Candidate Platform

By Mary Ellen England

Top priorities to accomplish once elected

While La Mesa appears to have weathered the recession storm and according to the City are no longer digging into reserves to balance the budget, we are not out of the woods yet. The latest projections show La Mesa has a $60 million unfunded pension liability and with employee medical premiums and other costs increasing faster than revenues, we have to be smart about finding ways to keep the budget balanced without raising taxes or reducing public safety. I will work diligently with all parties to come up with solutions that work for everyone.

Development

La Mesa has very little available land for new development so most development in the future will come from re-development of existing private and publics parcels. As a City Councilwoman, I will take all views and facts into consideration without pre-judging in order to vote on what is best for La Mesa and its citizens.

Streets

While our downtown streets will be brand new, many other areas need re-sealing and potholes filled. Potholes cause damage to our vehicles so it will be a priority for me to ensure known potholes get repaired quickly.

Technology

Technology is one way to increase efficiency at City Hall and to provide citizens an easy way to search for information, pay bills, download applications allow for more transparency of City information that should be readily available to citizens.

Panhandlers

One of my promises is to do everything I can to find a legal way to reduce or eliminate panhandlers on City intersections and other public and private areas. There are many cities across the US that have found ways to pass laws and ordinances and there is no reason we cannot do the same.

Public Safety

Everyone agrees that public safety is one the main reasons we want to live in a particular area. While La Mesa has its share of problems, we do have a very good police and fire service. We need to find ways to provide our public safety services more resources and efficiency to improve response times and coverage and continue to make La Mesa a great place to live. I will work with our services to come up with joint solutions to enhance our public safety services.