Kristine Alessio met with Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS®

La Mesa City Council member Kristine Alessio was the featured guest speaker at a recent roundtable hosted by the Government Affairs East Committee of the Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS® (PSAR), a trade group for San Diego-area realtors.

Alessio, who is serving as vice mayor during her first year on the council following her election in November 2012, provided PSAR members with an update on new development projects in La Mesa, as well as retail opportunities and growth trends.

She also discussed the city’s program for down payment and closing cost assistance for first-time homebuyers and the city’s boards and commissions. She told PSAR members that her goals on the council include improving transparency in government, promoting downtown development and supporting seniors and pet owners.

Alessio also received feedback from PSAR members over concerns about crime and affordable housing for new families and seniors, as well as city politics.

Alessio is a member of a citizens group called La Mesa Term Limits Committee. The group is now gathering signatures for a November 2014 ballot measure that would limit city officials to 12 consecutive years in office followed by a four-year break before a council member could seek election again. No incumbent mayor or council member has lost an election in La Mesa since 1990. Mayor Art Madrid has served as a council member since 1981, and has served as mayor since 1990. Councilmember Ruth Stering has been elected to six terms since 1992. Councilmember Ernie Ewin served on the council in the 1980s and then was voted back onto the council in 2002. He ran unopposed in 2006 and was reelected in 2010.

“Term limits would give more of our residents the opportunity to run for office,” Alessio. “The current council member who would be most affected by term limits would be me.”

Attending the roundtable from PSAR’s Government Affairs East Committee included chair Mike Anderson and members Cheryl Alvarado, Connie Butt, Cathy Hilton and Ron Pennock. Also attending was Tracy Morgan Hollingsworth, PSAR government affairs director.

Known as the Jewel of the Hills, La Mesa has 57,000 residents, including 33,000 registered voters. The city is known for outstanding schools, 14 city parks and the Grossmont Center mall. Incorporated in 1912, La Mesa is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. La Mesa is bounded by three freeways, Interstate 8 and State Route 94 and 125, and is served by the San Diego Trolley’s Green Line and Orange Line.

PSAR offers educational training, advocacy and other services and resources to its realtor members. For more information on PSAR, visit www.psar.org.