Candidate for
Council Member; City of Carlsbad

The 2008 city council election comes at a time when the city of Carlsbad is at an important crossroads. Our years of managing growth are behind us, and we are faced with a whole new set of challenges and responsibilities. And yet we appear to be frozen in time. We have a General Plan that hasn't been updated since 1994--the year I moved to Carlsbad to start my family--and no real sense of fiscal responsibility that takes into account the fact that our city is fast approaching buildout and the developer fees we have relied on for years to fund our various projects are slowing to a trickle.

Fiscal responsibility begins with a vision and a plan, and if you look at the money that's been spent or committed over the last five years, it's apparent there is no clear vision or plan that makes sense to the citizens of Carlsbad. Already, the city's reserves, which once stood in excess of $100 million, are virtually depleted. It's time to start running this city like a business. It's time for the next generation of leadership. Over the last few years we've seen some decisions from city hall that are cause for concern, including:

Spending $70 million on an elaborate municipal golf course, 10 times the initial cost estimate when it was first proposed in 1990, that is expected to lose nearly $1 million in 2008.

(Why wasn't this project taken to the private sector?)

Stripping the $50 million Alga Norte Park and Aquatics Center down to the bone,and then still postponing the project because it is deemed too expensive.

(Didn't the city of Vista ADD a water park to finance its pool? Let's think creatively and get this project built. Carlsbad NEEDS another pool!)

Designating no reserve funds toward the acquisition of open space, as called for by Carlsbad voters when they passed Proposition C in 2002.

(Our so-called 40% open space includes open water in lagoons, golf courses and even parking lots.)

Spending $16 million to buy the Farmers Insurance Building and half a million dollars a year to maintain it.

(Why buy something when you have no idea what to do with it? The city hall relocation plan fizzled, so what now?)

What do you think? Please email me with your views at tkarnold@aol.com.

Donate now to the Arnold for Carlsbad campaign. Send checks to Arnold for Carlsbad, 2718 York Road, Carlsbad, CA 92010, and be sure to include your full name, address and occupation. Or you can now pay with credit or debit card by clicking the DONATE button to the left. If you pay by credit or debit card, be sure to email me your full name, address and occupation, to comply with election law.

If you would like to join my campaign as a volunteer, please contact Christina Ingwerson at abbyj1@aol.com.