Two weeks ago I was very disappointed in how easily Mayor Lewis and the council dismissed everyone who showed an interest
in the council vacancy. After the comments on the agenda item were finished he stated I have a couple name from the planning commission that I would like to nominate without regard for any of the comments or qualifications of the people he had just heard. This very much feels like Mr. Lewis came into the meeting with his mind already set. It seems like a deal was already established shortly after Jillian stepped down so when the mayor and council appointed Tony Ambrose from the planning commission to fill the Vacancy it came as no surprise. In my opinion I consider it a “green light appointment”. It’s just another way for the current leadership to keep those green lights coming on the decision making process. I believe they are doing a grave disservice to the city of El Cajon with this mentality. The only way to make good educated decisions is to question and challenge the ideas themselves. There is nothing wrong with a little debate and banter. Too much “group think” leads to mediocrity and complacency which in turn leads to poor decision making. Let me get this straight, I don’t disagree with all the decisions being made. Far from it, I support most of them with a strong exception to any tax and rate hikes but I still question that there might have been a better option. After voicing my displeasure to a few people for the lack of a democratic process and what seemed a “back room deal” I heard “Welcome to El Cajon Politics”. That is just a sad statement regarding the political climate in El Cajon. It is my only hope that in November the voters will voice their displeasure as much as me by making this appointment a “lame duck” appointment. The people of El Cajon can go a step further as there will be two additional council seats up for re-election. If all three of those seats were changed El Cajon Politics could be changed.
Vote Swainston for El Cajon Council in November

With the resent resignation of Jillian Hanson-Cox from the El Cajon City council, the Mayor and remaining council members are tasked with the decision to let the seat remain vacant until November's election or to appoint someone immediately. Besides myself, there were five other candidates that arrived at the most recent council meeting on March 13th seeking the appointment, before any of us had a chance to speak Mayor Lewis stated that he would suggest some names for appointment in two weeks. I do not have a problem with that decision if the process was fair and unbiased and took into consideration the will of the people. As the candidate that finished second in the last election for city council I believe I represent the will of the people. After the floor was opened for discussion and all the potential candidates and supporters had their say, Mayor Lewis stated that he had a couple people in mind from the planning commission that he would like to appoint. I did not see any of them there to represent themselves thus, it seemed to me that he already had his mind set on who he wanted without regard to public opinion or qualifications. The only council member that actually wanted more information via application was Bill Wells. If this appointment goes through in two weeks with one of Mayor Lewis' selection from the planning commission (which seems very likely) it will give this person unfair advantage in the next election by being deemed the incumbent based on a 7 month appointment. Just remember in November when it is time to cast your vote make it count for a candidate that will take into account the will of the people. 


Vote Swainston for El Cajon City Council 2012

Well the answer will be in the decision of the voters but in my opinion I say "yes". The charter city designation will give more control to the city leaders to cut costs. El Cajon has a lot of projects that need to be started and completed to make this a better city and there will be a lot of opportunities to cut costs. The state rules are not helping to reduce the deficit at the state level. I can see the city of El Cajon (if approved) along with other charter cities setting the bar on government efficiency that can drive change up to the state level. There has been misuse from the designation as what happened in the city of Bell. But it came as a result of greedy elected officials along with the residents not paying attention to what was going on but in the long run justice was served and those city officials ended up in jail. There are checks and balances that can and must be put in place so this type of scenario never presents itself again. In the long run the city must have the freedom to cut cost where ever it can find them and the elected officials must be trusted and hold to a strong moral and ethical code of conduct. Vote Swainston for El Cajon City Council in 2012 and I will make sure "El Cajon is a Better place to Live and do Business"

Make 2012 a year to be involved. Have a hand in the direction you want your government to take. If you want to make a difference, you must start early not a week before the election. Find out what the candidates will bring to the job if elected. Do your homework on the current elected officials and their track record. Did they perform as promised prior to being elected? What are they doing to decrease the deficit? What are they doing to lower taxes? What are they doing to help businesses thrive, increase jobs, and lower the unemployment rate? How are they voting on civil rights and morality issues? Are they willing to make the tough decisions or did they just stay neutral not wanting to "stir the pot" in hopes of being re-elected? Too many politicians make big promises to get elected then are afraid to do what is right. They worry more about their image and how they can be re-elected then rolling up their sleeves and doing what needs to be done. Get to know all the candidates and not just vote for the incumbent. Support the ones you trust to lead your, city, state, and country. Volunteer to help, donate you time and/or money, talk to your family and neighbors, and ask for signs to display.

