When Andrew Gade moved to Coronado, he knew two things: First, that he’d found the perfect place to live. Second, that someone needed to protect it.
He says he hopes to do that by running for Coronado City Council.
“Being successful at being a city council member is gaining the public’s trust and their respect,” he said, “but it’s also proving – which takes time – that you’re making decisions that are very thoughtful and represent what’s best for Coronado.”
Gade has been interested in local politics for twelve years, and even ran for San Diego City City Council in the past. He said he’s witnessed political mismanagement in California, executed by politicians who view the state as a springboard for future political careers and prioritize that over their city’s needs. For him, he said, he’s all in.
“I’m someone who plans to make Coronado the place I live the rest of my life,” Gade said. “I want to make sure choices we make now allow for that.”
But Gade stressed that he doesn’t think the system in Coronado is broken. Instead, he sees multiple state agencies – and their control – swirling, and hopes to work to maintain the city’s agency.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development, for example, assigns by region allocations of housing units they must plan for. The San Diego Association of Governments allocates a share of those units to Coronado, which has little say in the matter.
It’s not just housing, though. The California Coastal Commission played a looming role in recent deliberations about beach bonfires in Coronado. The California Department of Transportation maintains control over some Orange Avenue improvements that city council hopes to implement.
“My goal is to maintain local control while working with these agencies to try to find the best solution,” Gade said.
Gade, the owner of San Diego Tint, said he also hopes to empower local businesses and make decisions that help them to thrive. Local decisions impact local business just as they do local residents.
Gade’s top priorities as a council member would be to alleviate the Tijuana sewage crisis, to improve city infrastructure – he points to the Jan. 22 storm as “lessons learned” for the city – and to support businesses.
“For me, the joke that I make is I want to change nothing at all, and spend as little money as possible in the process,” he said.
That said, he hopes to make a few things more efficient to enhance quality of life for residents. For example, he said he wished the city had pushed for work currently underway on its Aquatics Center to be completed concurrently with work done when the city’s competition pool pump failed last summer so closures would impact residents minimally. (The city has said the bidding, contracting, and permit process would have made this impossible.)
Gade said he has been watching local politics for twelve years, learning as he went and waiting for his moment to enter the ring. He’s had a lot of time to think about how local politics impact residents and businesses – and how it should.
“The role of city government,” he said, “is listening to the public to gain input on the city’s priorities as we address ideas in the city. The other very important factor is being fiscally responsible: As a fiscal steward, our job is to help protect the business of Coronado. The residents of Coronado are the customers.”
