The Rotary Club of Carlsbad will apparently be hosting City Council candidates forum on Thursday night September 23, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Carlsbadistan. We’ve heard rumor that those who do not wish to dine with the Rotarians can simply attend the forum portion of the evening which reportedly begins at 7:20 PM.
As you might have noticed, the level of communication between Carlsbadistan.com and the Rotary Club of Carlsbad could easily be raised. And yes, we’re working on it.
I almost spilled my morning cup of coffee the other day when I scanned the Google news headlines and found this little tidbit flashing on my screen: “Soaring pension costs will drive up North County property taxes.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the source was a public radio station in upstate New York, which apparently also has a “North County.” But the more I read, the angrier I became. State comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is warning that a steep drop in New York’s state pension fund will likely force local governments to hike property taxes. Mandatory pension contributions are going to jump 37 percent over the next two years, and guess who’s going to have to foot the bill? That’s right, the ordinary citizens of the great state of New York, who sweated, slaved and saved for their own little piece of the American Dream.
Here in California, property owners are less of a target for this public strong-arm robbery thanks to Proposition 13, which keeps our property taxes in check. But, as the saying goes, there but for the grace of God go we…. [click to continue…]
Carlsbadistan’s mayoral candidate Glenn “most independent candidate in America” Bernard, is spending this morning (Tuesday, September 21, 2010) personally reminding patrons of Carlsbadistan’s public The Lossings at Carlsbad golf course to “Please Patronize Private Courses Only.”
So far we have no evidence that any golfers have tee’d off on him. Last we saw, he was peacefully working a crossword puzzle and smiling to golfers as they drove in the course’s main entrance.
Ignoring for a moment that a mid-morning Friday meeting can only be attended by the retired and/or unemployed, it will be a great chance for those who attend to get a better read and the people who’d like to run our lovely city.
Every hundred years the slumbering residents of Brigadoon awaken for a day to celebrate their unchanging lives, united in the knowledge that if anybody leaves town, their enchanted village will disappear forever.
Last week at the Dove Library, Carlsbad’s 2010 state of the city video (embedded above) gave a hundred local residents their annual reassurance that all is well in their village, and they can keep it that way by not leaving town to shop.
Mayor Bud Lewis explained there’d be no questions allowed from the floor because he didn’t want the event to become an election forum. You could approach staff and council members individually with your questions after the show.
The Carlsbad Republican Women Federated have invited all of the City Council Candidates (Jon Wantz, Farrah Douglas, Dr. Mark Packard, and William Jubb) to a candidates forum on Tuesday afternoon, September 28, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn. A morning session will feature candidates for City Treasurer. Being a Republican is not required, but an RSVP is for the $25 “plated lunch”.
To reserve a spot at the lunch table please respond by noon September 23, 21010 to Beverly by calling 760/434-6478 or sending an email to bevy17@att.net.
There’s an old saying that to get elected to public office in Carlsbad, you have to be a Republican.
So it isn’t surprising that the two leading candidates seeking to replace Mayor Bud Lewis, who is retiring after a 24-year reign, are both Republicans who actively sought the endorsement of both the local party and its Lincoln Club offshoot, a group of mostly business leaders whose mission, according to its website, is to “advance free market principles and ideas by recruiting, endorsing, and financing business-friendly candidates and ballot measures.”
In the end, veteran councilman Matt Hall got the endorsement of both groups—which rarely happens in a race that pits a Republican against a fellow Republican. But in this case, freshman councilman Keith Blackburn is being actively supported by two public-employee unions, the “associations” representing Carlsbad firefighters and police officers, and as we all know unions are anathema to any red-blooded GOP partisan. [click to continue…]
Believe it or not, we’re not big fans of change. And as much as we have been critical of some of the decisions made in the past few years by Mayor Claud “Bud” Lewis, it is going to be sad to see him go at the end of this term.
