[National City Mayor Ron Morrison] I have disagreed with you on a few substantive issues, but I have always enjoyed my interaction with you. You supported the school I love with your presence and your assistance whenever we asked you to. I loved working with you on the State of the City video, and I still appreciate your presence and gift at my 60th birthday celebration at Cafe la Maze, and your presence and support at many of our school functions. I consider you a friend. Without withdrawing any of that, I have to strongly oppose Measure B and support Measure C.
I think Measure B would have been more palatable if it had been presented honestly. Suppose you and your supporters had said, “Ron has been a great mayor, and we want to circumvent the current law and keep him in office.” We at least would have had an honest debate about it. That is, after all, the only immediate substantive change the measure would make. Measure B is a graceless way to attempt to stay in an office you love and in which you feel that you still have much to offer.
As it is, the presentation has been extremely deceptive. This is most true in the ballot arguments, which are the most dishonest I’ve seen since Burt Grossman described himself as a “Teacher of the Year” who lived in SUHSD Trustee Area 1. You and the other authors piled on so many B.S. buzzwords: “Special interests”, “loophole”, “power grab”, “balance of power”, “real and fair” that the argument becomes meaningless.
There was no “loophole” in Proposition T. You and the other council members who placed it on the ballot only wanted to limit terms for the sitting mayor.
There is no “power grab”. Proposition T was passed 14 years ago, and it is the mechanism that would end your 12 year mayoralty. The council minority cannot be held responsible for that. Running for office is not a power grab.
Both measures are “real and fair.” Measure C does not touch the mayoral term limit; it maintains it. It adds term limits for the council that are equal to those of the mayor. Measure B places equal term limits on both, but it begins by eliminating the only provision of Prop T, and it does so only in your service. Measure C keeps the clock ticking on the existing law, and extends it to the council.
You cannot honestly claim that Measure C “allows up to six terms” for councilmembers, unless you also say that Measure B “extends the number of terms that the law allows the mayor to five terms.”
Finally, the biggest b.s. term of all is “special interests”. All interests are special interests: teachers, firefighters, council majorities, citizens for ethics in government, pet shop owners, fundamentalists, atheists, and every single person who casts a ballot. The introduction of choice is also hooey. Term limits ALWAYS limit choice; that is their function. Back in 2004, you and your colleagues wanted to limit people’s choices as to whom they elected mayor. In Measure B, you will be limiting voters’ choices again.
Ben Cassel resides in National City.
