It’s been said when the cat’s away, the mice will play. For years, the city of San Diego was run by the rodents; a crafty cabal of corrupt rats.

Under the negligent watch of former City Attorney Casey Gwinn, who haphazardly monitored the San Diego City Council, the powerbrokers in America’s Finest City danced all over the law, under-funded the city’s pension, and allowed taxpayers to foot the bill.

The rodents certainly had a heyday.

That is, until voters elected City Attorney Michael Aguirre, who sharpened his claws and got to work representing taxpayers and the citizens of San Diego – all the while drawing the ire of the mice.

It’s no surprise, then, Aguirre hasn’t made many friends at the top. From the mayor to the district attorney to City Council President Scott Peters (who was among the mice who created the near-crippling pension deficit), leaders in municipal government have voiced their support for Aguirre’s opponent, Judge Jan Goldsmith.

Why? Perhaps, as they say, Aguirre’s become erratic, divisive and ineffective as City Attorney, and has created more roadblocks to effecting change.

Or, and more likely, because they’ve grown tired of working alongside a City Attorney who (finally!) adheres to principles of accountability and oversight (imagine that!).

Aguirre himself has said, perhaps, he could have done some things differently; and likely should have. But Aguirre, leaps and bounds more so than his predecessor, has provided just what this city needs: a rabble-rouser unafraid of tangling with the mayor and the San Diego City Council to change the culture of corruption that had run rampant at City Hall for decades.

Among his triumphs, Aguirre sounded the whistle on Sunroad, prompting Mayor Jerry Sanders to change course and issue a stop-work order for the too-tall development – sending a resounding message to developers that city government is through with sweetheart deals.

Also, Aguirre has pushed an appeal that would roll back illegal pension benefits granted to unionized public workers; and in the process he’s drawn the praise of the nation’s most respected financial newspaper, the Wall Street Journal, for “setting off an alarm that voters across America need to hear.”

Aguirre also championed the city’s support of marriage equality last year, and has stood by the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community for more than three decades. Some in our community prefer to point out the City Attorney’s role in closing the 2200 Club. Those members of our community still allege the City Attorney targeted the bathhouse – but if that’s the case, why hasn’t the City Attorney targeted any other gay-owned business? In this case, Aguirre was tasked with walking the walk; he closed the door on illegal activity, keeping his promise to the citizens of San Diego that he would uphold the law – regardless of how it may affect his re-election.

Aguirre needs in a second term to work with a City Council unencumbered by its own negligence and role in humiliating the city of San Diego.

He needs an opportunity to see his pension appeal through, and to repair the City Attorney’s relationships with the mayor and the City Council.

Moreover, he deserves an opportunity to continue working on our behalf – even at the expense of the powerbrokers’ political expediency.

Like him or not, Aguirre is fighting the good fight.

A number of things could be said about the incumbent (some of them nice, some of them, well … not so nice).

Perhaps, though, the most insightful thing said about Aguirre was an observation made by Pat Washington, president of the San Diego Democratic Women’s Club: “On human rights issues, on women’s issues, on immigration reform, I don’t have to sit in the room with Mike and stare him down to know he’s going to do the right thing. No matter who’s in the room, he’s going to vote with his conscience, he’s going to vote with principle, he’s going to vote based on morality, and he’s going to do what’s right for the greater good.”

We’ve published that comment on more than one occasion. Why? Because it best illustrates what we so firmly believe about City Attorney Michael Aguirre; that he’s the principled, thoughtful, fiery, intelligent idealist we want representing us in city government.

We proudly endorse Michael Aguirre for City Attorney, and urge our readers to vote for Aguirre on Nov. 4.

In order to provide our readers with up-to-the-day, exclusive election coverage before Nov. 4, the Gay & Lesbian Times will be sending two special e-blasts to readers tomorrow and Sunday. Visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com to subscribe to the GLT e-blast.

Tomorrow: Exclusive interviews with City Attorney Michael Aguirre and candidate for City Attorney, Judge Jan Goldsmith

Sunday: Breaking election news, the Gay & Lesbian Times’ endorsements, its endorsement editorials, and its exclusive interviews with the District 3 City Council candidates and the candidates for City Attorney