ENCINITAS — As the tourists fill the local beaches and summer rolls by, November seems a long way away. Yet, at least four candidates plan to run for two seats on the City Council dais in this fall’s election.
However, as the deadline for candidacy filing was Aug. 5, someone may throw his or her hat into the race at the last minute.
While the council is in recess until Aug. 18, two current members, Mayor Dan Dalager and Councilwoman Teresa Barth, are already on the campaign trail.
Although, Dalager said most constituents don’t start paying attention to the contest until closer to November, he’s still making his candidacy known. “I’m running again because we’re opening the Hall Property Park in one and a half years,” he said. “We’ve come this close and I’m not going to stop now.”
Dalager concedes that while he may sound one dimensional, the completion of the Hall Property Park is an issue close to his heart. “I was the one who took Bob Hall into the city and introduced him in 1992,” he said.
The city purchased the 43-acre Hall property, located just west of I-5 and south of Santa Fe Drive, in 2001 for $17.2 million. After a public workshop in 2002, the council revised the initial $35 million design to include buffer areas between the site and residential neighborhoods to the west, a teen center and amphitheater.
Plans for the various phased project also include a dog park, baseball and multi-use sports fields, an aquatic center, a basketball court and a skate park. Passive uses would encompass a portion of the park with gardens, picnic areas, trails and a scenic overlook.
“We’re going to get kids out there playing,” Dalager said.
Barth, who is seeking a second term, said several issues facing the council are apparent, including the city’s blueprint for the next 20 years. “The general plan update is the most important thing that we’ve done since incorporation almost 25 years ago,” Barth said.
After attending several community participation meetings on the vision phase of the document, Barth said she was pleased with the level of participation. “I was really happy to hear that the community said ‘we love what we are now, we want to continue to be that in the future but only better,’” she said.
Barth said she continues to be responsive to the community while on the dais. “I’m out there listening to the public and wanting to be their voice at City Council,” she said.
Two challengers have appeared on the political scene in hopes of winning a seat on the five-member council. Leucadian Tony Kranz and Kristin Gaspar, a resident in Encinitas Ranch, both hope to cultivate enough support to overcome the incumbent advantage.
Kranz, a printing account representative, outlined a platform and put together a plan to gain support. Gaspar, the CFO and business manager of Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy, a business she helps her husband Paul run, also is the mother of three young children and an active community volunteer.
Gaspar, the latest to announce her candidacy, said her experience in bringing people with competing objectives together to reach a common goal will serve her well should she capture enough votes to win a seat on the council. “I think listening to people is very important,” she said. “I’m not an expert on everything but I do have a good listening ear and think it’s important to move forward collectively as Encinitas.
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12 comments
Who could seriously compare the careless and preventable loss of a $2,500,000 government grant that would have benefitted every community member, enhanced and improved an emblematic community resource, and attracted out of town money to our local businesses; with the $14,000 that the City Manager and the City Attorney CHOSE TO SPEND in response to Ms. Barth’s complaint? What other place of work could a person with that rcord keep his job!
Kick him out! I’m voting for Tony and Teresa. It’s T & T in 10!!!!
To read the legal opinion concerning Mrs. Barth’s complaint against Stocks and Dalager; please click here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31314583/Attorneys-Report-on-Teresa-Barth-Complaint-Encinitas-City-Council
When will Dan Dalager stop wasting taxpayers Money? The State of California gave the taxpayers of Encinitas a grant for 2.5 Million Dollars to fix/save Beacons beach in the early 2000’s. Great news for Taxpayers-, until Dangerous Dan Dalager gopt involved.
His lack of leadership and procastination resulted in the State of California taking back this 2.5 Million dollar grant to fix Beacons this year during Mayor Dalagers tenure-
The cost of Dalager to taxpayers?
lost 2.5 Million in state funds
Lost appx 200K in taxpayer money spent on studies that are no longer reimburseable
will cost taxpayers appx 2.5 Million dollars in new money to fix beacons
Dan Dalagers Total Cost to taxpayers due to his failed Beacon leadership? appx 5 Million dollars
The value of ‘Dumping Dan’ in the 2010 election and voting for Barth and Krantz-? Priceless
Bonddi,
An independent report by an independent legal group, insisted upon by Mrs. Barth reported that Mrs. Barth’s complaint was without merit, and you claim that this is a ‘white-wash’, this is why Mrs. Barth’s loyalists are never taken seriously and ‘why’ Mrs. Barth is most likely going to lose this election.
Scolding City Staff and falsely accusing peers of harassment are not the actions of a leader.
Luckily, whether one likes Dalager or not, there is a replacement for Mrs. Barth who has exhibited more skills than just whining that will accomplish more hopefully than shutting down city hall for six months because she refused to participate.
Barth proposed that council should create guidelines to professionally address possible council conflicts in the future. The seemingly appropriate and timely proposal was shot down,
3-2.
Barth did release her complaint and the City daylighted the attorney’s response. I read both and find that the city has just whitewashed over the issue, is condoning and ratifying harassment. If the boys were committed to a work environment free of sexual harassment they would have welcomed an investigation. NOOOOOO, that would be too embarrassing to incumbent Dalager. Anybody who is in touch with local politics knows Dalager is a "hands-on" manager. Good for Barth to stand up and call foul.
Great roundup of the Dalager facts that don’t get nearly enough public exposure. Dumping Dan is the message of importance. Of equal importance is the retention of our most independent voice on the council, Barth. I believe she has attended every single community event related to the General Plan and much, much more. She is the only council member who asks questions on behalf of the community rather than to hear her own voice. Gaspar’s very two dimensional campaign can’t begin to compare to Tony Kranz’ deep commitment to this community.
