Well, this is it. It’s the final days of campaigning for the next mayor of San Diego. We have one more week of nasty campaign ads, false promises and baby kissing. I hate to be cynical because I love politics, but honestly, some of the candidates in this race are just downright ridiculous. I mean, zombie attack commercials? Really? What are they, 12 years old?
Campaigns are the ideal times to not only hear a candidate’s ideas about how to best run the city, but also to see who they are as people. Throughout this whole circus, the candidate who stuck out to me when it came to policy and personality was Nathan Fletcher.
Both the Republicans and Democrats in this race have made it a point to repeatedly mention that Fletcher used to be a Republican, then an Independent, and now a Democrat. Some Democrats don’t trust him because they think he’s still too conservative. Republicans don’t trust him because they view him as a traitor, motivated by personal gain.
The thing is, I don’t care what he used to be. Plenty of politicians have switched parties. Texas Governor Rick Perry was a Democrat until 1989. Former President Ronald Reagan went from blue to red in 1962. Even former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was a Republican in her younger, more impressionable years. As our country shifts, our political opinions sometimes follow, and that isn’t a crime.
I’m more interested in what Fletcher can do for us now and in the future than what his beliefs were in the past. I actually value the strength it took for him to realize the Republican Party isn’t what San Diego needs right now.
Recently, other campaigns have been criticizing Fletcher because he didn’t release his college transcripts. Once again, I don’t care. Unless he took a class in “How to Run San Diego: 101,” what his grades were like in college have absolutely no relevance right now. How would you feel if you felt you were perfect to fulfill a job role, but recruiters didn’t think so because they don’t know what grades you got in high school? Grades have no immediate relevance to getting the job done. Kevin Faulconer’s A in advanced surfing can attest to that. It’s annoying and frustrating how other candidates use these types of tactics to distract the public from real issues, and the media lets it happen. I’m grateful that Fletcher didn’t play into their lame attempt to discredit him. A person who doesn’t play into other people’s games is someone who has the potential to be a great leader.
The bottom line is this: Fletcher is the best choice for the next mayor of San Diego. It’s rare to find a politician who makes decisions based on his or her conscience, and that’s exactly what Fletcher does. His years as an assemblyman ensure he has the knowledge and experience, and the fact that he turned his back on his former party shows that he’s willing to stand with who he knows will fight for the people of this city. After Bob Filner tainted the city’s reputation to the point of utter embarrassment, we need someone solid, intelligent, honest, fearless and trustworthy. I see all those qualities in Nathan Fletcher, and I can only hope that voters on Nov. 19 will say the same.
Monica Linzmeier, Photo Editor
