Former Chula Vista Mayor Tim Nader had no idea what he was starting! Nader was elected 20 years ago during a critical time in Chula Vista's history. A member of Mayor Gail McCandless' reform coalition, Nader was elected after McCandless' tragic and untimely death.
Instead of accepting a $500 monthly raise that had been approved by the City Council, Nader used these funds to hire a staff person to assist him in answering constituent mail from a computer in his own home near City Hall.
Nader knew the city was facing difficult challenges. He was committed to reform, and knew that strong leaders lead by example.
Many things have changed in Chula Vista for the better over the past 20 years, but some things are eerily similar.
Again today, our city is faced with significant challenges – this time a $10.3 million budget deficit – is badly in need of reform, and the public is again looking to City Hall for the strength of character to lead by example.
And some things have changed much more than they ever should have changed.
From that $500 stipend that Mayor Nader paid a staff person from his pocket to help answer his mail, to today when the mayor and council department budget has ballooned to $1.4 million, and despite the current budget crisis, is slated to rise to $1.5 million for fiscal year 2009. Personal staff budgets for council members stand at $160,368, and the mayor's personal staff budget at $693,431 is scheduled to rise to $775,519 next year.
An expensive temporary position created by the previous mayor to support his work on the California Coastal Commission – a so-called coastal adviser – has been retained by the current mayor and seems to have become permanent, budgeted for $106,229.
Today, Chula Vista's mayor has a personal staff of 4.2 appointees, larger than the staff of any mayor in the county, excepting San Diego.
As for salaries and benefits, Chula Vista's mayor has the highest salary in the region at $170,648 annually plus a $12,000 annual “car allowance.” City Council members receive a salary of $75,510, a single staff member with a budget of $58,509 and a car allowance of $6,600.
It's time for a change.
This spending is of concern for another reason. The large number of patronage positions has created an imbalance and concentration of power in the Mayor's Office that is inconsistent with our city's charter. This concentration of power is a major source of the growing divisiveness and distrust in our city, especially between the mayor and the residents and community groups she is elected to represent.
We have proposed significant cuts to the mayoral and City Council department budget. Our proposal would cut every elected official's personnel and expense budget, but also seeks to restore the equity our charter envisioned between the mayor and council by making the mayor's staff budget only twice as large as each council member's – instead of the current four times. Not surprisingly, our proposal has been tabled until April 15 (ironically, tax deadline day).
If you believe that the mayor and council should demonstrate the strong character needed to lead by example, and that a mayoral staff budget twice the size of each existing council member's is adequate and sufficient, then you should speak out now or our proposal is likely to be referred and filed again (this time, to the “round file”).
Please contact the mayor and council members to express your views on this issue, and attend the budget workshop on April 15 to see that the public interest is served.
Ramirez and Castaneda are members of the Chula Vista City Council.
