El Cajon District 2 Councilmember Michelle Metschel is seeking a second term on council and is running unopposed on the November ballot. Metschel is a long time El Cajon resident since 1979. She has volunteered at the El Cajon Animal Shelter and has been involved with homeless outreach. She is an active member of the El Cajon Community Clean-Up Group and is a former member and chair of the board of trustees at the El Cajon First United Methodist Church.
Metschel said her first term was interesting, saying that the first half of her term she spent learning.
“I had never been an elected official before. I had to learn this job and there was a very steep learning curve. Coming from administrative employment, I had to learn to become the top dog. And I learned very quickly. The last two years, I was able to make more decisions and better decisions and tried to make a difference. I found I had a reputation in the city as someone that solves problems, someone who could be relied on to be contacted. If I did not have the answers, I at least gave them resources,” she said.
Metschel said even when voting on tough subjects, she is still an activist for the underdog.
“I think it is important to understand that the homeless are still people. There are many of them out there that are chronically homeless. They like the lifestyle. But then there are others, like the 80-year-olds, because of circumstances beyond their control, find themselves living on the streets for the first time in their lives. They are not the chronic homeless. They are not addicted to drugs or alcohol. But give them six months and they could be. Let us be frank about it. There are not many services out there and you might be hiding because you are embarrassed. You do not want your neighbors to see you. The number one segment of homelessness that is growing is over 65 years of age,” she said.
Metschel said that is a situation that no one should be able to look away from.
“Nobody deserves to live on the streets,” she said. “But neighborhoods do not deserve to be inundated by the trash left behind by the chronic homeless.”
Metschel said she applauds organizations that go out and provide food and clothing for the homeless, but what they do not realize is that the food containers, bags of cloths, are rifled through and the remnants strewn in the drainage canals.
“Businesses leave because of homeless defecating and urinating on their storefront. That is not right for that business owner who pays taxes, runs their business so they can feed their families,” she said. “When we had safe parking, the homeless were not around. Now that it is closed, the homeless are starting to build up again. These are the things that I am working on. I have been working on this for the past four years and I intend to work on this for the next four years. To continue to be an advocate for the residents of my district. I represent everybody. It does not matter your race, you religion,”
Metschel said from the beginning, she will not be bought by special interests, which has caused her some problems, but she is fine with that.
“I do what is right for the city and the majority of the residents. My voting record shows that,” she said.
Metschel said she wants to continue the work she has been doing for the residents.
“I want to continue advocating for those who just need a little help in maneuvering through the bureaucracy and red tape of government,” she said. “Why can’t we be proactive instead of being reactive? I want to do more in being proactive. The city can only do so much, but if I can work with the county and the state, let us work to be more proactive to keep from being homeless instead of waiting until they are homeless.”
Metschel voted to put Measure J on the November ballot. Measure J is a half-cent sales tax originally passed in 2008, which has provided funds for the city in providing essential services. The tax is currently set to end in 2029, but if approved would be extended through 2049.
Metschel said she has no aspirations for higher office.
“I do not want to be mayor. I do not want to run for a higher office. I’ll be 70 at the end of my second term. Noone should be in longer than two terms. Let someone younger, with more ideas come in and do this. We want the people involved in the government process and making decisions for the people,” she said.
