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.