than $10,000 per year, and that includes my contribution, the city’s contribution, and all the interest generated over the next several decades.
• FACT: I have already committed to giving up my pension and moving to a 401(k) now that Prop B has been approved.
• FACT: I have cut my pay by 9 percent and am the lowest paid Councilmember — by far: utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/12/tp-ads-claim-carl-demaio-cut-his-pay/
• FACT: I voted to END the Bid to Goal program that would give bonuses to Water Department employees.
• FACT: I have never raised taxes -- never, not one dime.
• Those are the facts.
• I have always prided myself on being honest with voters because I believe that is the only way we can move this city forward—together.
• If you see or hear something about me that doesn’t sound accurate, please contact me right away so I can set the record straight.
• I need your help to spread the truth about my opponent’s lies. Please share this information with your friends and neighbors.”

Yes we want Ms. Lightner returned to office and yes we want the lies to end. We are not sure about how to do the latter but we are going to work on a proposal idea of insisting that we get the truth in campaigns. Liberty can’t be about lies, slurs and misinformation. We are not lemmings or minions. We are American Voters, and using that vote to get Sherri Lightner back in Office we think is the smartest thing we can all do in this election.

Respectfully,

Richard McCormack, Myrna Naegle, Rob Whittemore and Cynthia Bond