The Smart Choice for Mayor

OPINION

By Judith Copeland

Four people are running for mayor. Each has unique skills, experiences, qualifications and disqualifications. I hear friends and neighbors espouse support for one or the other for odd reasons which have nothing to do with the job of being the mayor.

Let’s be clear. Being the mayor is a job. It is primarily a management job requiring skills in working with people, building coalitions and consensus and working with budgets. The mayor cannot dictate; the mayor must work with a wide variety of people and entities.

Given that job description, who is the candidate best qualified to be the mayor? It is certainly not Demaio or Filner. Neither has demonstrated the patience, humility or people skills to do the job well. Both are demanding and rude, like bulls in a China shop. Not all the time, mind you, but too much of the time such that people do not like to work with them. Remember Mike Aguirre? A disaster! Let’s not repeat that mistake.

So that leaves us with Dumanis and Fletcher. Dumanis has proved that she works well with employees, constituents, organizations and other governmental entities. She is straightforward, honest and people like her. She has a history of exercising sound judgment and of strength. Fletcher was a good Marine which does not qualify him to be a mayor. His relevant experience is limited to 3 years in Sacramento during which time he made some mistakes. He hangs his hat on authoring Chelsea’s Law. It was a good legislative act for which he gives Bonnie no credit even though she helped write it. Fletcher is certainly an unknown and appears to be e chameleon. He might be a good mayor someday but ne has not been in the public eye long enough for us to  judge him. We need more time to learn who he really is.

The only really good choice is Dumanis. The strength, honesty, trustworthiness and integrity that Bonnie has proven to us for over 20 years as a judge and as the District Attorney cannot be disregarded because a good looking ex-Marine betrayed his party, because an upstart titled the pension reform idea as all his own (forget  Sanders and Councilman Faulconer) and my fellow democrats are blindly following the party.

STOP. You are hiring someone to be your mayor when you cast your vote. Be smart. Pick the person who actually knows how to be the mayor and has proven that to you. Vote for Bonnie.

Judith Copeland is a Mission Hills resident and attorney. She is a Democrat.

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