Election fever is underway. For all the election junkies out there, the COURIER City Beat will have plenty of coverage, interviews and opinions about candidates and their fight for every last vote in the weeks to come.
Candidate Larry Schroeder kicked things off on Friday by speaking to the Democratic Club of Claremont. Schroeder is a retired finance director for Glendora and Lakewood. As far as his platform, he wants to push economic development, sustainability and responsible budget management.
In 2007, former Councilmember Jackie McHenry, who was running for re-election at the time, made a big stink about the DCC inviting only party-affiliated candidates to speak to their members.
Regardless of what they said, the Democratic candidates in 2007, Linda Elderkin, Sam Pedroza and Michael Keenan, got the club's unofficial endorsement. The same holds true this time around for Schroeder. They're Democrats after all, and the DCC wants Democrats in positions of power.
“You have to take into account a person's party and their ideas on various things,” said DCC President Bob Gerecke at Friday's event. “We don't give endorsements, but we urge our members to support fellow Democrats because we share the same ideals.”
The problem, according to McHenry, is that city council elections are supposed to be non-partisan. McHenry said her political leanings are plenty liberal, but as a registered Independent, she never got invited by the DCC to share her positions with potential voters.
In any event, the other candidates, Corey Calaycay (Republican) and Bridget Healy (Independent), were not invited to speak at the DDC lunch. They will have their campaign kickoff events on Sunday. Calaycay at the Claremont Place from 2 to 4 p.m. and Healy at the Claremont Forum in the Packing House from 3 to 5 p.m.
Schroeder will have his kickoff event at his home at 619 N. Indian Hill Boulevard. It's also on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. I will try to be at all 3 places at once.
As the least known of the 3 candidates, Schroeder will have his work cut out for him. To be successful in this election, he may need the wisdom offered by his fortune cookie from Captain KJ, where he spoke to the DCC at their monthly meeting.
“Cut through organizational impediments and get some real work done.”
For complete stories on Schroeder, Calaycay and Healy's kickoff events, be sure to pick the Wednesday, Jan. 14 edition of the COURIER.
I think that City Council elections are non-partisan. I am a Democrat. I vote for the candidates who have wide community experience, who articulate vision and good sense, who have time and commitment, and express a passion for what Claremont was, is and can be. I do not vote for candidates who have party agendas/personal vendettas or are mean-spirited. Obviously I have voted for Republicans and Independents without even knowing it. City Councils are supposed to work together for the good of the whole community and not for the good of the party.
ReplyDeleteI also try to vote for whom I think will make the best candidate, party affiliation is secondary. That said, for the last six years, at least, I felt that the City Council had a pronounced conservative, Republican, bias that I felt was faintly fascistic (the banners for Claremont Heroes comes to mind); we were all too patriotic, too much for war on people who did not attack us. Why was the City Council going into these topics? Maybe that is not political?
ReplyDeleteWalter Maya
Claremont.