April 25 Meeting – Strong Mayor and Council President
Agenda
- Hors d’oeurves- Pre-meeting social 3:30PM
- Soup – More Choice San Diego – Amy Tobia, Diane Mosely 4:00PM
- Sorbet – Western Service Workers Association appeal for Volunteers 4:15PM
- Entrée – Strong Mayor & Council President – Norma Damashek 4:20PM
- Salad – Officer reports
- Dessert – Electeds, representatives, candidates
- Cheese – Announcements
- Nuts – After meeting social
More Choice San Diego
Diane Mosely, VP and guest Amy Tobia will explain why bringing Ranked Choice Voting to San Diego will give voters more choices, create more competition, promote more diverse ideas, and encourage civil campaigns.
Western Service Workers Association
Alec from the WSWA (who’s standing in for Brandon MacDonald) will talk about the work of the Association during the pandemic, with the aim of recruiting volunteers to help with advocacy for their members who are facing utility cut off‘s and potential evictions.
Strong Mayor & Council President
After a five-year trial period that began on Jan 1, 2006 San Diego moved from a Council-City Manager to a Mayor-Council (“Strong Mayor”) form of government 10 years ago, at the start of 2011.
The Mayor was removed from the legislative body, and installed as the de facto executive director of the departments and employees overseeing the City’s day-to-day operations.
This change also introduced the concept of a Council President, chosen annually by a majority vote of the Council, to chair and set the agenda of the City Council meetings, and to make committee appointments.
“Throughout the transition to a Strong Mayor Form of Governance, the City Council sought to expand the number of Council Committees and redefine their role and purpose, choosing to funnel more legislative items to Council Committees to allow for increased public input and a fuller vetting process before items were sent to the full Council for consideration.”
Norma Damashek@ndamashek will guide us through the history of the charter reform from Weak to Strong Mayor, and answer questions from members.
Norma Damashek is a long-time civic activist who focuses on promoting decision-making that serves the public good.
She has spearheaded community-based coalitions and served on city and regional-government task forces and aspast president of San Diego’s League of Women Voters.
Her NumbersRunner commentaries have received multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Chapter.
ANATOMY OF FAILURE is Norma’s first-hand account of political decision-making inside City Hall – where politics, planning, and personality converge to shape the San Diego landscape. Originally published as a master’s thesis, ANATOMY OF FAILURE is on the “Reading List for the San Diego Newcomer” compiled by the Voice of San Diego. You can read it HERE
Officer Reports
- Secretary, Kip Eischen
- Treasurer, Angela Hawkins
- VP, Diane Mosely
- President, John Loughlin
Electeds, representatives, candidates
Announcements
Click Here for Notes from April Meeting
Graphics; John P. Pelissero, “The Political Environment & Cities in the 21st Century,” in Cities, Politics & Public Policy: A Comparitive Analysis, ed. John P. Pelissero (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2003), 15.
POINT LOMA & OB DEMS 