City of Santee

Measure Q Initiative from the People - Majority Approval Required

Arguments in support or opposition of the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors.

ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE Q

YES on Q to SaveSantee.com

Vote YES to establish a Limit of 3 Terms on the Santee City Council.

Don't be confused by career politicians' competing measure that would add 2 additional terms for the Mayor, setting up a potential 20-year career on city council.

Our citizens Initiative is a compromise of three 4-year terms from the politicians desire to further water down citizen proposed limits to their power.

In comparison, Term limits in San Diego and at the Board of Supervisors are two 4-year terms. Our Initiative grants a third term to take advantage of experience while limiting the ability to entrench corrosive special interest relationships.

Politicians are likely hoping that confusion about the competing term limits measures allows both term limit measures to fail so their power of incumbency prevails.

The key to a well run city is not an entrenched city council. It is a quality city manager and city staff overseen by competent citizens serving limited terms in the public interest.

Politicians who spend too much time in office stop representing us. Their focus skews toward themselves and their special interest contributors.

Term Limits:

• Help ensure the voice of the people will be heard over special interests contributions.
• Allow new faces with fresh ideas and energy to serve our community.
• Help reduce career politicians overwhelming campaign advantages.

High name recognition - regulatory power - special interest contributions - all tip the scales against start-up candidates.

YES on Q:

- limits the power of incumbent career politicians.

- limits politicians to three terms as either Mayor or City Councilmember (or any combination thereof).

Join thousands of your petitioning neighbors to establish a simple limit of 3 terms on the Santee City Council.

STEPHEN HOULAHAN
Santee City Councilman

VAN COLLINSWORTH
Geographer /Director, PreserveWildSantee.org

https://www.cityofsanteeca.gov/home/showdocument?id=20430

Arguments in support or opposition of the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors.

ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE Q

The Santee Term Limits Committee requests you vote NO on measure Q. 

To institute term limits that are legally binding and beneficial to our community we urge you to vote YES on R, and NO on Q! 

Measure R was instituted to propose legal, common sense term limits.

Santee is a small town that shares a boundary with a large metropolis. We need experienced Councilmembers who have the contacts necessary to effectively work within the county in the best interest of our citizens. This initiative will severely cripple the experience of our City government by limiting your choices at the ballot box.

"Q" directs a three-term limit indiscriminate of position or the length of the term. Whether serving as Mayor or Council, just three terms. Any partial term of any length would be counted as a full term. This could result in a member being unqualified to serve in just over 6 years. This is an issue because this limits experience in the Council. An inexperienced Council can and will be taken advantage of by special interest groups and PACs.

Would we ever see a Mayor elected that is not on his "lame duck" last election cycle?

Knowing this, PACs and other special interests become increasingly powerful with prospective candidates. Your future Council will be made up of members who owe PACs favors.

No matter how effective a Councilmember, a termed-out Councilmember can never run for office in Santee again.

The initiative attempts to "pre-date" the legally effective date, which will likely result in court challenges.

This is an attempt by a special interest PAC serving a minority of the people to gain leverage over a well informed and experienced Council.

This poorly written initiative was hastily produced by a Special Interest Group and deceived voters when collecting signatures.

/signed/ 

ROB McNELIS
Councilman

RANDY VOEPEL
Former Santee Mayor

JONATHAN OLSEN

LYNDA MARROKAL
Community Historian

https://www.cityofsanteeca.gov/home/showdocument?id=20432

Arguments in support or opposition of the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors.

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE Q

Measure Q is Questionable.

Petitioned using a Questionable mantra that it will fix traffic; it will not fix traffic; it will do just the opposite.

The special interest authors of Q are looking for an inexperienced council that they can manipulate and take advantage of for their Questionable special interests.

It's Questionable that this special interest would attempt to pre-date the effective start date; which may cost the city thousands in legal fees.

It's Questionable that this special interest would attempt to subvert or minimize a past election.

Measure R corrects the mistakes of Q and makes sure we have the turnover in council for fresh and innovative ideas while also protecting the experience we need to represent our community in the large metropolitan San Diego area.

Vote NO on Questionable Q and YES on the Right choice of Measure "R".

/signed/ 

DAVID LEONHARDI
President, Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego

DANIEL BICKFORD
Senior Advocate

JUSTIN SCHLAEFLI
Chair, Santee General Plan Committee

MIKE CLINKENBEARD
Treasurer, Santee Chamber of Commerce

LYNDA MARROKAL
Community Historian

https://www.cityofsanteeca.gov/home/showdocument?id=20438

Arguments in support or opposition of the proposed laws are the opinions of the authors

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE Q

Join thousands of Santee residents who petitioned for a straightforward limit of three 4-year terms by voting YES on Q.

Our political system has been corrupted by special interest monetary contributions. Term Limits are one way for citizens to begin to restore the checks and balances required for healthy democracy.

The Santee City Attorney acknowledges:

• Currently terms are unlimited.
• If Q passes, no person could serve beyond 12 years = three four-year terms on the City Council.
• Yes on Q limits terms beginning with the election November 3, 2020.
• A competing measure was placed on the ballot by the City Council.

YES on Q breaks the lifetime incumbent stranglehold on City Hall and return the keys of government to its rightful owners: the ordinary, hard-working, taxpaying citizens of Santee.

Vote Yes on Q to SaveSantee.com

/signed/

VAN COLLINSWORTH
Geographer/Director PreserveWildSantee.org

SAMM HURST
Health Scientist/UCSD
City Council Candidate

STEPHEN HOULAHAN, RN
Santee City Councilman

https://www.cityofsanteeca.gov/home/showdocument?id=20440