The biography is pretty tame. & He's a Democrat, endorsed by the Sierra Club. (He did lose the San Diego Police Officer's Association endorsement after the March 27th incident though.)
He was a councilmember in District 3 from 1989 to 1993. His pet projects include safe neighborhoods, including increased police patrols and neighborhood watch programs, and protecting open space.
The ironies of this story make for good storytelling. For one thing, his drive for safer neighborhoods was seemingly shared by the two women who placed him under citizen's arrest.
For another, undeveloped open space would have probably come in handy the day Mr. Hartley was out precinct walking; but instead, he was reduced to relieving himself in a cup (within eyeshot of potential voters) just to stay on schedule.
Although the public has no details yet about the citizen arrest report, or when Mr. Hartley will actually be arraigned, there are a few curiosities that linger. Just how long did the two responsible citizens have to stand watching this man to ascertain whether he was just taking an (unseemly) break, or was actually getting his Pee-Wee Herman on ?
How do police officers investigate a citizen's arrest since the officer can't rely on his or her impressions when making the case for & ldquo;suspicious & rdquo; behavior? Since he was supposed to be officially charged on April 3rd, is the delay in arraigning Mr. Hartley due in part to this investigation?
Well, I have no answers. I never intended to vote for this particular candidate, but I certainly am interested in seeing how this situation resolves itself. & If nothing else, Mr. Hartley may serve as a political cautionary tale. Don't lose sight of the district for the canvassing schedule, and find a Starbucks, as there is one on nearly every corner in District 3.
-Citizen Voices blogger Alma Sove has spent most of her life in San Diego and is currently attending law school.
