Comments so far on this story:

1. Neighborhoods wrote on March 20, 2008 7:46 AM:
"The obvious first place to look to see what a candidate might consider important, once in office, is their donor list. Gloria is supported by all of the big developers and their friends and benficiaries. Whitburn is not. Why is that? Do the developers know both guys and just like Gloria better? I think not. Developers and investors look for a return on their investments. Gloria will help them make more money. Whitburn will benefit and empower the single-residence property owners, renters, and single-business owners in the many neighborhoods of District 3. Malin Burnham and Sandy Shapery and Isabel Dutra can well afford to pay their share. And I'll pay mine. But we'll have Whitburn to try to make sure that the shares are fairly apportioned."

2. Christopher Hall wrote on March 20, 2008 8:31 AM:
"It is prideful that Gloria would say this: 'The community is longing to see someone who is a champion for their causes. They want someone who's going to continue with all these projects. They are passionate about them and they are not going to have a lot of patience for a transition.' // Whitburn and Hartley also want to be a champion for the causes of the public. Also, it is shocking and negligent to say the public isn't going to have a lot of patience for a transition, WHEN INDEED a transition is what they all want! Gloria is saying he'll continue along the same track as the current city council and that is down right mad. // Hmmm...Maybe Gloria thinks the American public has no patience for a transition from Bush-Cheney too..."

3. uptowndem wrote on March 20, 2008 8:41 AM:
"Scott Lewis column would be better if it told us each candidate's source of campaign funds. I see Comment #1 filled us in on where Todd Gloria gets his-developers. So we know here his vote will be if he gets elected."

4. Henry the 4th wrote on March 20, 2008 10:02 AM:
"Whilst dissecting the political culture of this town I'd like to see some discussion of the REAL San Diego, which motivates much of the yucky stuff we see in City Hall. I'm a long time resident yet I'm sad to say that underneath the pretty facade there lurks a narcissistic beast. The awful beating of the young australian tourist at Ocean Beach encapsulates for me the reality of this place, paradise long gone to seed, and populated with thuggish politicians, developers, desperate seekers coping with sticker shock and low sunshine wages. Word on the street is you get an automatic 30% raise if you move to LA or Riverside, where the costs of living are the same or slightly less. But of course you're not in bloody paradise anymore, huh? As for politics, this paradise-survival crowd is really good at one thing: covering each others' backs. Witness the rage atMike."

5. Robert E. Lee wrote on March 20, 2008 10:27 AM:
"Sorry folks, but sometimes I just have to sit back and chuckle at all of this! Oh, well, some things just never change, do they? Sad, really..."

6. Neighborhoods wrote on March 20, 2008 11:35 AM:
"Not sure what Lee finds funny. Or sad. Maybe he'll explain? It is not too funny from out here in the neighborhood. But uptowndem, for a donor list, see link and choose candidate and year and dates. You can see all donors."

7. Neighborhoods wrote on March 20, 2008 11:41 AM:
"A quick glance at Gloria's developer and development corporation donors is totally revealing: There's Mitch Berner, Sunroad lobbyist and hired champion of the Golden Hill Development Corporation, and there's a boardmember of the Golden Hill Development Corporation, Sophie Akins, and there's the mom and dad of the young, malleable, inexperienced, naive, newly hired director of the Golden Hill Development Coporation, Margaret and Russ Downing, and there's James Brown, who just built an ugly monster in South Park, labeled "infill" by the North Park News...come one, come all...Golden Hill and South Park are where money can be made. And if the neighborhood doesn't like it, too bad. We're the big, connected developers, we will decide how we will improve the quality of your life. We own Gloria. Todd, you can disavow them...will you? You admitted you would have voted yes on Kensington Terrace. Any more admissions?"

8. www.robert-lee.org wrote on March 20, 2008 1:04 PM:
"Neighborhoods: Actually, I agree with you 100%. I am one of the other candidates running in District 3, and the (not so) funny aspect I refer to is that things are turning out, yet again, to be the same old business/politics as usual! Some of us would love to clean out the stink from City Hall, but it's one hell of a battle to try to effect change, as a candidate, when special interests commandeer yet another election cycle. You're right, it's not very funny at all, in actuality. Even the writer of this opinion piece does not mention the other candidates running in the D3 race. That's the system for ya..."

9. Larry wrote on March 20, 2008 2:04 PM:
""Even the writer of this opinion piece does not mention the other candidates running in the D3 race. That's the system for ya..." -- He mentioned everyone who has a chance of being elected. I guess he could have titled it "The Tried and True, the Hip and New, the Fighter in You, and who?"

