,E[XLSVRI4VIWW8VMFYRI Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - December 31, 2015 2016: Happy New Year Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals ......................6 Classifieds ...........................3 Film Review .........................2 Finance .................................3 Food ......................................8 Legals ...............................6-7 Pets .......................................5 Police Reports ....................2 Sports ...................................4 Seniors .................................7 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 65°/42° Saturday Sunny 65°/46° Sunday Mostly Cloudy 62°/50° Herald Publications wishes you all a prosperous and happy New Year! Rivers McCullough, six-months-old, son of John and Alissa McCullough. Photo by Marcy Dugan. Hawthorne Council Discusses Filling Vacant Seat as Residents Call for Election Results to Guide Them By Derrick Deane Results from last month’s election continue to ripple through the City Council. At a special meeting held on December 16, the council set forth to figure out how to fill newly elected mayor Alex Vargas’ City Council seat. Many residents took to the podium to speak on behalf of the “third place candidate” to fill the seat, many of them stating that the council should respect the voice of the public who selected who they want to be their representatives. “You took an oath to respect and protect the vote,” Hawthorne resident and California Election Protection founding member and president, Carolyn Fowler said to the council members. “You talk about transparency and an election is transparent. This process that you’re coming up with will seek to overturn the election and the will of the people that just voted.” Other residents also felt that the election from last month served as an appropriate barometer as to who should fill the vacant seat. “I feel the election we just went though is an adequate indication of people’s preferences for the city council and since there is no latency between the time of election and the time of appointment, that the results should be valid for selecting the third candidate,” Hawthorne resident David Stodden said. “In addition to that, as a citizen of the city of Hawthorne, I don’t want to see the city expend a lot of expenditure to re-accomplish an election when we just had one.” That third place vote-getter that many were making mention of is Katrina Manning who also addressed the council as to why she should be appointed to the seat. “They want leadership that is transparent, ethical, and respects their values,” Manning said of Hawthorne residents. “I have the experience, the background, and proven community support that reflects my values. I desire this position because I am committed to Hawthorne.” Manning’s community outreach includes summertime mainstay events like Movies in the Park and organizing the city’s annual National Night Out celebration. “I think it’s critical to note that I earned the highest number of votes [among vacant seat candidates] in the last election [and lost] by only 34 votes,” Manning added. “This shows that I have strong number of residents in the community who believe in me and believe in my leadership and believe I can lead in the right direction.” In fact the only people who stood up in support of the City Council’s process were former Mayor Pro Tem Olivia Valentine and Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce president Patricia Donaldson. “I fully support this procedure. It’s extremely transparent,” Valentine said. “It should give the citizens confidence that the City Council has had the opportunity to review all the people who want to apply for the position and has had the opportunity to look at their applications and make sure they are choosing the most qualified candidate.” Valentine finished fourth in Election Day voting, 97 votes behind Manning. Others like Alex Montero supported the City Council’s approach but offered a few amendments, including a scoring system per each candidate to assess their strengths. Montero also suggested that the candidates have an additional minute to speak as to why they should be appointed to the seat. After a discussion, the City Council agreed that it was a good idea. “We don’t have to have an election and you have the right to select who you want to,” Montero told the council. “I also don’t agree on this third candidate option because there were only two seats vacant in that election and those two seats won fair and square.” The City Council has 60 days after Vargas vacated his seat to become the new mayor to fill it with a new council member. After an extensive and thorough discussion on how to fill the seat, a deadline of December 29 at 4 p.m. was given as a deadline for anyone who might be interested in filling the seat. The council will meet on January 19 to hear all candidates who wish to address the council. From there each council member will nominate a candidate. If there is a majority selection the first time around, then the nominations will go to a vote. In the event that a majority selection is not made during the first pass, the council will discuss and continue the nomination and voting process for up to eight rounds. If there is no appointment by the January 26 meeting, the City Council will vote on a special election resolution to fill the vacant seat. The special election would likely take place on June 7, 2016 and cost the city upwards of $80,000. “I don’t like the special election automatically kicking in,” Councilman Nilo Michelin said. “I want us to have as many opportunities to make a selection. Only after the January 26 do we vote on a special election, knowing that we really have until February 8 to pick somebody.” If someone is picked after the special election resolution is passed, the council will rescind it BOEàMMUIFWBDBOUTFBUXJUIUIFJSTFMFDUJPOr “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” – (LITTLE GIDDING) T.S. ELIOT The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne Text
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