What makes San Diego’s newest Mayor, Bob Filner tick? He’s not the typical senior citizen for sure. He’s not that typical “laid back dude from SOCAL” which New Yorkers love to hate. What Mr. Filner is for sure is passionate, wearing his emotions on his sleeves, cuffs, and elbows. I am telling you that he takes on a path and tenaciously follows it until he arrives. For example, did you know he spent two months in jail for disturbing the peace? One could write that off as just youthful naivety, but I sense it was more a matter of principals at work for Bob back in the day. The question remains, “are those principals mislaid?”
So what has San Diego gotten itself into with the election of this Democratic Congressman who after spending 19 years in Congress decided it was time to get back to the finest city in America?
Obviously San Diego has someone at the helm who wants to effect change. Filner is a guy who won’t take a back seat just to watch the flow go downstream, hoping for a decent position when the currents calm.
This Examiner is one who finds the Filner parade quite interesting and is looking forward to the next several years and as of this early posting, I’m thinking things might not be all that bad after all.
Filner is a man of large complexity. He has many layers to be sure. He took his high school lessons out of Queens, N.Y. and went on to a B.A. from Cornell University, then an M.A. from the University of Delaware and didn’t stop until finishing up with his Ph.D. from Cornell University. He then joined the faculty at San Diego State University, where he taught our youth from 1970-1992. While working as an SDSU Professor of History he also found time for work as a staffer for United States Senator Hubert H. Humphrey; a staffer for United States Representative Donald M. Fraser. He seemed a little unchallenged by these tasks and so he found a gig on San Diego’s City Council as Councilman. Did I mention his service as San Diego City School’s Board as President?
So his many layers include a high school graduate; his chemistry degree from Cornell; A Masters from the U of Del and flavored to taste with a Ph.D. in history (of science) from Cornell? Time in political endeavors are aplenty for sure and he’s managed to put his good senses to work in the best place to live in all of this country.
The biggest problem for Filner as one San Diegan stated, “...is his Jack Nicholson’s Joker look worn to perfection by Filner.” That aside, it is clear that our Federal Government isn’t a well greased machine, chugging along the tracks of prosperity and I hope our City Government doesn’t emulate the Feds for too long. But, hear ye, hear ye... Mr. Mayor is not going to be a passive push over for business as usual politics for sure. I believe it is clear he wants a voice in all things politic and he believes he’s the man to get the job done.
I hope to chronicle Bob Filner’s ride through the halls of City Government for the next four years and I do hope all the kids can get along well enough to get a future San Diego on a vital footing with big dreams realized for us all.
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