Susan Golding

Infobox Mayor
name = Susan Golding

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imagesize =
birth_date = August 1945
birth_place = Muskogee, Oklahoma
nationality = flagicon|USA American
children = 2
spouse = Stanley D. Prowse (?-?) Richard Silberman (1984-1991)
residence =
alma_mater = Carleton College Columbia University
website =
title = 32nd Mayor of San Diego
term = 1992—2000
predecessor = Maureen O'Connor
successor = Dick Murphy
party = Republican
religion =

Susan G. Golding (born August 1945) is an American Republican politician from California, best-known as the former two-term mayor of San Diego. She is currently president and CEO of the Golding Group, a strategy consulting firm and a Senior Fellow of Public Policy at the University of California at Los Angeles. She also serves on the boards and advisory committees of several organizations, including the Pacific Council on International Relations and the International Republican Institute.

Golding was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, but grew up in Lafayette and Indianapolis, Indiana. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Government and International Relations from Carleton College, and a Master's degree from Columbia University. Golding married Stanley D. Prowse, an attorney.They moved to Atlanta, where she was a college instructor at Emory University. [ [http://www.stanprowse.com/attorney-profile.html Stanley D. Prowse Attorney Profile] ] In 1974 they moved to California and she was Associate Publisher of NewsPress, a community newspaper. After they divorced, Golding raised her two children, Samuel and Vanessa, as a single mother under her maiden name. [ [http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2001/may/31/married-rich/ "Married Rich", "San Diego Reader", May 31, 2001 by Matt Potter] ]

In 1984 Golding married Dick Silbermann, a financier and prominent Democrat. They divorced in 1991 after Silbermann was convicted of money laundering. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/bell/20070510-9999-1m10bell.html SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro > Diane Bell - Ex-Mayor Golding takes a former top aide's post ] ]

Political life

Golding was elected to the San Diego city council for 1981–1983. In 1984, she was elected to the Board of Supervisors for San Diego County, California, serving 1985-1992.

In 1992, Golding was elected mayor of San Diego. She campaigned as a progressive Republican, as a supporter of gay rights, affirmative action, environmental protection, and pro-choice views. Her first campaign was a bitter one against political science professor Peter Navarro, whom she narrowly defeated. She became the first Jewish mayor of San Diego.

Her major accomplishment as mayor was to streamline city government for businesses, including setting up a "one-stop" shop for permits. She helped set aside 52,000 acres (211 km²) in the city as part of a comprehensive Multiple Species Conservation Plan. She also increased police funding and patrols, created neighborhood service centers, and helped create the city's first winter shelter for the homeless. During her administration, she was instrumental in San Diego hosting the 1996 Republican National Convention at the San Diego Convention Center. This helped soothe the pain of losing the 1972 Republican National Convention, which was originally scheduled for San Diego but moved under a scandal.

Golding and the city council faced a problem getting funding for the convention, however. They felt it was too politically risky to raise taxes or cut services. According to an investigation by Kroll, Inc., they did so by paying less into the city's pension fund than was needed to meet obligations to the city's many retirees. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/pension/20060813-9999-1n13conven.html SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro > San Diego's Pension Crisis - GOP convention's halo tarnished ] ]

For a while, Golding was thought to be an up-and-coming politician, and was mentioned as a candidate for U.S. Senate or for Governor of California. She actually made a brief run for Barbara Boxer's Senate seat in 1998.

The Chargers deal

In 1995, Golding helped spearhead a deal to expand Jack Murphy Stadium in order to keep the San Diego Chargers in town and attract a second Super Bowl to the city. In it, the city agreed to expand the stadium, which was later renamed Qualcomm Stadium, and add 35 new luxury boxes. In exchange, the Chargers promised to stay in San Diego through 2020.cite news |first=Caitlin |last=Rother |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Stadium '95 deal has lost luster |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20020825-9999_1m25charge.html |work=San Diego Union-Tribune |publisher= |date=2002-08-25 |accessdate=2007-06-09]

However, the deal also contained an agreement by the city to buy any tickets the Chargers didn't sell starting in the 1997 season--thus preventing Chargers home games from being blacked out in San Diego. Opponents of the deal got 50,000 signatures for a referendum on this portion of the deal, but it was thrown out by a superior court judge. [http://www.sdreader.com/php/cover.php?mode=print&id=20020530]

In part due to the controversy over the so-called "ticket guarantee," Golding didn't run for reelection in 2000.

Golding lives in San Diego and is currently CEO of The Golding Group, a lobbying and marketing company, and is Senior Fellow of the UCLA School of Public Affairs. [ [http://www.spa.ucla.edu/seniorfellows/main2.cfm?d=xr&f=sfdisplay.cfm&s=seniorfellows&id=106 UCLA School of Public Affairs Senior Fellow The Honorable Susan Golding] ]

Quote

:The [Republican] party's strong position on abortion is just one example of how the GOP is out of touch with the majority of voters. In California the abortion issue has come to symbolize a view about the working woman versus the woman at home. The tone adopted by some statewide GOP candidates has lacked compassion and lacked understanding and has turned Republican woman voters off and into the Democratic Party. (State Republican Convention, 2000) [ [http://www.sdnewsnotes.com/ed/articles/1999/0499gn2.htm "San Diego NewsNotes," April 1999] ]

References