Fire
Chief Says Department Is Moving Forward
AIDS and HIV Get Prime
Attention on Viacom-Owned Networks
Carlos Santana Receives Tribute at 12th BMI Annual Latin Awards
Baseball Great’s Daughter Is Witness to Sport’s Desegregation
Radical Weight Control May Lead Girls to Obesity, Study Says
Arceneaux, Dobson, Irving and Kemp Will Meet in City Council Runoff
By
Gary Walker
Bulletin staff writer
After
the euphoria of victory begins to dissipate for the winners
of last Tuesday’s municipal elections and the business of governing
takes over, four candidates for public office must still search
for enough votes to land them in the winner’s circle on June
7th.
Because they were unable to earn more than 50% of the votes tallied
in their respective races, they will now move on to the second round of
the political campaign season.
Council members Lillie Dobson and Yvonne Arceneaux of the Second
and Third District, respectively, will match up against Leslie Irving and
William Kemp in the June runoff.
Both Arceneaux and Irving have been through the runoff process in
the past, most recently in 2001. Irving, who was the runner-up to Dobson
in last Tuesday’s election, says that in the second round she will
become much more active in presenting herself in person to the voters. “I
plan to be much more visible,” she promised.
Arceneaux says that she will not change her campaign strategy between
now and June. The three-term council member, who defeated attorney Frank
Wheaton in the 2001 city council runoff, plans to continue to talk about
what helped her win over 40% of the vote in the primary. “I think
that our message is very clear, and I think it resonated with the voters,” the
councilwoman stated.
During an interview last weekend as she was leaving the AIDS Walk
and dashing to a community meeting, Arceneaux told the Bulletin that she
did plan to become more accessible to the voter in the weeks leading to
June. “I will be more visible, and we plan on taking our campaign
door-to-door to reach more people,” the councilwoman pledged. “In
the runoff, I will do the same thins that I have focused on in the primary.”
The councilwoman listed her priorities as public safety, continued
dedication to Compton’s seniors and “being a hands on council
person. I may not be the best speaker, but what I do know how to do is
serve. And I’m ready to serve the citizens of Compton again,” she
said.
Unlike Arceneaux, Irving feels that the runoff is a different situation. “This
is an entire new election,” she contends. “It is a second chance
to get to know the voters and for them to get to know us.
Low Voter Turnout
All the candidates interviewed were disturbed by the very low voter
participation in the primary. Irving feels that one of the keys to
bringing more voters to the polls is to do what she called “engage,
educate and encourage.” Like Arceneaux, she plans to do more
precinct walking and more face-to-face meetings with residents. “I
think that I have to let the people see me more, so I will definitely
be more visible this time,” she promised.
Like the councilwoman and Kemp, Irving feels that public safety must
be a top priority.” “I will visit and station that I’m
invited to. If you extend n invitation to me, I’ll come.”
“Public safety is critical to any municipality, and if we are
going to bring the businesses to Compton that will help our city
than it
is crucial that we have a strong public safety team,” she concluded.
Kemp, who was named “Public Safety Man of the Year” by
the, feels that it is critical to let the voters know how important
public safety is, not only for the welfare of the residents of Compton,
but also to its economic growth and vitality. The market researcher
turned candidate for office stressed that pubic safety is not just
law enforcement. “Its also code enforcement and fire safety,” he
said.
“From the beginning, I have emphasized three things that I believe are
central to the growth of Compton: economic development that makes sense, a clean
city and public safety,” Kemp reiterated. “And that is the message
that I plan to take to the voters in the next six weeks.”
He also plans to bring two new issues to the forefront in the next round of campaigning.
One is a reduction is the Utility Users Tax, which he says will benefit property
owners, one of his principal targets in the runoff. “If elected, I also
plan on making it a policy to have employee reviews every six months,” Kemp
pledged.
“By reviewing the performance of city workers and city management every
six months,
we will out who is really n the citizen’s side,” he added.
Irving is of the opinion that in the second round she and the other candidates
must give the voters a reason to come out and vote. That, she feels, will energize
the citizens and bring more citizens to the polls. “Speaking for myself,
I think that I must do a better job at articulating what my vision of what I
want Compton to be,” she asserted.
Among the things that she will focus on is the need for balanced government. “The
residents are tired of partisan politics,” the school bard president stated. “We
have to put an end to the cronyism and the favoritism that is going on, especially
in city contracts. There should be no more ‘pay to play’ in Compton.”
Calls to Dobson’s council office for comment on this story went unreturned
as the Bulletin went to press.
ADVERTISE | CLASSIFIEDS | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | HOME
This site and its contents ©2005 thecomptonbulletin.com