Editor’s note: In a recent SDNN article, “Deciphering the sex appeal of our nation’s politicians,” we asked our readers “Who is San Diego’s sexiest politician?” Seventy-two SDNN voters (out of 154) selected San Diego Councilmember Todd Gloria. Here are his thoughts on his latest victory:

People say that politics is show business for ugly people. If that’s true, I guess I should be extra flattered to have topped San Diego News Network’s “Sexiest Politician” poll. It could be worse, right? To keep this honor from going to my well-coifed head, I will share six things that are sexier than me.

1. Sturdy city infrastructure: From our potholed city streets exacerbated by failing underground water and sewer pipes to our cracked and raised sidewalks, it sometimes seems as though the foundation of our city is literally crumbling beneath us. However, San Diego is accelerating its progress on addressing its growing deferred maintenance list, which is estimated to total at least $900 million. By October 2010, more than 60 miles of streets in Council District Three will be slurry sealed or overlaid to improve their condition and extend their lives. These public assets are worthy of additional public investment. To an infrastructure geek like me, there are few things sexier than a freshly paved street.
2. Secure neighborhoods: The addition of two new community relations police officers to Mid-City this year and the ongoing dependable and dedicated service from the Fire-Rescue Department are critical to our communities. And who doesn’t love a person in uniform?
3. Respect for the environment: It’s very sexy to be green. Providing efficient and effective transportation options to lure drivers from their cars, preserving our urban canyons, conserving water, protecting neighborhood character and safeguarding water quality are all ways we can and should respect the environment. Everyone loves a guys who loves his mother, and this guy loves his Mother Earth.
4. Saving money is sexy: I am proud of the City of San Diego’s balanced budget but it is close to teetering from equilibrium. To sustain and strengthen San Diego, we must remedy the structural deficit caused by ongoing costs that are higher than our ongoing revenues. This can be done by shrinking the already-efficient services we provide or growing our revenues. The choice will need to be made, and it should be made by the voters.
5. Community involvement: President Obama raised the bar for what it means to be a community organizer. Whether you want to be President - or a (sexy) city councilmember - or just want to help out, community involvement is the basis of public service. Volunteer at the next City Heights Face Lift, participate in your neighborhood town council, pick up after your pet, say hi to your neighbor, patronize shops and restaurants nearby, and be a proud and active in San Diego’s civic fabric.
6. Smart voters.

I thank the SDNN voters for giving me this great honor and welcome the opportunity to bring sexy back through public service.

Tags: community involvement, Environment, infrastructure, money, SDNN, secure neighborhoods, sex

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 3:47 pm and is filed under A More Perfect Union, Environment, Local News, Politics & Government. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Councilmember Todd Gloria: Sexy is as sexy does - http://www.sdnn.com/?p=29836

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