Mayor-Elect Kevin Faulconer is now focused on the challenges of taking office next month, as San Diego’s fourth Republican mayor since 1992 following a turbulent nine-month reign of a single Democrat.
Faulconer is ticketed to serve until December, 2016, when the remainder of Bob Filner’s term is up.
On Friday, Faulconer introduced a "transition advisory committee" – nearly three dozen volunteers who include two prominent Democrats.
In an interview recorded for Sunday‘s edition of “Politically Speaking,” Faulconer said he's intent on delivering just what he promised during his campaign – straightforward, reform-minded governance, a solid financial footing, and outreach across the partisan aisle on the City Council.
“Working with all of my colleagues, that’s the style I’m going to set as the next mayor of this city,” he said.
Faulconer admitted to being "a little surprised" at his 9-point victory margin over Democrat David Alvarez, his Council colleague since late 2010, whose financial backers outspent Faulconer's by a million dollars,
“But I knew we were working hard,” he added. “We have a real opportunity to get this city coming back together. We’ve already started to do that.”
When Faulconer vacates his 2nd District seat on the Council, there's a possibility that the five Democrats will appoint someone from their party to fill it until his term expires in December – giving them a super-majority that could overturn mayoral vetoes.,
Faulconer is known to have a good rapport with Council President Todd Gloria, the Democrat who's been interim mayor since Filner’s departure August 30th.
Gloria returns to full-time Council duty next month, already basking in praise for his efforts to stabilize municipal government.
But besides opposing Faulconer on June ballot issues involving Barrio Logan rezoning, a hike in developer housing fees and a proposed minimum wage hike, Gloria has spoken of about revisiting aspects of the private-versus-public sector “managed competition” process for city services -- which Faulconer wants to ramp up.
His take on that?
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"I think there's more agreement than some folks might think,” Faulconer said. “And you can always look at a program and make tweaks to it. But at the same time -- I was talking to Todd just this week -- he knows what an incredibly important portion of saving money managed competition is."
The two well-known Democrats among Faulconer’s transition advisers: former Council president Tony Young, CEO of the local Red Cross Chapter, and former councilman Michael Zucchet, general manager of the San Diego Municipal Employees Assn.
