A Vote for Gotch
Former City Councilman Mike Gotch is back in the news with his appointment to the Stadium Authority. I am prompted to share some overdue observations of his eight-year term on the City Council.
Mr. Gotch joined a growth-oriented City Council and yet was our strongest voice for saving the canyons of our city.
We bemoan the absence of leadership but are quick to castigate those who dare to seek new solutions to old problems. The verdict is still out on the wisdom of the Belmont Park redevelopment, but right or wrong, Mr. Gotch deserves a more favorable legacy! He supported an action (as did the City Council majority) which he believed was in the city’s long-term interests. Let the rancor end.
Let’s not forget so quickly, it was Mike Gotch’s leadership which gave us sidewalk cafes, evening and weekend library hours, stronger development and landscaping standards, and a proposal to make us proud of Mission Bay again.
We all have lost by Mike Gotch’s decision to leave politics. He will be a tough act to follow!
FLORENCE HENDERSON
San Diego
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