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Prominent architect challenges Marx for mayor seat

July 26, 2012

Steve Barasch

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo businessman Steve Barasch announced Tuesday he plans to run for mayor in November against incumbent Jan Marx.

The founder and president of Barasch Architects and Associates, Barasch has been outspoken about the city’s fiscal stability. At last weeks city council meeting, Barasch chastised the city for failing to properly maintain many of the more than 200 properties the city owns while at the same time ticketing residents for lessor infractions.

“I am not running against any specific candidate, I am running based on fiscal accountability and  transparency,” Barasch said. “I am a registered democrat and a fiscal conservative.”

Barasch is a 1972 graduate of Rice University with a masters in architecture and urban design. In 1976, he received a doctorate of philosophy in architecture from the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations and Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

Barasch is the fourth formal challenger to Marx, who has already announced her re-election bid. Councilman Andrew Carter withdrew from the race earlier this week.

Oren Levy, who recently moved to San Luis Obispo from Georgia, and long-time resident Don Hedrick have also pulled nomination papers.


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I have had several interactions with this fellow and as much as i dislike Marx…he is not our answer. I personally have no bad feelings towards this guy as he has never wronged me, but he has a horrible reputation.


1. I have known several people who have rented from him, he is one of the worst landlords I’ve ever ran across.


2. I work at a store he used to visit. He was one of the most disliked customers.


3. He is notorious for cheating during a tennis match.


4. A leading 9/11 conspiracy theorist? He’s not even an engineer, he’s an architect.


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Pretty thorough character assassination for a guy you have no bad feelings toward.


I am calling B.S. I think you have an axe to grind and you’re fearful of saying it because it’s probably something stupid. That, or you’re a Marx do-gooder.


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Uh, do you know anything, or do you just put people down?


Sectiontape has facts — they are gentle ones, believe it! This guy’s a nasty. Everybody knows it — everybody who’s dealt with it.


He’s in it for his own gain. Has a long history of trying to stretch or avoid the rules that apply to others, and then complaining about being persecuted. Represents the bad developer community. Had a history in Pasadena, too — might want to check that out.


As for “prominent architect,” LOL.


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Racket called into question the previous poster’s claim that he “has no bad feelings” towards Barasch, not whether Barasch is a doosh or not.


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The City of San Luis Obispo could learn a great deal from both local non- profits and the small businesses’ ability to cope and adapt to both the worldwide and regional underlying economic structural changes we are all now experiencing.


Strong enlightened leadership from well educated and qualified new leaders will serve the city well and begin to lead San Luis Obispo back to “fiscal accountability” which has been the norm for most of the families who have experienced significant belt tightening during the past six year recession.


Hope this guy can turn things around and SOON!


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Google “Steve Barasch”. The youtube video is a good introduction.


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Google “Steve Barasch San Luis Obispo”…karma is a female dog!


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I did…this guy seems like he will hold people’s feet to the fire! Or, maybe he will just burn City Hall down :-)


http://sharptenant.com/landlords/steve-and-janine-barasch/


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I did as well, and I should not have read as much as I did… I think I need a shower now.


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i am interested in hearing ideas from all declared candidates. It’s nice having a choice.


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It’s about time we get someone with some chutzpah willing to take on the know-nothings in office. Throw them all out and start over. By all means vote for incumbents if you like $33 parking meter tickets, a $300K+ city manager, crumbling city properties, neo-Nazi neighborhood patrols and poorly maintained city properties, skyrocketing water & sewer rates, double-decker busses no one rides, a multi-million dollar firetruck to fight fires on tall buildings that don’t exist, budget “gaps” year after year…yet no one is laid off; and to add insult to injury, there is a movement afoot to pay these irresponsible leaders a big salary!


We desperately need a change of leadership and fiscal accountability and transparency. If you can tackle these issues and return some common sense to our fair city, Mr. Barasch, you ve got my vote!


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He’ll cut taxes on developers, raise them on everybody else, and cut essential services. Is that what you want?


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Don’t ever get the “throw the bums out” mentality. Egypt did that, and look what happened.


Best to know WHO you are replacing the incumbents with than to just blindly allow them access to the cookie jar.


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By al means re-elect your current mayor and the next city manager wil make $500,000 a year and only be in the office 2 days every other week


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I always suspected Marx’s re-election was somehow rigged. Even the most liberal of socialists I know do not like her, let alone anyone who thinks clearly.


I really wish people would LEARN about their candidates before voting. Of course, then we’d probably have fewer turn-outs than an Obama fund-raiser.


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Steve sounds highly promising. He certainly has the education and background to do a bang up job. Don’t know if he has any finance in his resume but that isn’t difficult to manage if you’re honest, have a good head on your shoulders and are a quick study, all of which he seems to be more than sufficient in.


Mr. Levy, Save your money and drop out of this race. You’re new in town from Tennessee! People in SLO are not going to allow a new comer to show up and start telling them how to do things. You don’t stand a chance, not for at least the next 10 years in my opinion, maybe 5 if you open a business and work hard at getting to know folks.


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What background? His 9-11 Truther falsified credentials or perhaps his Landlord leadership skills? There’s so much more, too.


I’m fearful, Cindy, when I see you think someone of this guy’s caliber has “the education and background to do a bang up job” – I suppose it comes down to one’s definition of “bang up” (as in Train Wreck? Probably!)


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For heaven’s sake. He looks like his next stop is a Tiki bar.


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Got a problem with tiki bars?


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Are you kidding me? I love Tiki Bars. In fact, here’s a website that shows you how to build your own Tiki Bar: http://blog.humuhumu.com/2006/09/05/how-to-build-a-tiki-bar


Get going on it now, and I bet you can get Barasch to hold one of his campaign events there.


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Not any worse than dressing like a Granny.


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Ouch.


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