Don't believe the smear campaign
I believe that every American should have an equal opportunity to run for office. No one should deny you or anyone that right to participate fully in our Democracy.
You probably received an expensive mailer attacking me. It tells you that I do not deserve your vote because I, along with many other good people, signed a form that gives someone the opportunity to run for office and put their issues to the voters. You have heard me many times encourage people to run for office if they don't like what is going on. I would sign nomination papers to allow any American this opportunity, including you. This doesn't mean that I would necessarily support you, make a campaign donation, or even vote for you, but I will fight for your rights as an American to run for office.
If signing a paper is the worst dirt they can dig up on me, I am probably the cleanest politician in the Bay Area and I should be your next Mayor.
The feuding divorced couple mentioned in the smear campaign both previously ran for office and received Daly City Citizen of the Year awards from Council Member Sal Torres. They have both have made positive contributions to Daly City and many people in the community were more their willing to sign nomination papers for either one. In June 2005 the husband independently declared his intent to run for office in November 2006, a full year before his ex-spouse or any other candidate. I did not run in this election.
The real reason behind this smear campaign is money.
Police and firefighters both recently signed new contracts for a raise in salary. The entire Council supported the agreements. All the Council supports good salaries and benefits for all our public employees.
Now in these difficult financial times, the political committees of the police and firefighters want more. They want the kind of increased retirement benefits that have brought cities like Vallejo to bankruptcy. Vallejo is now suffering from drastic cuts in services, increased crime, and plummeting property values.
As a retired public school teacher on a fixed income, I know full well the economic hardships all of us are facing. I will not cut back services to our community, layoff staff, or risk the financial stability of Daly City just to win an election. In our current economic crisis, we all need to tighten our belts until we make it through these tough times together.
Daly City Professional Firefighters and the Daly City Police Officers Association have found a candidate, David Canepa, who has publicly promised that he will vote for the big raises they want. He admits he doesn't clearly understand the city budget or where the money would come from. Mr. Canepa has not attended a single City Council meeting or study session where many complex issues that face our city have been discussed.
The police and firefighter political committee, called "Safe Streets and Quality Neighborhoods for Daly City, a coalition of Daly City's professional firefighters and police officers," is spending $30,000 in a smear campaign to kick me off the City Council and replace me with their candidate.
Never before has any group put up so much money to influence the outcome of a Daly City Council Election.
These tactics are a real danger to our democratic process and hurt everyone in Daly City.