Several days ago, the Chronicle‘s Matt Stiles reported that Mayor White is not very happy about some radio ads by a group opposed to the Mayor’s proposal to gut the city’s revenue caps:
The new ad, voiced by Proposition 2 supporter and former Councilman Carroll Robinson, encourages voters to reject White’s plan, called Proposition G. The ad links the mayor’s proposal with recent high energy prices.
“Is your electricity bill too high?” Robinson asks in the ad. “If it is, vote against Proposition G.” Moments later, he asks, “Are you paying too much for gas at the pump? If you are, vote against Proposition G.”
Speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s City Council meeting, White blasted the ad.
“That really discredits their whole campaign,” he said, adding that the ad “is intending to mislead people.”
Robinson said he wasn’t trying to mislead anyone. He said he and other Proposition 2 supporters think that changing the revenue cap could lead to future tax and fee increases.
“If Proposition G passes, it leaves open the potential for unreasonable water and sewer rate increases,” he said. “The more you lose in terms of your paycheck in terms of paying property taxes, sewer rates and other city fees, the less money you have to pay your regular bills.”
The ads are somewhat misleading, and the local media is doing its job in pointing out the same.
Mayor White’s criticism of the ads being misleading is kind of amusing, though. This would be the same Mayor White who insists red-light cameras are all about improving compliance and safety and not revenue (but whose administration refuses to put signage in camera intersections to deter red-light runners), who regularly ties any and all favorable traffic statistics to his SAFEclear program (when the cause/effect relationship isn’t clear), and who has made wild assertions (without much investigation by local media) that voters must approve Proposition G because police budgets may have to be cut if the airports have a good year (huh?!).
Mayor White is right that it’s a shame when exaggerations and distortions become a prominent part of the political conversation. He isn’t always an example of innocence and goodness himself, however.
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