Dig Deeper Texas

Tomorrow is election day and given the low expected voter turnout, I should encourage everyone to go out and vote. But if you’re going to vote on feel good promises, please don’t bother.

MySA.com: Metro | State

As San Antonio continues to explode outward, most people agree that there are millions, if not billions, of dollars in unmet needs arising out of the growing number of people in our town.

That doesn’t mean San Antonians are ready for higher taxes. It does mean people seem to realize that the city has too many needs to lower the tax rate just now.

Except Diane Cibrian. A candidate for City Council on the city’s Northwest Side, she says taxes are too high — even as she concedes the number of unmet needs all over the city.

In a meeting the other day with the Express-News editorial board (of which I am not a member, though I was allowed to listen in), Cibrian acknowledged that the explosive growth of District 8 and the city as a whole creates all sorts of new infrastructure challenges. But she said everybody she talks to wants lower taxes.

“I think, most importantly, the issue is we need leadership for tax relief,” Cibrian said.

A few moments later: “Folks want leadership for tax relief.”

So “everybody she talks to wants lower taxes.” I bet if she asked, everybody would have said they would like to win the lottery as well. I’m also pretty sure she would have found everyone in favor of receiving $100 a month for just living in San Antonio.

I’m sorry, the more campaign literature I get in the mail from Cibrian, the more she annoys me. Think of it this way: a big company is looking for a new ceo. Say one of the candidates canvassed all the employees from the company to find out what is really needed and has concluded that the employees are looking for leadership on giving them pay raises. This may or may not be a good idea depending on the situation. But would you hire the person if she couldn’t tell you how she was going to pay for all the salary increases? Come on–she’s just talked to all the employees, she must have some idea?

Cibrian admits that there are a “number of unmet needs all over the city.” Yet her campaign flier talks abut “free-spending politicians” and pet projects and “eliminating waste and “duplication of services.” How about some examples? Jeez, she could at least point to some Roddy Stinson columns if nothing else.

But she doesn’t. And for someone who apparently is so certain she can cut taxes while supporting the following, I expect her to name at least one program she would cut.

Diane Cibrian for City Council

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

Frankly, it bothers me more coming from her than Jacob Dell since Cibrian apparently has the experience to know better. If she’s been as involved with the community as her campaign materials maintain (and her campaign fund-raising indicates), then she should either be naming program cuts left and right or not making empty promises. What can I say, I am a graduate of a Public Affairs school and I actually believe that politicians should be responsible leaders, not simply opportunistic politicians.

BTW, I just finished reading Lee Iacocca’s book Where Have All the Leaders Gone? I don’t agree with everything he says in the book but his 9 c’s of leadership are worth reading. You can read an excerpt at Borders.

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