Letter: Why I’m not running for City Council

I have chosen not to run for the one City Council seat open 2014 and look forward to the opportunities in the 2016 election.

First, I want to thank all of you that offered support; it has been very gratifying. As a member of the City’s Strategic Planning Economic Development Team, I get to work with representatives of all the communities of Encinitas. I will continue my involvement in improving Encinitas which stretches back to the late 1990’s as part of the team that completed the Community Character Report. At my children’s school, I am serving on the School Site Council. With my daughters, we have enjoyed the Ecke YMCA Adventure Princess program for 5 years; it was a privilege to be tribe chief last year.

For those of you worried that your issues aren’t being heard, I hope to alleviate those concerns in the future. The City is dealing with changes to the code and unfunded State mandates. Prop A was a realization of grassroots city planning. There are positives. The city is finally addressing density bonus issues. There are negatives and the subdivisions currently being built don’t blend with the community character and would most likely continue under Prop A. The El Camino Real corridor needs a reboot to improve the route for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles to and through this commercial center. I understand these problems, issues and opportunities. At Leucadia 101, I am a founding member, three term president and currently, vice president. We have motivated our businesses and community to speak out for what they want. My background is Urban Planning, Public Administration and Finance. I’m a Licensed Landscape Architect and a consultant, managing projects ranging from the transformation of a toxic superfund site into a state of the art public park to the modernization of local public schools.

I believe that we are all entitled to live in Encinitas to the fullest extent of our rights, both personal and property, and that we need to hold our elected officials and city staff accountable to their commitments. I look forward to continuing to serve my community and city in the coming years, and I eagerly await the candidate forums this year to hear the opinions and solutions of those who seek to serve this community we call home. I am usually working the Leucadia 101 events, so please come by to chat.

-William Morrison