Power: Solar and Political

Published: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 1:56 PM PDT

E-MAIL STORY

Hi Sparky,

Thanks for your comments and questions. I agree there is a time from election, until you "catch up," on the workings of city hall. An advantage Paul brings to this position is that he has served (appointed volunteer) for many years in positions where he had to work closely with the bureaucracy and political appointees. His "ojt" will be shortened by his ability to go right to the matter. Besides, Paul is a straight shooter and not afraid to go public when he sees things go down behind closed doors that impact his constituents. And Paul has great admiration for Donna Frye, and Donna would be happy to help a fellow "peoples candidate" get acquainted with (in order to change) the old system.

With regard to solar panels on city buildings: not all buildings are energy ready and will require some retrofit. But with energy savings brought about by better planning, coupled with the skyrocketing fuel price that can be offset by switching to alternative energy and more efficient use of resources, we are well on our way. And, as most of you know, the power companies across the nation MUST buy any excess energy produced by this effort, so the excess will be part of "the grid" and will generate income that will pay off any bonds or debt incurred in building our self supporting system. Of course that will require a sound financial footing for the city than the current council has provided, and we trust the voters know what to do about that. And electing Paul Broadway is a big step in the right direction.

The four year, one term limit Paul placed on himself is a real challenge. But as most insiders know, from day one a political office becomes a campaign office. Everything done from that point on by the candidate and his staff is geared to his/her re-election or election to another office. It is the way of doing business and perpetuates the appearance that the elected official is working for the average Joe, when in reality he is working to gain himself and his staff another four years of taxpayer supported employment and a generous pension at a young age.

Finally, Paul knows that a smart leader surrounds himself with a good staff. And Chief of Staff is a critical position, especially with a full agenda. Now, I know this answer will have some political fallout, but in trying to adhere to Paul's high standard of honesty, I'll tell you who Paul would first offer the job to: Stephen Whitburn. Because, like Paul, Mr. Whitburn has a love for and knowledge of the 3rd district. And Paul believes that with the proper direction, Stephen could help Paul get this city back on the right track. And as you know, staff makes more money than their bosses. Paul wouldn't find a problem with that. But there will be plenty of time for staff selection. Right now we are concentrating on getting Paul elected so he'll be in the position to hire Stephen, or anyone else. My thanks to you, and the others who wrote. You can reach Paul, or me, through: www.broadwaypub.com Or, write me directly at: neighborhoodnation@gmail.com.

-- ED WIGDAHL

6 Comments so far on this story...

I agree with the writer. I first heard Paul Broadway claim we had the capabilities of supplying our own energy thru Solar and checked it out. It's true--so let's start now. I disagree with Steve Whitburn being a good Chief of Staff. He is too tied to money/special interests. The 3rd district has some of the poorest families in SD and need special attention. The big money recipients(Gloria and Whitburn)are focused on gay rights. That's good, but there is a lot more to this district than gay issues. Thugs and drive by shootings are getting more common. I want to hear more about crime prevention. After weeks of reading and listening to forums, and what I've read here --Paul Broadway has got my vote. He has earned a spot for his signs alone. And solar plans.

Posted by Taxed to Death | reply to this comment
May 6, 2008 3:54 pm

Up until the last few months, I had never even heard of Paul Broadway and had no idea who he was when he announced. Now, I have been very active in San Diego and have been going to the city council for years to stand up for our District. Why haven't most of the people in District 3 heard of Paul? Don't you think it is fair that the person who wants to represent all of the people in our district, be someoe who has, at least for a couple of years, been meeting the people he wants to represent? Don't you think that the person should have been known by now for being out there fighting for the many people in our district before they show up at election time to ask for the right to represent the entire district?

Posted by James Hartline | reply to this comment
May 6, 2008 5:28 pm

Perhaps Mr. Hartline watches too much City TV, Channel 24 council reruns, where one could watch You, Ron, and Stillwell address the meeting with your rants of the day. He thinks in watching the reruns that everyone is hanging on his very words. Because he has jumped into religion as quick as he use to jump into a hot tub filled with other men, James thinks his born again conversion is compelling and filling an obvious void in leadership in the local right to life movement. Lucky for Hartline, he has found a built in, one issue movement, and leading it along a path of futility. Abortion is not a local issue and we are all not going to hell because we believe otherwise. This may surprise Mr. Hartline: but I don't think he is going to hell neither. Nor win election.

Posted by Preacher Pat | reply to this comment
May 6, 2008 7:56 pm

Thank you Ed for the additional information and i think it will serve Mr. Broadway well. Paul has lofty goals and aspirations. Boxing himself in to a single term is a very dangerous promise and leaves himself a lame duck council person. I applaud his ideals but offer only a suggestion that his promise may not be in his best interest if he truly wants to make a difference. A persons actions while in office should speak for itself and if doing his job as Paul speaks of, his need to politic from his first day in office to get elected to a second term would not be necessary. His actions and work would speak for themselves. All lofty thoughts and goals and I applaud Paul for putting himself out-front and taking on this challenge.

Posted by Sparky | reply to this comment
May 7, 2008 10:02 am

The San Diego county building industy association and its allies in the development community are funding a slate of city council candidates. They include April Boling, Phil Thalheimer, Todd Gloria and Carl DiMaio. If you want to see a developer dominated city council practicing corrupt business as usual, go ahead and vote for these candidates. If you want to change our city council for the better, vote for these candidates' opponents.

Posted by Watcher | reply to this comment
May 8, 2008 1:33 pm

What I like about Paul Broadway is that he isn't a career politician like his opponents. He doesn't have to display a fake smile or answer with canned answers. He is a "normal", "family man" who seems will represent us as all with sincerity. Not concerning himself with a reelection lets him concentrate on what needs to be done. His experience on various planning boards and the Rec Center show he really cares about our community. There's nothing showy about Paul -- what you see is what you're going to get. Straight-from-the-hi type of guy who once ran one of the greatest bars in town, Sparky's. I hope voters will see through the money being spent by others and take a serious look at voting for Paul. He's no glitter but alot of gold.

Posted by katie | reply to this comment
May 9, 2008 7:42 am

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