Today the city council decided to ratify the sewer rate increase that calls for an initial 33% increase (more or less depending on where you fall as a water user) as of January 2012 and an additional 9% per year for four years starting July of 2013. This equates to about 86% overall increase in the 5 year span. The council was given a presentation outlining the cost associated with the current sewer needs. Highlights go like this- There hasn't been an increase in the past 12 years even though the cost of living has risen 40%. The fund was paying bills and had positive revenue initially but has been drawing down over the past few years as costs have been about 3 million a year over revenues. During the drought El Cajon residents were asked to conserve, which they did, causing lost revenues. San Diego city takes about 2/3rds of the overall cost. Multiple projects required in the coming years (including Johnson Ave which had an over flow last year due to excessive storm run-off) that will take addition funding. El Cajon currently owes the city of San Diego a significant amount of past due fees which they are looking at repaying through a low interest loan over 10 years. This proposed increase would have the city generating positive revenue again by 2017. There were 171 letters file in protest to the increase which is less than 1% of residents (51% is needed to stop the increase without a vote from city council).  8 people had public comments they were-Vicky Herman- disagreed with her assessment of the fees, stating a large portion of the water she uses is for irrigation and does not go down the sewer. H. Campbell- disagreed with this level of increase and stated it was being misrepresented and was an overall increase of 96% over the term of increases. Joe Levack- stated his bill will go from $35 to $93. John Martez- strongly disagreed with the increase and pointed out other areas that the council has made monetary mistakes calling them tax and spend republicans. John Gibson- stated that the city may save money by being designated as a charter city and find ways to cut the spending by the management of the process. Kathy Hilton with the East county board of realtors- opposed the rate increase as being excessive. Steve Gobal- was concerned with the infrastructure as storm water caused the overflow of sewer when they are supposed to be two separate systems. He also pointed out that there was a math error in the proposal as it was an initial 39% increase not 33% as stated. Ron Pennock- Stated this increase does not help with recruiting new businesses to the area. After public comment was closed the council proceeded to ask question to Rob Turner (the acting city manager). Gary Kendrick's questions all seemed to be a set-up for Mr. Turner as to the dire need for the improvements. They asked if it could be lowered any and Mr. Turners response was that the initial recommendation was for a 50% increase and this is as low as they could get it, he didn't know if San Diego would be willing to extend the loan past 10 years, if any redevelopment funds would be available in the future, blah blah blah.

 My take on all this- First off I am against rate increases without due diligence and I don't feel the council looked into this enough to justify the increase. The information that was presented for the increase was definitely skewed. The graph they sent out showed that El Cajon's sewer rates were the lowest of the cities surveyed. What is wrong with that? I would be proud of that and would want to keep it that way. Then they say with the initial 33% increase El Cajon goes to a median level in comparison with the other cities but it doesn't show where it stands after the additional 4 years of 9% increases. They say because of conservation efforts revenues were down. So, we do what we are asked and are rewarded with higher rates. Does that make sense? There is 1/3 of the overall cost that is administrative and supported by city workers. How efficient is that being run? Is there room to cut costs there? Why does the council feel the need to make a decision that affects the next 5 years? Couldn't they have an initial one-time adjustment then see how redevelopment funds play out and/or what kind of payment plan we can work out with the City of San Diego? With the drought officially over conservation methods are no longer the focus thus, the city may pick up some additional revenue there. There is a new max level in the proposal of $140. Couldn't that be raised so that the people that use more of the water/sewer share the cost instead of all the people in the median use areas paying for them? I am surprised at the small amount of protest letters and public speakers that turned out for this cost increase. Maybe it was because the people didn't fully understand the amount of increase or maybe it's just apathy. 

The residents of El Cajon need to remember in 2012 there are 3 seats open for election on the council and if you want to see new ideas, a more conservative approach, and someone who is business friendly vote Duane Swainston.

I attended today's EL Cajon Council meeting and I have to say I believe they acted hastily in awarding a $40,000 loan to the CDC to keep it functioning through October. There is a transition taking place in the El Cajon Downtown development that a new body (PBID) is taking over development and revitalization responsibilities from the CDC. I don't pretend to know all the specifics involved in the transition but I do know it is a step in the right direction. The CDC was mismanaged and had questionable accounting practices.
The scenario in today's council meeting goes like this- A gentleman (did not catch his name but council knows him and he has been involved in some previous CDC activities and hopes to be involved in the new PBID committee) speaks on behalf of the CDC stating that they have  zero money to continue until the end of the year (when the transfer of responsibilities is supposed to come to fruition). Without a loan to continue ($80K to the end of the year or $40K to get through October) they will have to discontinue all the downtown events (car shows and free concerts) that are scheduled. The gentleman states that he has looked through there books and made cuts but this is the bottom line for funds needed. The Council seems to be ready to give the money without any further research but the City Attorney cautions the council that they may take years to get repaid (if it ever happens) but would be when assets (land parcels) are auctioned off. Also, the City Manager reminds the council that they only have $33K in the reserve fund. The council does not heed any warnings and allocates all $33K for the loan with another $7K to be found through making cuts else where. Although this may indeed be ultimately the right decision, In my opinion it was made in haste. I believe there should have been a bigger challenge to handing over the money and depleting the reserve funds until July of 2012. Bill Wells did voice an opinion to give $25K initially but relented and gave the green light of approval for the $40K. I would have allocated $20K initially, asked to look at the books, and suggested the remaining funds come from donations by businesses which could include monetary donations or prizes for a raffle to be held at the car show. Then reassess the situation at the first council meeting in October. In my opinion I don't feel the council is fighting hard enough to save the city funds yet they want to increase our waste-water rate ( more to come in a separate blog on that topic). The only way the residents of this fine city can make there voices heard is make a change in 2012.

Vote for Duane Swainston in 2012 to challenge spending, taxes, and rate increases.

As residents of El Cajon, we need to support the local businesses. When friends and family come from out of town, take them out to a local restaurant. There are a lot of great choices here in the city and with the El Cajon Brewery about to open it's doors within weeks there will be another fine addition. We need to shop locally for all our home improvement, entertainment, automotive, and/or everyday needs. Just because we have a slightly higher sales tax don't go spend money in surrounding cities. The more money that is spent in El Cajon the more funds will be available to help with infrastructure improvements, emergency services, and all the city run activities. Just think about all the money wasted on frivolous things each day when that money can be helping to improve the quality of life in El Cajon.

Buy it in El Cajon