Comments so far on this story:

1. Ian Trowbridge wrote on May 13, 2008 9:39 PM:
"Marti is the obvious choice as council member for District 7. After eight years of Jim Madaffer, having a council member from District 7 who will work for her constituents and the residents of this city instead of developers will be a refreshing change. Unfortunately, April Boling is tainted by her close relationship to the failed mayor, Dick Murphy, and a number of ethical violations. Marti is an outsider in political circles which is advantage for a reformer who will help clean up city hall. John Beatty has exactly the right take on Marti, past, present and future."

2. Turko Files R Better wrote on May 13, 2008 9:48 PM:
"Marti Emerald is just another Union lacky. I hope somebody makes her publicly acknowledge that she would have voted with Union lackys Toni Atkins, Tony Young, Scott Peters, and Ben Hueso to derail the Mayor's plan to reign in the overly generous City Employee Union Pensions and wages. Emerold has already complained that she can't live on the Council salary and might have to moonlight to make ends meet. Sadly, it seems every elected office is for sale in San Diego and the Unions want to buy this District Council seat too."

3. Algernon Sidney wrote on May 13, 2008 10:02 PM:
"April is smarter and a harder worker than Marti. You say Marti is "Someone who is willing and able to clear through the bureaucracy and numbers gobbledygook and find out just where all our tax dollars are going." Willng, perhaps, but not likely very able. Certainly not more able than accountant/treasurer April. The numbers may very well be gobbledygook to Marti, but won't be to April. This one is a no-brainer (not Marti, the election choice)."

4. Frank De Clercq wrote on May 13, 2008 10:25 PM:
"John. Thank you. You have laid out a true testimonial as to why Marti Emerald is the only candidate that should even be considered for District Council 7. Finally someone that represents the working people! Yes, I signed my name to this statement. That's something the Voice should insist on. We could finally get rid of some of these alias names that love to blog a bunch of nonsense."

5. Brian T. Peterson, DVM wrote on May 14, 2008 8:00 AM:
"We first met Marti on a personal level almost a year ago. At that time she had written a letter to the Voice of San Diego suggesting that citizens should be in charge of the destiny of their own community. I wrote a comment to her letter asking if she supported that concept for Grantville. She attended our next meeting, and she has been a supporter of the Grantville Action Group (www.GrantvilleActionGroup.com) ever since. If you feel that you and your neighbors should have the strongest voice in your community’s future, and not the construction industry in cahoots with City government, you should be supporting Marti. If you are outside of D-7 and support this concept, then support Floyd Morrow for mayor, Stephen Whitburn for D-3, and Auday Arabo for State Assembly. These candidates also support what we are fighting for."

6. jenart wrote on May 14, 2008 8:06 AM:
"I thoroughly agree with Mr. Beatty's assessment that Marti as the correct candidate for the District 7. She will definitely do her best to represent ALL of us. She has the leadership skills to do a fine job. As pointed out by John, she is not a politician. Marti is one of us and fully understands the challenges this district faces. She is also more than willing to work with all stakeholders in solving the problems facing 7th District. I applaud her fortitude in running the gauntlet of political detractors who have tried to pull her down. No more insider politics. We need CHANGE. We need Marti Emerald."

7. Joan Connor wrote on May 14, 2008 8:08 AM:
"Did you also know that Marti Emerald believes that "San Diego is the MOST UNDERTAXED major city in the country", but that it is also "intellectual dishonesty so say that San Diego is undertaxed". She thinks we should pay more for trash pick up, she "has no experience managing large budgets"! Fact is Marti is a liar (not even a panderer, don't tell me she isn't, it is documented) who has zero financial experience, You all say she'll follow the money, but she can't even read a fiscal statement, how is she going to follow the money?"

8. Eric wrote on May 14, 2008 8:21 AM:
"Marti is the candidate of the most powerful special interest at city hall: the public employee unions. They saw a strong candidate like April as a huge problem for them and they went looking for someone, anyone, who could compete against her. They found their candidate in Marti. She was hand picked for this race to be another lap dog for the unions. She absolutely is the worst possible person to send to city hall. Why? Because just yesterday the Mayor tried to get changes to the gold-plated union pensions and four councilmen voted to oppose him; if Marti is elected then this union-patsy group of four grows to five and all chance for reform at city council will be lost. The taxpayer will be the big loser if Marti is elected."

9. District 5 Voter wrote on May 14, 2008 8:44 AM:
"Of course Frank is supporting Marti. I don't even think he needed to make his statement. Marti would be a disaster for this city. You think the pension fiasco is a mess now? Just wait if you elect Marti. She'll approve raises and new benefits all around and especially for herself (cause she won't make enough money with the measly amount council members get paid - remember?) Fortunately, D7 voters have an alternative - April Boling is a superior candidate and superior person to fill the D7 seat. I pray D7 voters see through the gobbledy-whatever that is Marti Emerald."

10. Linda J. Wilson wrote on May 14, 2008 9:36 AM:
"Some of you seem to think that April will work harder than Marti and that having an accountant on the City Coucil will save San Diego from financial ruin. I beg to differ. When Marti spoke to the Grantville Action Group, it was very clear she had done her homework. She knew about the group, knew their issues, knew the finacial picture, and asked for further input. The info is there if you dig for it. April didn't dig. She came before the group completely unprepared and uniformed. April points with pride to her stint on the Blue Ribbon Committee. Lot of good that did for us. When the findings were suppressed, she sat by quietly and let that whole ballpark fiasco go forward. We need someone who will dig deep and speak up. Vote for Marti."