As Mayor Lewis prepares for his final State of the City address this Friday, August 27, 2010 at the Park Hyatt Aviara HotelNorth County Times writer Barbara Henry checked in to look back on his 40 year career in Carlsbad politics and it’s well worth a read. . .
He was first elected mayor five years before the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce began hosting its annual State of the City events, and he served as a councilman for 16 years prior to that. . . “His whole life has been city of Carlsbad,” said Councilwoman Ann Kulchin, who’s served on the council herself so long that she sometimes says that she and Lewis are like a long-married couple. . . Known for his plain-spoken manner and his distinctive bald head, Lewis is fond of telling people that if they don’t like the job he’s doing, they’re free to vote him out of office. Friends and supporters say he has kept his post because people like what Lewis offers.
No matter what else people have said about him one thing is for certain– he has served Carlsbad like few other have or ever will.
Carlsbadistan will get its first chance to hear from our four three of our mayoral candidates as the Carlsbad Republican Women Federated host the first forum/luncheon on Tuesday August 24, 2010, according to as story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The forum will following a social hour and luncheon that begins at 11 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 6450 Carlsbad Blvd. . . Tickets for the luncheon are $25. Reservations can be made by calling (760) 434-6478 or by email at bevy17@att.net
We’re not really sure which candidates will be there. Keith Blackburn, Matt Hall, or Walt Meier? Glenn Bernard said in an email that he was told only “registered Republicans could be there, so I’m left out.” Maybe this luncheon is simply a fund raiser for Matt Hall. If the Carlsbad Republican Women Federated ever get back to us, we’ll let you know.
[Update: 10:42 PM August 22, 2010] This morning we received a polite email from Carlsbad Republican Women Federated’s Judy Rees, VP on behalf of Crystal Harris President, explaining that Keith Blackburn, Matt Hall, and Walt Meier will be speaking at the Mayoral Forum on Tuesday, however because of the Carlsbad Republican Women Federated’s bylaws “Article 1V- Section 2” which states that “This Club shall not invite nor permit a person registered in any party other than the Republican Party to speak at any meeting” the other candidate was not invited to speak. Rees went on to say that while everyone who has a reservation is welcome at the forum, only Republican candidates can speak.
For a slightly less polite, more biting reiteration of the above information, be sure to read Carlsbad Republican Women Federated associate member James McMillen’s comments listed below.
Following the close of the Carlsbadistan candidate filing period on Wednesday August 11, 2010 it appears that we have four mayoral candidates, four City Council candidates and a couple people who want to be treasurer come November, according to a story in the North County Times.
As expected, two councilmen —- Keith Blackburn and Matt Hall —- as well as former Marine Glenn Bernard and landscape company owner Walt Meier will be seeking the mayor’s spot. The city’s current, longtime mayor, Bud Lewis, decided at the start of his term four years ago not to seek re-election. Hall’s council seat is up for re-election this year, but he is not seeking that post. . . . Four people are seeking the two City Council seats on the ballot. They are city Planning Commissioner Farrah Douglas, incumbent Councilman Mark Packard, frequent council candidate William Jubb and Carlsbad education company employee Jon Wantz.
Oh, this election season his is going to be fun. We can hardly wait for the candidates forums. . .
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TK Arnold: The Prop G Thing
by Thomas K. Arnold on September 22, 2010
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the source was a public radio station in upstate New York, which apparently also has a “North County.” But the more I read, the angrier I became. State comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is warning that a steep drop in New York’s state pension fund will likely force local governments to hike property taxes. Mandatory pension contributions are going to jump 37 percent over the next two years, and guess who’s going to have to foot the bill? That’s right, the ordinary citizens of the great state of New York, who sweated, slaved and saved for their own little piece of the American Dream.
Here in California, property owners are less of a target for this public strong-arm robbery thanks to Proposition 13, which keeps our property taxes in check. But, as the saying goes, there but for the grace of God go we….
[click to continue…]
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