Our local warriors come in different shapes and modes -- from the programmed-android Carl DeMaio... to the sybarite Doug Manchester... to the changeling-striver Nathan Fletcher... to the overweening Jan Goldsmith... to the Brutus-clone Todd Gloria (why he'd identify with James Mason instead of Marlon Brando is beyond me). They're panting hard at the prospect of unseating the obstinate Bob Filner, on whose head the crown currently rests.
It's not even springtime past the 2012 November election but the word is trickling out that 2014 (just around the corner) is the year of choice for a pitched battle to recall Mayor Filner
and replace him with one of the above-named self-styled gladiators.
Knock on wood we'll be lucky enough to avoid the spectacle of a DeMaio /Manchester rerun. But there may be no amount of wishful thinking that can spare us from a Nathan Fletcher /Jan Goldsmith /Todd Gloria trifecta to see which one can mark the most hydrants and prematurely become San Diego's replacement top dog. So far, the only thing Mayor Filner has done to incite this testosterone frenzy is to do exactly what he said he'd do throughout his campaign. He isn't backing off. He hasn't changed his style. He has the same ear-to-ear smile. He's making good on his promises. He still annoys his foe (even friends) by not worshiping at the coercive altar of civility. Since he took office a couple of months ago he's been predictable, consistent, vocal, visible, and up-front.
He has the nerve to identify himself as the mayor of San Diego and behave as if he were.
The big-shots in town are crying foul. They're sputtering: how dare he do what he said he'd do once the voters of San Diego elected him mayor? It's grounds for impeachment! And if impeachment doesn't apply to a mayor? they'll settle for regicide via recall. The poisoned slings and arrows are already whizzing through the air.
In the next few weeks we'll do our best to duck for cover and try to demystify the issues, the acronyms (TOT, NBC, BID, TMD), and the coveted rewards over which San Diego's gentlemen-generals have declared war on the mayor.
What you always wanted to know…