Dalager directed Park & Rec to send out a CCP General Plan change on 44 acres at Hall Park saying that the Planning Commission approved the Hall EIR. Not true. Then he directed them to change the document on the city web site. For a couple of hours it stated, "…approved by the planning commission and/or the city council." Now it has been changed to say that it was approved by council only. (3-2). Then he had P&R change the project description and added tennis courts, for a while. Then basketball courts replaced tennis courts. Dan’s special use park has no room for tennis or basketball, check out the map.
This is dishonest and not actions of a political candidate
worthy of our vote.
I agree with the last two comments. We all would be enjoying our community park now if Dalager had listened to the the citizens and built the park. Now we have spent many millions and have nothing. He doesn’t care what the community wants or how much they have to pay, he wants his special interest Regional Sports Park. He does not care that his plan goes against 40% of the goals of the entire community, as stated in the Community Vision Statments.
Save our community. Dump Dalager.
When will Dangerous Dan Dalager stop wasting Taxpayer Money? Because of his failed leadership and reckless spending taxpayers have spent 17M interest payments of appx 13M= totalling more than 40m dollars dollars for a park they can’t use! The property is as vacant today as it was nine years ago when Dalager sought office. Vacant, empty. Who buys a house for 40M and waits 9 years to move in? Who buys a car for 40M and waits nine years to drive it? How long does it take to build ball fields? Why has Dalager wasted 40M dollars of our taxpayers money?
As Dalager promoted the sale for his friend Hall, and as the city purchased the property without an Environmental Inspection, Dalager is complicit in the following costs to taxpayers-
1.Concerned taxpayers worried about families being injured by carcinogenics (often found in Nursery Pesticides-go figure) filed a suit that the city perform an EIR.(park delayed because of Dalager)
2. The judge ruled in favor of the taxpayers, forcing the city to perform an EIR.
3. The EIR showed carcinogenics.
5. The state mandated that the City provide a plan to the state of how they would treat/resolve these carcinogenics during construction.
(without this EIR, Taxpayers and Taxpayers children could have been exposed to known cancer causing-birth defects It is a fact, read the EIR, What Dalger has said is a frivolous lawsuit was actually won by the taxpayers who sued the City. the report notes that the State of California must ‘file a plan’.
6. Dalagers opposition to performing an EIR, and his reckless disregard for the safety of taxpayers and taxpayers kids, cost taxpayers another estimated 1M in legal fee’s and the 40M dollar park remained vacant.
7. The Planning Commission in 2008 rejected the Dalager proposed plan, and provided alternatives acceptable to all members of the community, Dalager estiamtes in yoir article that it will take 1.5 years to build the park. This means had Dalager approved the Planning Commission plan proposed in 2008, kids and families would be enjoying the park right now, in the summer of 2010, not the summer of 2012.
8. Dalager then needed approval from the coastal commission for his park. Dalager was suppose to head the City delgation to the Coastal Commission. However, Dalager hijacked 25K of taxpayer money to hire a high priced lobbyist named Susan Mcabe to ‘spoon feed’ the Coastal Commission, If Dalager is such a great leader, why does he need to hire a special interest lobbyist at more expense to taxpayers? And if he is hiring a special interest lobbyist, who’s special interest is she lobbying for- Dalgers?
Dalager says we are going to get kids playing out there- Kids should have, and could have, been playing on that Hall Property in 2004!
Dangerous Dan Dalager has wasted enough of taxpayers money. During his 2006 campaign he said he looked forward to completing the park- well not only is the park not done, it remains a vacant field and has cost taxpayers 40M dollars for dirt!
About the dog park, at a City Council meeting in 2010 dog owners asked City Council to expand off leash hours at current parks. Dalager told them the Hall Property would have a dog run, and then had the audacity to ask taxpaying dog owners to have a fund raiser to build the dog park- yes, it is true. If you are a dog owning taxpayer, Dalager wants to take your money to build his park, and then wants you to ‘raise money’ to build a dog park.
Now Dalger is seeking ammendments to every single protection the City General Plan provides to protect the property values of home owners and taxpayers to put in 90ft stadium lighting at ‘his park’. Dalager wants ammedments to exceed height, and change community charachter which could significantly lower the property values of taxpayers who rely on the General Plan statues to protect their Property rights. The ‘Light’ issue is shaping up to look like it is headed to court- meaning Dalager will spend more taxpayer money on Attorneys, Lobbyists, and delay until potentially 2013 the opening of the Park! Why is Dalager willing to risk taxpayers property values by seeking so many General Plan Amendmants?
Dalager and his high priced lobbyists and special interests must be stopped. If you want a park built in 2011, vote for Barth and Krantz! After 8 years in office and spending 40M Dollars on a park with nothing to show for it, throw Dangerous Dan Dalager out of office!
Concerning the Hall Special Use Park:
"After a public workshop in 2002, the council revised the initial $35 million design…" and ignored the community’s wishes and changed a Community Park into a Special Use Regional Tourney Park that Organized Leagues play for free and the rest of the citizens pay, even though they will probably not be able to reserve a field.
Dalager’s Park if for 10% of the community.
And there are no tennis courts or basketball courts, check the map.they were rejected by Dalager.
This is not what the community wanted.
The Planning Department rejected the plan, a city funded survey documented this is not what the community wants.
The park would have been built now, if Dalager had listened to the community.
We need a candidate that represents the majority, not special interests.
Barth and Krantz will offer that.
Ask Mrs. Barth to post both her harassment claim against Dalager and Stocks along with the Investigating Attorney’s $14,000 exoneration of her peers up on her candidate’s website so the world can read it.
The public deserves to know the truth about Barth.
It will tell voters all they need to know.
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