>> >>JOANNE: It is extremely rare in San Diego politics for someone to run unopposed in a
city council district.
In the case of district 5, an area including Rancho Bernardo, Mark Kersey has such luck.
Carl DeMaio has left the seat open because he is running for Mayor.
The last time there was a vacant seat on council with one candidate running was 1943.
Mark Kersey joins me now.
I will add, mark, back in 1943, that council member went on to become Mayor eventually.
Now you are small business owner.
Tell me a little bit about your business.
>> >>MARK KERSEY: Thanks for having me here.
My business is technology research.
Do a lot of work with advanced video technology, HTPV, ITV, broad band internet.
I've had my own firm for about eight and a half years, been in the industry for probably
13 years now.
>> >>JOANNE: Let's talk about your politics.
This is a non partisan race, but you are a Republican.
I think one could argue a rising star in Republican ranks.
You're a president of the San Diego young Republicans, and unchallenged, you're a board
member the linking club, and the local Republican party here has endorsed you in this race.
Is the city council seat the beginning of your official elected office career?
Is this a start for you?
So far it looks like you're headed for something.
>> >>MARK KERSEY: You know, I don't know what the future is going to hold, but I will say
going from being active politically kind of on the side while running my business to being,
you know, starting in December a full time city council member.
I'm looking forward to the transition because we have a lot of hard work ahead f us.
We've also made a lot of good strides over the past several years under the leadership
of Mayor sanders bringing fiscal reforms that the city needs.
I'm not focused on my own career, but on doing a good job for the people of the fifth council
district.
>> >>JOANNE: Recommends freezing pensionable salary for existing employees.
Now, in the Republican blog slash report dot org you wrote:
That why you support this proposition?
>> >>MARK KERSEY: I think we just need to be providing retirement security for people
we can afford.
Right now, what's clear is that the current system given what happened with MP1 and MP2
in the 90sis not sustainable.
The city cannot afford to continue with this system.
We need to make changes to insure future councils, and Mayors don't go back and repeat the mistakes
of the past.
>> >>JOANNE: I think the argument we're hearing on people who don't support the proposition,
it goes to your statement about not being granted better retirement benefits, is that
city employees don't get social security benefits.
So how would you address that once you're elected.
>> >>MARK KERSEY: My understanding is there's going to be a transition period and some of
the new city workers will be able to get back into social security potentially.
There seems to be a little bit of guidance we're going to need from the IRS and the social
security administration on how that would happen in terms of who gets to make that decision.
Certainly from the standpoint of the city, the city is going to pay a matching contribution
into something, whether it's a 401k, social security, annuity, the city will be doing
something.
I personally would rather have more control of my own money because I'm of the opinion
by the time I hit 62 or 65, social security is not going to be around for people like
me.
So I would want that freedom.
>> >>JOANNE: I want to talk a little bit about jobs.
I know that again from watching some video clips and reading some of the articles you've
written and being quoted in, you talk about being a business owner and a job recreator.
You also went on to talk about rethink city hall, whether cities should be running airports,
golf courses, looking at redundancy in libraries.
Do you support privatizing airports, golf courses, laying off redundant staff?
>> >>MARK KERSEY: I don't know if it's about privatization.
It's a question of what is the city good at?
Does the city need to be in the business of running golf courses?
Does the anybody think the city's core competency is running golf courses?
Does the city think the city needs to run airports?
I don't think the city is best at doing that.
I'm not suggesting the city sell the assets, but we put them out to bid and see if there's
a firm that can come in and do a better job and provide a good revenue stream for the
city and get us out of the business of things the set city's probably not very good at doing.
>> >>JOANNE: Do you support a new chargers stadium?
>> >>MARK KERSEY: I do, but the that will be in the detail.
I would like to see a new stadium, but it really comes down to how do we do it and we're
not going to bankrupt the city to make it happen.
>> >>JOANNE: We have a much longer conversation with you on our website, KPBS.org, I encourage
peep tool go there.
Thank you for being here.
>> >>MARK KERSEY: Thank you Joanne.