New ideas matter, in fact, they drive debates. These ideas determine what is seen as possible and what is discarded. They shape conversations.
For too long San Diego politics has suffered from a deficit of ideas. Our City has a political culture which encourages a "go along, get along" approach to public policy. In the words of one commentator, the establishment doesn't like those people who would "spoil the happy mood of our perpetual beach party."
This lack of attention to policy research and political debate directly impacts our region's prosperity. When I ran for Mayor in 2005, it became quickly apparent that there was almost no place to turn to for credible information about municipal and regional policy. Existing organizations had other missions to fulfill. When I sought information from the City, it was frequently difficult to find, in a form that was difficult to understand and lacked transparency. Furthermore, as the Kroll report chronicled, too often the City's own analysis did not help policy makers but seemed designed to confuse and cloud the truth.
This lack of information was extremely disappointing. At the national level, policy making is greatly enhanced by the presence of think tanks - operating on the right, left and center - which produce studies about the most important and pressing issues of the day. Better decisions are made as policy makers hear these differing views
It is these observations that led me to found and fund a local think tank – the San Diego Institute for Policy Research (SDI) – whose mission would be to introduce new information into the public debate. Done well, decision makers, civic organizations and citizens alike would benefit from reports, briefs, and a repository of analysis. Outside experts could be brought to San Diego to expand our thinking and challenge existing paradigms. I hope that the resulting information and recommendations shake up the status quo and San Diegans starting talking about options that can lead to a better and brighter future for our region.
In addition to policy analysis, I believe that SDI should look deeper into the hearts and minds of the population and bring to the forefront of public debate the civic mood of our residents. To that end, SDI is partnering with Competitive Edge Research to conduct a regular barometer of public opinion. We will be polling 500 San Diegans every other month on a series of subjects – asking them about how they believe the City and the region should move forward.
One of the other shortcomings in this region, is a lack of economic data correlated to public policy decisions. One of my first actions was to retain Kelly Cunningham as the Institute's economist and a senior fellow. Mr. Cunningham was the economist at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years and has a well deserved reputation as one of the most knowledgeable observers of San Diego's economy. With him, SDI will be well positioned to introduce this kind of quantitative information with qualitative interpretation.
I also think that SDI should be, on occasion, edgy and provocative. We need to be the person at the civic dinner table who asks out loud the uncomfortable question that everyone else is thinking. Aversion to controversy and confrontation is a poor excuse for avoiding discussion of hard choices and engaging in policy debates. Questions like "what we can do with certain civic real estate assets" or "how the city could meaningfully change its pension system" must be asked. SDI will also examine whether City employees are paid less, more, or about the same as their counterparts in the private sector, and which City operations could be prime candidates for managed competition.
This column will be a place where we lay out some of our findings, observations and recommendations. It will be a place to put forward ideas that many may be thinking but few are openly discussing. The Transcript's readers are among the most informed in this region and I hope we can do some small part to enlarge the dialogue about our collective future.
SDI will reflect more than just our internal thinking and interests. We live in a great region but our civic institutions need reform if we are to achieve the lofty aspirations we each have. Please consider dropping me an email at stevenfrancis@sandiegoinstitute.com and let me know your thoughts and ideas. Think about the questions you would ask about government and civic affairs in our region. Let us know if you are interested in helping. This effort is ultimately about improving the region's "town square" and elevating and expanding the dialogue. The more new ideas, the better the debate. The better the debate, the better the results.
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