Front Page  »  

Heidi Harmon plans to run for second term as SLO mayor

May 11, 2018

Mayor Heidi Harmon

At a press conference outside City Hall with supporters standing beside her, San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon announced Thursday she is running for reelection. [Cal Coast Times]

Harmon, a first-term mayor, narrowly won office in 2016, edging multi-term incumbent Jan Marx by 46 votes. Harmon is currently a year and a half into her two-year term.

“We’ve done so much just in that 18 months,” Harmon said Thursday. “One of the things I am the most proud of in general is just the high level of civility and civic engagement that we have at council.”

Other achievements Harmon has staked claim to include repealing SLO’s controversial rental inspection ordinance, making climate action a major city goal and having San Luis Obispo become a welcoming city — which supports people regardless of their immigration status. Harmon has also touted new city regulations on the distribution of straws and plastic water bottles, as well as the prioritization of bicycle infrastructure and a “less car centric future.”

Harmon also delivered a TEDx talk — a speech titled “How to Turn Advocacy Into Action.” Harmon’s TEDx talk detailed her path from political activist to mayor, which included living in the woods with eco-anarchists, running unsuccessfully for state Assembly and gaining inspiration for a mayoral bid from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.

While discussing her platform moving forward, Harmon said she plans to continue to battle climate change, as well as the lack of diversity in San Luis Obispo.

During Thursday’s press conference, Harmon briefly addressed San Luis Obispo’s unfunded pension liability problem.

“This is one of the things we are really struggling with and we’re definitely not alone,” Harmon said. “We’re aggressively, mindfully and thoughtfully coming up with a plan to mitigate that challenge and to address that proactively.”

As a conservative estimate, SLO currently has about $150 million in unfunded pension liabilities. Less than two decades ago, the city had $0 in unfunded pension liabilities.

Now, because of rising annual pension costs, the city is facing an approximately $9 million budget deficit over the next three years. The Harmon-led city council is also pushing a sales tax increase initiative.

Nonetheless, Harmon said San Luis Obispo is fiscal leader in California.

“We are statewide leaders on pensions and unfunded liabilities,” Harmon said.

At this time at least three opponents are considering joining Harmon in the mayoral race. The election will take place this November.


Loading...
Related:


13 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Why isn’t the Mayor doing anything about the mentally ill homeless people that the Los Angeles County sheriffs are dumping here in the city under secrecy?


0

Most or all of the accolades Haughty Heidi claims for herself are false. The most egregious is her proud welcoming of community input and turning activism to action. What a sad joke, what lies. After duping a large number of concerned citizens that she would not do what Jan Marx did (accelerated the destruction of life as we know it here by jumping into bed with developers right and left-and ignore public opinion) she actually increased that sad saga of vile governance. I have never seen such hypocrisy and hostility towards the public.

Helped to repeal the hated inspection ordinance? Hardly. She and the other traitors on the council initially held that ridiculous meeting at the Vets Hall where they insulted hundreds of attendees with idiotic gyrations and childish declarations-wasting time and money on a frivolous exercise in dysfunctional avoidance of the issue. As far as I know they have not repealed that law, they only tabled it for a while.

HHH leads the arrogant council in a headlong rush to wipe out what we have here, some semblance of peace, clean air and less than horrible congestion. Literally thousands of housing units are now under construction or planned, multiple overly large scale (very profitable for fat cat developers-not us) projects are in progress or coming. All those out of scale projects will mightily degrade our quality of life here. Our representatives are supposed to represent us, not the few wealthy (and greedily lusting for more) individuals (many are out of towners bleeding us dry). The former council was a mess, this one is worse.

In the coming elections do not vote for any incumbents-they are all making decisions against our best interests.

Civility-of course, on the damn council. They are all of one mind. They are all power mad and intent on driving their agenda despite what the public wants.

But they are NOT civil to the citizens here, only to the fat cats.


HHH rode in on a wave of discontent with the former mayor and the direction of the council-she promised to bring the average Joe back to the fold of City Hall-she is a traitor to that notion.

This rotten council gives sweetheart deals to developers, yet they punish the average citizen. Rotten to the core…


2

Prior to her being previously elected, I posted many times that little Heidi Ho is a sweetheart, but would be a disaster for San Luis Obispo, maybe more voters will heed my warning this round!


1

Most people know the last election was more about not re-electing Marx than wanting Harmon as mayor. The big question will be who will run against her. I see the same this election in a “not wanting Harmon” but this could end being another election where it’s the hopeful lessor of two evils.


0

Ladies & Gentlemen,


Do NOT vote for Heidi Harmon!


I think we all know that Heidi Harmon is a far-left whacky progressive, and her prescription for the taxpayers is higher taxes, more government and less freedom. She heralds the ‘civility’ of the council, but the victims of her policies wouldn’t describe things as very respectful.


While the unfunded pension debt ballooned under Heidi harmon, she focused on tax hikes, a pay increase for herself, and welcoming illegal aliens into the community.


Does Ms. Harmon’s priorities match yours?


I didn’t thinks so.


George


1

Didn’t I also hear water and sewer rates are about to increase in the city?


1

Are you kidding us Heidi? Do you even reside in the city? Worst mayor in decades. Nuttiest ever.


1

Oh yes she will fix it alright. Doesn’t really have the answer now, ha ha. She was thinking about raising taxes but someone obviously got a hold of her and said not during an election year-da! So if by chance she does get elected she will the reactivate her tax scheme on everyone in SLO. It’s so predictable I hope the taxpayers see it.


1

Banning plastic straws and welcoming illegals is easier than fixing pensions.


1

She can fix the pension shortfall by just raising the minimum retirement age to something that resembles the private sector. If she did just that, I’d vote for her even if she had to wear tar and feathers for her next term.


0

The pension fix will need more than just raising the retirement age. Change it to a 401k style pension, stop double dipping and pension stuffing like Cuesta College just did for Gil Stork, cut salaries and benefits and reduce personnel.


1

Jorge, don’t vote for this fruitcake. No matter what she promises.


0

I can’t really vote in SLO anyway, just stirring the pot to get reality to speak up.


0