Two of the four candidates for Escondido Mayor said that “special interests” have undue influence in Escondido and that they could return control to residents. The two visited with members of the Escondido Chamber of Citizens (ECOC) June 14. The candidates were asked a series of questions on issues important to ECOC and to city residents.

Candidates Joe Bologna and Tom D’Agosta participated. According to ECOC President Lisa Prazeau, Sam Abed did not respond to the ECOC invitation and Dick Daniels sent his regrets, blaming a schedule conflict.

The candidates met with about 20 ECOC members and invited friends on the patio behind a private home in the Old Escondido area. Council member Olga Diaz and Council candidate Richard Barron attended.

Joe Bologna

Joe Bologna

First to appear was Joe Bologna, a new face on the local political scene. Bologna said he has lived in the city since 1981 and has been involved in several businesses during that time. He said he is currently employed as a dealer at a casino in Northern San Diego County.  He said he started watching city government actions carefully in 2007, and has been attending Council meetings this year.

Bologna said he is running for Mayor because “at this point in my life I feel the call is there for me to do more. I want what’s best for this city.” He said Escondido needs a “positive direction” and that his leadership can renew the city.

“I believe there’s a lot of ties to special interests” in Escondido, Bologna told the group. He said the proposed Marriott hotel deal “doesn’t sound right to me.” He went on to say he is not opposed to a luxury hotel  downtown, “but let the developer pay for it.”

Bologna said “the deficit budget is troubling to me” and that he “would not vote for anything less than a balanced budget.” He said he thinks there is still room to cut the city budget to bring it into balance.

He said he supports Proposition S, which requires a vote before changing zoning for new development. When asked about Proposition K, which controls rents in mobile home parks, it was less clear whether he supported the measure. He did say it was “important to protect residents” from rent increases. He supports retaining city code enforcement officers for mobile home parks.

Bologna seemed to have studied the city’s wastewater issues, and said there is a “need to focus” on how to upgrade the Hale Avenue Recovery Facility. He mentioned creating lakes, as Santee has done, to store surface runoff, or exploring other options. But, he emphasized, “to not do anything makes no sense.”

In response to a question about the mix of housing Escondido should try to develop, Bologna said the city needed to be careful about creating low-cost housing that locked residents into low-income status.

He admitted that he was new to this and that he had a lot to learn.  He believed he had a common sense approach.

Tom D’Agosta

Tom D'Agosta

Next was Tom D’Agosta, a former city council member (2000-2004) who was born and raised in Escondido. He received an enthusiastic introduction from Diaz, who described him as a father figure to her, even though they disagree on many issues.

He opened by saying “we’ve got to break the hold that special interests have on this town. I think they’re trying to jam everything through that they can” before the election. He described his previous efforts to bring a hotel to the city and the inconsistent treatment developers received from city officials. He said most developers were told they could not have any city subsidy, but as the current developer progressed in his negotiations, a city subsidy was placed on the table, and gradually increased. He opposes the hotel deal in its current form. “I don’t mind priming the pump, but I want my money back,” referring to developments producing future income to defray initial city costs.

D’Agosta seemed to be a known quantity to the ECOC members, and the questioning process was much speedier.

He said Proposition S “is a must.” He supports Proposition K. When asked about how the city should allocate areas for “smart growth,” his answer dealt with apartments approved years ago that are problem areas today. “We’re not very good stewards of apartments,” he said, “we have the worst reputation.”

Both candidates agreed that Rancho Guejito would be better left undeveloped, but both said that was unlikely to happen. D’Agosta noted that the property owners are reportedly drilling many wells on the property, and he wondered why. “I wouldn’t want it to be annexed to the city,” he said.