Sanders chats at the ‘fireside’: Chapter 1: That ain’t no fire! (But thanks for the champagne)
So, I went down to the Marriott on Harbor Boulevard last night to see what Mayor Jerry Sanders would say to a room full of San Diego business-folk. It was the Chamber of Commerce’s “Fireside Chat” with the mayor. Mainly, I wanted to see if Sanders would inch any closer to uttering the words “taxes” or “increase revenues” in sentences that don’t include negative verbs.
Thus far, he’s said only that San Diegans don’t trust their city government with their money, what with the employee pension debacle and all, so he would not advocate for higher taxes. But even after cutting nearly $40 million from its current-year budget last week, the city is a projected $54 million short for next year’s budget, and the state may still swoop down on the cities and counties and raid their piggy banks, so the pressure to increase revenue will only mount.
I’ll post new chapters on the mayor’s talk throughout the day, as time allows, but for now, Chapter 1:
Could the chamber not find a real fireplace anywhere in San Diego? Set up along one wall of the San Diego Ballroom at the Marriott was a riser supporting a podium for Sanders’ introducer, a comfy-looking chair and a side table and a flat-screen TV! That was the “fire”—a television with a looping image of a fireplace. At least they piped the crackling sound through the P.A., which was nice, I guess, but I wanted the smell of burning wood, dammit! And what was with the complimentary champagne? What were we celebrating? The collapsing economy? I shouldn’t complain. I partook of the champagne, as well as the burrito buffet. Nothing goes better together than champagne and burritos, right?
End Chapter 1.
