PETE? OR DIANNE? : A Range of Voices Argues that California Does Have a Choice : Wilson: Risk-Taking, Experienced Leader

California, the Golden State, the land of opportunity. A dynamic state with a worldwide reputation for excellence, innovation and economic might. A state whose future will be strongly influenced by the new governor we will elect next week.

As a local elected official, I appreciate the depth of experience and breadth of knowledge that it will take to guide the state through the issues of today with a vision of tomorrow. I also know that Pete Wilson is a proven visionary leader, clearly the kind of leader California needs and deserves. A well-rounded person whose life in public service has been marked by a high level of sensitivity to the needs of the people. A man with a record of success that began as mayor of San Diego, where he delivered solutions and left the rhetoric at home.

Leadership requires taking risks and a spirit of frontierism like the kind that resulted in the development of the San Diego Trolley, which delivered a local solution--on time and under budget--to a problem that now plagues cities statewide. I want to elect a governor willing to take the strides of courageous leadership. Pete Wilson would be that kind of governor.

At a time when countless children in our state sleep on the floor to hide from the bullets flying through the streets outside, we must have a governor whose record reflects a priority of community safety. As a former police officer, I value a governor who knows how to fight crime and who has the safety of the citizens as his top priority. As a citizen and a parent, I consider the safety of my family and the protection of my property to be of the utmost importance.

As both a state legislator and a U.S. senator, Pete Wilson has relentlessly pursued legislation that would protect the lives and property of Californians and impose the death penalty on drug kingpins. It’s going to take that kind of determination to rein in the criminal elements that have made our streets unsafe and turned some neighborhoods into war zones.

On Nov. 7 when the results are in, I’d like to think that California will be poised to meet the challenges ahead. But it will take a governor who leads with a compass and not a weather vane. It will take a leader who is not afraid to take the risks of leadership. It will take a person with depth of experience and a record of success. Pete Wilson is that leader.