10. Resident wrote on March 20, 2008 3:52 PM:
"Todd is my choice. He is a diligent advocate for the district and has the energy and enthusiasm to represent all residents. Saying he is part if the developer establishment is preposterous...he has always struck me as a fair and just person. If you look at his quotes, he shows that he can be a leader and do what is important for the citizen's that he will represent. He has already shown leadership in his role with U.S. Rep Davis. With his current and past experience, he will be a great councilmember."

11. Christopher Hall wrote on March 20, 2008 4:05 PM:
"Despite the fact that I would not vote for Mr. Lee, he has a valid point I would fight for. It is not like there are so many candidates in San Diego that honest, equal coverage can't be disseminated. And, it is the coverage that creates the fiction/ perception of front runner. For instance, what makes Gloria stand out? Certainly not his ideas or platform, nor is it his capacity for leadership. What makes him stand out are his glossy shoes and that smile that says 'I'll glad hand you today for a favor tomorrow.' Gloria is unexperienced, but as an aide he's learned who to schmooze to be greased into position for a run for office. Then, the media picks out these supplicants as worthy, and after a short run in the press, such candidates are made out to be the mainstream choice."

12. www.robert-lee.org wrote on March 20, 2008 4:19 PM:
"I'll take it then, Larry, that you're content with more of the establishment, status quo? The kind of "business as usual" pols that leave us with billion-dollar deficits all over the place? With the kind of deficits we're running, for example, we should at least have something to show for it, like immaculate, world-class roads; state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology; fire stations, with equipment and staffing that exceed national accreditation standards; overflow police academies bursting at the seams with new recruits, or better yet, no need to even operate a police academy, because veteran, experienced officers from other jurisdictions and departments are just beating down the doors at San Diego Police HQ to get in; pristine beaches that are never, ever closed by sewage spills; and on and on! Sorry, Larry, but we don't even come remotely close to any of that..."

13. Neighborhoods wrote on March 20, 2008 5:41 PM:
"Resident, I respect your preference, but support in the form of "If you look at his quotes,..." isn't very convincing. Quotes aren't going to float my boat; Gloria is full of quotes. I advise you to look at his VOTES, or how he claims he would have voted, and look at his donors, a clear indication of how he will vote. And if you ever called Davis' office and asked for an explicit anwser, say, as to why SHE voted yes on the pro-lobbyist Milk Bill, well, you might have enjoyed the stonewall and non-answer, perhaps provided by the no-answer-is-the-saf young Gloria. If that's leadership, then Davis' aides would indeed fit right in with the present Council."

14. Watcher wrote on March 22, 2008 9:57 AM:
"Todd Gloria and his boss, Congresswoman Susan Davis have lost a lot of credibility over their failure to take on Doug Manchester over his proposed Navy Broadway Complex project. Davis and Gloria have said in multiple forums that they think what Manchester is proposing is wrong for the site, but have sat on their hands instead of taking on "Popa Doug". Davis sits on the House Military Affairs committee and could force the Navy to change the project if she chose to, but she and Gloria have instead chosen to sit on the fence. That will cost Gloria in this election, as the voters know that when push comes to shove, he's wishy-washy."

15. Ed Wigdahl wrote on March 23, 2008 1:51 AM:
"I have a gained a lot of respect for Scott Lewis' ability to shake things up in the world of SD politics. But I worry that he is missing out on a lot when he focuses on only three candidates in the third council district (Gloria; Whitburn; and Hartley). In several articles, he omits the name of Paul Broadway. Like all the others, Paul Broadway obtained the number of signatures of registered voters required to get his name on the ballot, and paid his filing fee. When he is able to schedule around his obligations to his current employer, he attends meetings and forums taking place in the district, just as the other candidates do. When Paul isn't attending to duties on various neighborhood boards he serves on or meetings he attends, he is also walking door-to-door meeting voters."

16. Neighborhoods wrote on March 27, 2008 7:24 AM:
"There will be a debate/candidates' forum among all five candidates in the auditorium of Christ United Presbyterian Church on Monday April 7 at 6:45 pm. The church is located on the corner of 30th Street and Fir (1845 30th/3025 Fir). The forum is sponsored by a local neighborhood group (Golden Hill Neighborhood Association) and is cosponsored by The Big Kitchen. This will be an excellent opportunity to ask, listen, and learn what each candidate has to offer in seeking to represent the people of D3. The moderator, scholar and writer Mike Davis, is a Golden Hill resident. Scott, hope to see you there."

17. Glorias Money wrote on March 31, 2008 2:13 PM:
"I am so relieved that some of you are paying close attention to the money. Gloria also has Jim Sodorick, project manager for McMillan land development, Elliot Feuerstein, a Mira Mesa Shopping mall Developer, LeSar Development Company, Jennifer LeSar, LeSar development Toni Atkins partner, the entire Baldwin family of the Otay lakes tract developments and the list goes on and on and on."