53.7 F
San Diego
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Cushman Deserves Credit

Editor:

After following news coverage of recent events at the San Diego Unified Port District, I was surprised there wasn’t more praise for the swift and decisive action by port commissioners and Chairman Stephen Cushman.

Obviously wary of scandals involving everything from the ballpark to the Chargers, Cushman took the bull by the horns and showed leadership by enlisting Robert Stern, former general counsel of the state Fair Political Practices Commission, to write a code of ethics covering commissioners, staff, lobbyists and others who do business with the port.

Cushman recognized early on that the Port District cannot fulfill its mission, as your editorial quoted, “while citizens and our appointing authorities view our every action as closed to public scrutiny or based on conflicts of interest.”

Cushman deserves praise for his experienced leadership. In the ’90s it was his leadership that successfully helped lead to the Convention Center expansion. He was also at the helm of the Chamber of Commerce during its most prosperous and influential decade. Cushman’s biography on the port’s Web page says he has served on more than 50 community boards and commissions, from the Jaycees to Urban League.

The Business Journal would be doing a disservice to its readers by not balancing its coverage of this issue with all the good done by the Port District, its employees and commissioners.

Bill Kalthoff

San Diego

Port’s Not Broken

Editor:

Pavlov’s dog was conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell in anticipation of being fed.

Similarly, local media and the usual cast of cynical wolves are licking their chops at the anticipation of a new local scandal within the Port Commission , but where’s the beef?

Certainly no one could disagree that the Port District, like any public agency, needs a code of ethics. But surely I’m not the only San Diegan frightened by a media locomotive that has just decided that all port’s business practices are suspect because of an idiotic ethical lapse by ex-commissioner David Malcolm.

Now there’s a frenzy to fix something that’s not broken. So, despite the port’s profits and accomplishments, the media has decided the port has operated for much too long in the shadows, and closed-session meetings (while perfectly legal) must come to an end. Translation: the media thinks it should be guiding the port , many of whom originally endorsed the Chargers ticket guarantee.

There are times when meeting in private is legitimate, such as dealing with sensitive personnel matters or discussing negotiating tactics regarding business transactions. A quick glance at recent Port Commission agendas show closed sessions to discuss handling potential threats to our waterfront with police officials, ongoing litigation and property negotiations.

So why is the media so intent on fixing something that isn’t broken?

Robert Johnson

San Diego

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-