District 8 - Diane Cibrian
Another case of garbage disposal service trauma.
The cornerstone of Cibrian’s campaign has been providing tax relief by cutting the city’s property tax rate. She said it would be possible to do this without cutting services because the city’s tax base has grown exponentially.”
The city of San Antonio needs to accept less money for more services,” Cibrian said. “Just the way they made us accept it with the new garbage service.”
She said that if the city increased its budget by 8 percent last year and still put $15 million in financial reserves, then it can afford relief for families. She hasn’t said how much the rate should be cut because she wants to consult with the city manager and staff.
“Development has caused revenues to rise exponentially, and we can lower the rate without affecting any services.”
Not surprising since Cibrian seems to get her major public policy initiatives from Roddy Stinson’s columns. Her latest mail campaign flier quotes most of Stinson’s Tax Capital column. Yet even with her amazingly original property tax reduction promise, she supports
Diane Cibrian for City Council
- Tax Relief
- Traffic Management and Street Repairs
- The Bob Ross Senior Multi-Services and Health Center
- Senior Citizen Initiatives
- Economic Development
- The Symphony, UTSA, University of Texas Health Science Center
- Firefighters and Police
- City Services Providers
- UTSA Scholarships
- Library projects
- Water Quality Initiatives
- Parks and public facilities for youth activities
So where will the money come from? The bit about “she hasn’t said how much the rate should be cut because she wants to consult with the city manager and staff” has got to be one of the oldest political cop-outs of all time. She knows that we can reduce taxes but she just can’t tell us how without consulting the experts. I’m sorry, isn’t she a JFK school graduate and public policy accountant? She doesn’t know how to read a budget or submit a request for information so that she can make a decision?
But she apparently aced the campaign finance classes.
San Antonio Current - The Queque
However, Stribling was out-fundraised by Diane Cibrian, whose performance in Sunday’s KLRN candidate forum (sponsored by the League of Women Voters) convinced us that she’s simultaneously a Hardberger-Scully yes-woman and an anti-red-light-camera nut. Her campaign-finance report suggests she’s backed by District 8’s disposable-income-advantaged class: She raised $31,323, with hardly a contribution under $400.
What I want to know is which pitch gets her the money? The “I’m going to lower taxes promise” or the “I’m going to invest in San Antonio’s quality of life” approach?
For some reason, I expected more from a JFK grad. I thought she might have real proposed solutions to our city’s many problems. One of those major problems is that we are a poor city. Therefore, our tax burden will be higher. Why? Think about owning a car. It doesn’t matter how much money you make, you’re going to have a pay a basic amount for that car simply because it’s a car–the analogy for those who don’t get it is city services. Say the car is $10,000. That means that if you only make $40,000, you have to spend 25% of your income to buy a basic car. Now if you make $100,000, you only have to spend 10% of your income for the same car.
The fact of the matter is that you can’t reduce city expenditures below a certain point and still call it a city. We can argue over what the minimum amount of services are required but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t include many of the “extras” on Cibrian’s supported items. So why in the world are people giving her money?
Technorati Tags: San Antonio, District 8, elections, Jacob Dell, Bert Cecconi, Gloria Sanchez, Diane Cibrian, Morris Stribling, Mario Obledo
Filed under: Bert Cecconi, Diane Cibrian, District 8, Elections, Gloria Sanchez, Jacob Dell, Mario Obledo, Morris Stribling, San Antonio
District 8 - Diane Cibrian…
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She isn’t a “JFK school graduate”. Check their alumni website. All she did was go to a seminar there and thats why she says she is a Harvard JFK school “fellow”. She has no college degree whatsoever.
John Kimbrough is Jacob Dell’s campaign treasurer. Jacob Dell is Diane Cibrian’s opponent. Kimbrough is not telling the truth and should stop taking down Diane Cibrian’s yard signs before he gets caught by the police!
If what I said isn’t true Miss Cleo, then prove it by answering one question: Why can’t Cibrian be found in the Harvard JFK school alumni database?
It’s always nice to see meaningful discourse between the candidates and their advocates–too bad it’s not happening here. Cibrian never said she was a graduate, just a fellow. I made the assumption that she was a graduate. JFK probably offers a short-term fellowship for mid-career public policy workers. It also offers two “free ride” fellowships that result in a degree. It looks like Cibrian was accepted as a fellow because of her wide range of public policy experience even though it doesn’t look like she completed her undergraduate degree. Even Harvard recognizes that learning and experience outside the classroom can more than make up for a degree.
Having an advanced degree myself, I can see where real experience would outweigh any piece of paper. My problem with Cibrian is that she does have all of this public policy experience and has served extensively in San Antonio government. Yet she is unable to say where she would make her proposed 10% in cuts. Why bother electing someone with all that experience if she can’t tell us how she’s going to cut taxes and support all the areas she claims she wants to support. I know it’s naive on my part but I think a sign of leadership is being able to say “you can’t have it all.” I would love to see the rules she sets for her daughter. But apparently enough people believe it since they keep giving her campaign money.
As for Dell, would he care to explain how his 85% rule will actually work? I notice no one leaping to comment on my post about the limitations of his political thinking.
Yard signs? Give me a break. If yard signs are truly the critical factor in getting elected, we’re in worst shape than I thought. I would think the only value to yard signs is when they’re actually posted in a person’s yard which allow neighbors to ask the supporter about the candidate. Given the number of yard signs I see posted on corners and vacant lots, why not just give people who request signs five or more and then if they’re stolen, they can easily replace them? There certainly seem to be plenty to spare.
Since today is the last day of early voting, I’m off to vote. In case you’re wondering, I’m not voting for Cibrian or Dell.
More to come for John Kimbrough. How politically immature of him to unnecesarily lie about Diane Cibrian. As usual Kimbrough doesn’t have his facts straight…you should check out this Kimbrough guy’s background…I would never select him for my campaign treasurer much less hire him. Jacob Dell should dump him now before he does more damage to his campaign. Poor Jacob is going to need every single vote he can get if lightning strikes and he is actually in a run-off…what is the sense in Kimbrough lying about Diane Cibrian? Jacob Dell is 27 years old…you would think he would want to be building friendships not having his treasurer lie about his opponent. Ultimately Jacob Dell is going to be held accountable for the actions of his campaign treasurer, the reckless Kimbrough.
I find it odd that anyone would claim that “experience outweighs any piece of paper.” I am very, very glad that the surgeon who opend up my chest and carved around on my heart had a “piece of paper” that I know he must have worked very hard and learned a great deal to obtain. I would not want to be an astronaut getting on a rocket ship designed and built by an engineer without a “piece of paper.” I am not too encouraged to know that the future of the City of San Antonio rests on the decisions made by persons without a “piece of paper.” Come on, now.