Barbara Bry was right about motorized scooters

Goading Gloria

Why Barbara Bry deserves to be mayor of San Diego: mayoral candidate Barbara Bry in being more centrist than her opponent Todd Gloria is better positioned to work with all political factions in San Diego (“The Inzunza principle," News Under the Radar, September 16). She is a candidate without prejudice, a brilliant mind, competent, honest and hardworking. San Diego needs a mayor who is not a career politician.

Several years ago, San Diego was besieged by the insanity of so-called alternative transportation, motorized scooters that proved deadly with untold fatalities and horrible personal injury. Used as toys by mostly thirty-year-old boys, these scooters were in part the mastermind of Todd Gloria. Mr. Gloria using a poor historical analogy, went on record as comparing the recalcitrance to the automobile one hundred twenty years ago to that of scooters today. It was Barbara Bry who voiced early community concern of scooters and their safety. This is the kind of judgement we need in San Diego.

In 2018 during the San Diego city council race in District Two, it was Gloria again who brought to prominence another member of the LGBT community, Jen Campbell. Campbell is under recall consideration for duping the voters on multiple issues. Quite frankly, State Assemblyman Gloria has trust and judgment issues. On the Ash Street fiasco housing an asbestos contaminated building formally the home of San Diego Gas and Electric, what did Gloria know and when did he know it? Personally, as someone holding a degree in real estate, I would think that Gloria ought to have at least considered the age and concomitant construction of a building commanding such an expensive lease. Again, Mr. Gloria plainly exercised poor judgement.

But finally, here is what the voters ought to know and take to heart. Having attended hundreds of Democratic Club meetings throughout the years, in all my interaction with Mr. Gloria never once did he make me feel worthy, accepted and honorable. He left me feeling as if a second-class citizen. My family were God-fearing salt-of-the-earth Democrats from the Midwest and I resent being looked down upon. San Diego ought to be welcoming to everyone. We are one humanity, one city with one common public good and for that reason, I urge a vote for Barbara Bry as next mayor of San Diego.

• Daniel Smiechowski
• Bay Ho