Mayoral candidates face off in forum

By: DAVID FRIED - Staff Writer | Thursday, September 28, 2006 11:10 PM PDT ∞

ESCONDIDO ---- One asked the community to consider his lifelong roots in the city. The other stressed her experience leading City Hall for nearly a decade.

And although the candidates for mayor of Escondido agreed on some basic issues, they differed on development and how the city should conduct its business.

In their first public forum of the election season, former Councilman Tom D'Agosta and Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler took questions from the public and Escondido Chamber of Commerce Thursday morning. The audience filled about a dozen tables at the Escondido Country Club.

The candidates agreed that the city's recent success in attracting more businesses and development were a step in the right direction for Escondido's downtown and the city as a whole.

Pfeiler, 49, characterized Escondido as a key cog in a growing region of Southern California, and said the city needs to be prepared "to meet the world at our doorstep."

Pfeiler, who has held the mayoral seat for eight of her 14 years on the council, emphasized her role in working with countywide agencies and organizations.

She pointed to her role as vice chairwoman of the San Diego Association of Governments and her work with other cities and the regional transportation group to help prepare the city for the pending arrival of the Sprinter light-rail train between Escondido and Oceanside.

D'Agosta, on the other hand, cautioned that Escondido needs to be mindful not to develop too much too quickly, especially as the council considers the condominium proposals that have become key to redevelopment efforts in downtown.

D'Agosta, 67, who was born and raised in Escondido and served on the council from 2000 to 2004, offered his experience growing up downtown as a testament to what he said Escondido should be.

"We need to keep our heritage and what downtown was all about in the '50s and '60s, and blend in the new," D'Agosta said. "That's the trick, to blend in the new."

The two also disagreed on the effects of Proposition S, the slow-growth measure passed in 1998, which requires voter approval for any changes to the city's general plan.

Pfeiler said that in some cases the measure has kept out developments that would have benefited the city.

"When the community gets to decide, sometimes we miss out," Pfeiler said.

D'Agosta said Prop. S was the will of the community, and should be respected. And he challenged Pfeiler's take on the measure stifling good projects.

"I see building everywhere," D'Agosta said. "I don't know of too many properties that were stalled because of Prop. S."

Neither candidate waded too deep into the topics of illegal immigration and residential overcrowding, which have become hot-button issues for Escondido in recent weeks.

Next week, the council is scheduled to consider adopting a ban on renting to illegal immigrants as part of an ordinance aimed at dealing with overcrowding.

Pfeiler said immigration law is something best dealt with at the federal level, and that the city should consider remedies for overcrowding that focus on education and cultural assimilation for those immigrant families who share cramped quarters.

"It's not a matter of how you impact our facilities," she said. "It's how do we deal with this as a society."

D'Agosta said the city had previously succeeded at addressing overcrowding and the numerous code violations that often accompany such poor living conditions by working directly with landlords. As for immigration, D'Agosta said he felt the proposed rental ban "will take care of the problem."

In most other issues addressed during the 90-minute session, Pfeiler and D'Agosta often agreed on many needs of the city, but offered different approaches to solving those issues.

For example, although both said the city needs to expand its library system, Pfeiler said the city needs to find a way to build a new main library, while D'Agosta argued that it would be better to renovate and expand the existing building a little at a time.

In a separate council race, seven candidates are vying for two open seats. All of the candidates are scheduled to meet in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters on Oct. 9.

Contact staff writer David Fried at (760) 740-5416 or dfried@nctimes.com.

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