Mailbag - Oct. 1, 2009

Let the people select mayor of our city

The mayor of Huntington Beach should be an elected official with a two-year term and two-term limit to make the position one of substance to represent the city, not just a rotating pomp-and-circumstance seat on the dais.

We are behind the curve with other cities, and it must be very difficult for us to have any political or fiscal influence when they attend the League of California Cities and need to get up to the status quos of representation for the city.

We need a visionary leadership that can set a course and have the visibility and recognition to do it, and with a year-to-year mayor, you are not going to get much more than a smile and nod at local events — far from what this city needs.

This change would bring us up to the level of the other leading Orange County cities and give us some stature and recognition as the third-largest city in Orange County aside from being just Surf City.

If the city wants to move forward, I see no better direction.

I also feel very strongly about leaving the city attorney, clerk and treasurer as elected positions as a way to ensure a system of checks and balances, as opposed to appointed positions, which would imply nothing more than political special interests.

Another suggestion would be to revisit the issue of districts versus a general election of council members.

We have a diverse electorate with differing needs and views on what the city needs to do, so let the various segments have their voices better heard than what seems to be going on of just business as usual.

U.S. not the mecca for health care

In reference to Mary Deininger’s letter Sept. 17 (“Health-care bill must be researched”), I’ve lived in Orange County for 72 years and never have I heard of a European coming to the U.S. for major surgery.

However, I know of people traveling to Thailand from the U.S. for major surgery.

My husband and I traveled to Thailand recently and people spoke of this.