In an attempt to cut through the piles of negative attacks and absurd press stories, Im be posting on a daily basis, why I and many others through the political spectrum are supporting Nathan Fletcher for Mayor. Todays post comes from the San Diego Police Officers Association. -------------------- To put it mildly, the state of the San Diego Police Department is not good. Much like other areas of our city, our police department has been neglected and ignored for years. Specifically, our department is minimally staffed, lacks reliable or adequate equipment, and fails to provide the competitive compensation necessary to recruit and retain officers. As a result, our current force is strained and dangerously close to the point of breaking. As our officers evaluated these factors, they began to lose faith in City Hall’s willingness to embrace and stay committed to long-term solutions that would change the situation. Consequently, our officers began to press the elected board members of the San Diego Police Officers Association (SDPOA) to endorse candidates our officers could truly believe in. These are the circumstances that led us to endorse Nathan Fletcher for Mayor—first during last year’s Mayoral election, and again this year. In response, our association is often asked, “Why Nathan?” To begin with, what stands out most when you first meet Nathan is his remarkable attitude. He is always positive and confident, even in the face of countless attacks funded by a seemingly unending pool of money. We respect his resiliency in the face of adversity. Furthermore, Nathan’s passion for public service and boundless enthusiasm about the future of San Diego not only inspires our officers but also motivates them to actively participate in his campaign. As one officer stated following the SDPOA’s public safety forum, “I normally just vote and forget about it, but Fletcher makes me want to follow him.” This is a common sentiment among our members because they realize what we need now more than anything is a leader who will get officers to recommit to our department. We need a leader who can stop an emerging culture within the department that has left officers feeling undervalued as they mark the remaining days of their careers with literal “countdown clocks” that can be found throughout the department. With a department that has lost over 1,150 officers over the past eight years while 900 of the remaining 1,800-plus sworn officers are eligible to retire in the next four, we need an elected leader who can get officers to discard the countdown clocks and imagine a new, brighter future within the department that motivates them to stay. Officers who speak with Nathan also get an immediate sense of his purpose: to make the lives of every citizen better. They point out that there seems to be something unique about this man. The board members who officially endorsed him noted several qualities that distinguished him from other candidates. To begin with, he seems at ease with conflict, he actively encourages different points of views, and he understands that a leader cannot solve problems they don’t know about. A philosophy of encouraging dialogue and openness among co-workers would have served this city well over the past decade. Nathan embraces this mindset—but he also knows there is a time when analysis has to stop and a course of action must be implemented. Our members believe Nathan will not only be decisive, but that he will make decisions that are reflective of the city’s needs as a whole and won’t solely benefit big donors or special interests groups. In conclusion, members of the SDPOA believe our city remains divided. Our future—while filled with unlimited potential—remains in jeopardy unless we can finish correcting the problems of our past and seize the opportunities that will restore San Diego as “American’s Finest City.” We need a leader who will unite a city tired of division, who will challenge us to put forth our best efforts, and who will remain committed to building a city that every citizen will be proud to call home.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 17:54:40 +0000
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