11. District 7 voter wrote on May 14, 2008 9:38 AM:
"As a member of Fox Canyon Neighborhood Association, I've been impressed by Marti's interest in our local issues. The contractor work on University at 52nd has caused persistent problems on University because of poorly restored trenches that at first were uneven lumps in the road which quickly became dips in the road. I raised this to Jim Madaffer and a staff member from April Boling's campaign. Neither seemed interested. Marti actually took the time to physically witness the problem and saw that the latest contractor didn't even repave, leaving bare gravel in the middle of a major street. Of course, last week the city sent a city crew to fix the contractor mistake. So we taxpayers are on the hook for poor workmanship of a contractor. I don't get the sense that April cares about anything but the bureaucracy...(1)"

12. District 7 voter wrote on May 14, 2008 9:47 AM:
"What I want in a councilmember is someone who is willing take their nose out from whatever mayor's staff report they are given and instead actually witness what is happening in our neighborhoods. Electing April Boling will just be adding another bureaucrat to city hall. We need works not words. We need streets, lights, parks, cops. The era of number crunchers will bury us because at the end of the day they do not actually produce one single thing that improves our lives. Based on this latest experience, I believe that Marti Emerald will be a hands-on representative of my district. She has me vote and my confidence."

13. Dukestir Wilkes wrote on May 14, 2008 10:23 AM:
"Follow the money...I could not have said it better myself. Marti has been bought and paid for. Not only will she be up on the council dais doing the bidding of the labor unions, she also will be serving her trial lawyer masters for who she does consulting work, and to top it off she will have to find ways to serve some goodies to the biggest developers in the country for whom her husband works."

14. Fed Up wrote on May 14, 2008 11:51 AM:
"If you think Marti Emerald is "bought and paid for," just how would you describe April Boling? For years she has been the CPA handmaiden for the Lincoln Club (aka local GOP money laundry.) Boling was treasurer for disgraced Mayor Dick Murphy. Boling is responsible for School Board campaign contribution limits being raised to cost more than City Council races. Boling will carry water for Mayor Sanders until he is thrown out of office, and then she will just quietly represent his downtown handlers.Boling will vote yes on disastrous Prop C to change the City Charter so that the future mayors control auditors. I don't want April Boling on City Council, even though the Union-Tribune endorsed her. I'm voting for consumer advocate Marti Emerald in District 7."

15. Eric wrote on May 14, 2008 12:53 PM:
"Let's be clear about what people are saying. Those who support Marti think the unions should dominate city government, gold-plated union benefits are good, San Diegans are under taxed and we should pay extra for trash pickup, it makes sense to send a TV personality to city hall, and candidates don't need to be truthful during the campaign. Those who support April think the unions are too powerful, union pensions need to be closer to what exists in the civilian world, San Diegans are NOT under taxed and we already pay for trash pickup, it makes sense to send someone who can read a balance sheet to city hall, and integrity matters. (Brian Peterson has but a single focus: opposition to Grantville redevelopment.)"

16. Ian Trowbridge wrote on May 14, 2008 4:54 PM:
"Eric #15: First, Brian uses his own name to express his views and his interest in City government is not restricted to the Granville redevelopment area that Madaffer rammed through for his developer friends. If Grantville is blighted then most of Clairemont is too. The fact is neither are blighted and just like the light industrial area in District 2 bounded by Rosecrans, Midway Drive and Sports Arena is not blighted either. I need to disclose that Brian is the vet for my dogs but his civic activism should be applauded not trivialized by Eric who?"

17. Chattanooga-Choo-Choo wrote on May 15, 2008 7:14 AM:
"How will Marti be a hands-on representative, when she'll need classes on how to read a financial statement, unless she just skips the classes and asks the unions how to vote. Even if she does take classes, like the outgoing rubes who got us into the pension mess, how will she remember what she read? She can't recall what she said in response to the same question from one day to the next or just dodges a response like the "intellectually dishonest to say San Diegans are under or overtaxed". And, while commentors are beating up April Boling for not ringing the bell loudly enough, where was Marti Emerald, investigative reporter? She didn't speak up at all, not one word, not one report - Nothing! Think about that before pointing the finger at someone who tried to make a change and was ignored."

18. District 5 Voter wrote on May 15, 2008 7:48 AM:
"Eric makes a valid point Ian. And anonymity is a choice. There's no sense harrassing someone who chooses it. Just because someone puts their name on their comments doesn't make their views or opinions better than anyone else's."

19. Billy Bob Henry wrote on May 21, 2008 1:39 PM:
"15. Eric wrote on May 14, 2008 12:53 PM: "Let's be clear about what people are saying. Those who support Marti think the unions should dominate city government, gold-plated union benefits are good, San Diegans are under taxed and we should pay extra for trash pickup... . .. . . . . . . . . I SUPPORT Marti-and I am against all of the things you have listed (as most people here know). I think Marti is a straight shooter-and honest. That goes a long way in my book. I think if she shoots straight she will protect the taxpayer and do what is best for the City-not what is best for the City work force."