Page 4 April 17, 2014 TORRANCE TRIBUNE Election 2014 City Council Candidates ` from page 3 See City Council Candidates, page 5 Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L AW Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation 310-540-6000 *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization City is paramount in strengthening our future. My wife and I chose to move to Torrance 24 years ago for several reasons. We had three young children and wanted an excellent school district; all three graduated from Torrance Unified School District. Being in the military, I knew I would be traveling a lot, so safety was critical. We wanted to invest in growing housing market in the event we would have to sell and relocate. A solid business community with an excellent medical community was very important to us. Torrance had everything our growing family needed; I want to give back to a community which has given so much to us. Great Cities like Torrance don’t just happen by accident. I am committed to ensuring that future generations have the same, if not better, opportunities that we had -- to raise their families in a great vibrant, safe and growing community. Torrance voters should elect me because I have a proven track record of leadership with 28 years of military service and serving as executive director of a senior citizen foundation. I know how to work with people from diverse backgrounds to get things accomplished. Rahmat H. Khan: Answer not submitted by deadline. Leilani A. Kimmel-Dagostino: In order to be an effective member of the Torrance City Council, a candidate should possess 4 essential qualifications: 1. A background in finance – I have an MBA in Quantitative Analysis from Pepperdine University and I have been a Financial Consultant for 10 years. I know how to drill through budgets and ferret out inefficiencies and find cost savings. 2. A business background – I have owned my own small financial consulting business for the past 10 years and I am an active member of the Chamber of Commerce. 3. A government background – I worked for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles setting the Fair Market Value rate for the section 8 program and was in charge of the family self-sufficiency program. I have been a City Commissioner for the past 6 years and have served on two Ad Hoc City Committees. 4. A community service background – I have volunteered for many organizations including the Kashiwa Sister City Organization, Torrance Historical Society, Torrance CERT Disaster Service Team, Partners in Policing, Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, Go For Broke Education Foundation, HELP For Seniors, and the South Bay JACL. Ryan H. Mand: I’m not afraid to stand up for what I believe is right, even in the face of criticism and adversity. What do I believe in? I believe that gambling with the taxpayer’s money is wrong. Pensions take up 12% of expenditures from the General Fund, and is predicted to shoot up to 18% by 2020. I am not for excusing city employees from contributing to their pensions, when they’ll be receiving up to 90% of their salaries for the rest of their lives. I don’t see how these numbers can be taken lightly by anybody. I also stand up for the environment. Whether you believe in global warming or not; particulate matter and ozone from automobile emissions are still bad for our planet and public health. I also am not affiliated with ANY interest groups. I do not have a conflict of interests between my constituents and some group that wants to buy me out. I’m also not delusional. I don’t see Torrance as a perfect city, I see a city with a lot of room for improvement. Aurelio Mattucci: Over the past couple of years I have walked neighborhoods and talked to thousands of people. I’ve personally visited over 3,600 Torrance businesses and over 1,000 residents. I am a Torrance homeowner, a Torrance business owner, a husband and above all a father. I have a proven track record and my love for this country is immense. I remind the voters that I have not asked for any political endorsements, nor do I want to owe any political favors. I refuse to be just another political puppet. I feel we need to cut the chains that connect us to past and present administrations and start fresh. I am that fresh start. Omar Navarro: The voters should elect me because I’m not some political insider and I have no allegiance to unions and developers. The problem with our way of government is getting supported by these individuals who solely vote out of the benefit of unions and developers. I don’t want to see the city I grew up in be deprived of its future. We need a realistic plan and approach to keep this city balanced. The major issue is pensions. We have 220M in unfunded liabilities and nationwide it’s around 30 trillion almost double than the national debt of 19 trillion. Those that say this isn’t an issue. Well I call it pure blindness and I see a bankruptcy in the near future, which generation Y and X will have to handle and tackle. Clint Andrew Paulson: I am not accepting money from anyone in support of my campaign. I am not a wealthy man. My family lives on a tight budget. Nevertheless, I am willing to sacrifice a significant portion of our hard earned savings on this campaign because I think it is that important to give the voters a choice to vote for someone they can trust who will not have to answer to special interests or other groups cutting them the checks. Special interests are pouring a lot of money into this campaign in an effort to stack the deck with those they know will support their positions. That’s politics. I get that’s how the world works now, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m making a stand against money in politics and I hope you will join with me by supporting my campaign. Help me prove you don’t need to take a bunch of money from special interest groups to win an election. Vote Clint Paulson June 3rd. Geoffrey Rizzo: Answer not submitted by deadline. Alex M. See: I am an honest, open and dedicated individual. In every volunteer situation I have been involved in, I have worked energetically and sincerely for the best possible outcomes. It is often said that whatever I am involved in I go “Above and Beyond” what is expected. My success story, business background, engineering experience and community involvement, and professional training have enabled me to have the abilities to understand complex issues and budgets, and advocate for the needs of our great city. In addition, my unique cultural heritage and background will add a different perspective to examining city issues and solutions. Norm “Opa” Segal: My neighbors should want me to represent them on the Council because of my accounting background. There is nothing like having an accountant when you are dealing with $175 Million. Some people call us bean counters. I’m OK with that as long as we are watching out for and taking good care of the beans. I believe that I am the only professional accountant running for the Council. I am retired and have the time and energy to devote to the City. I am a 35 year resident and care very much about Torrance. I will be available to any resident who wishes to share their concerns with me. Charlotte Ann Svolos: Answer not submitted by deadline. John Paul Tabakian: I am the author of a study called, “The Academic Entrepreneur.” My study examined academic entrepreneurialism as a method of applying business principles to author, fund, and maintain marketable and relevant educational programs that further student success. My published research is the foundation for my plan to save SoCalROC (SCROC) for the long-term instead of these short-term fixes that do nothing to address the primary issue: political forces want to shut access to vocational trades. People fail to understand that investing in education is cheaper than throwing kids in jail. There is a correlation between employment and property crime. If we do not offer people, the opportunity to secure a career pathway, then that individual is more likely to steal your car. You do not need a doctorate in education to know that drops in employment lead to increases in crime. That is just one reason why the imminent closure of SoCalROC is troubling. Kurt Weideman: I believe that when the voters of Torrance look at the public record of my experience serving the community in leadership positions, and my knowledge of how government functions, they will find that I have the qualifications needed to move Torrance forward. Currently, I have the honor of serving the citizens of Torrance on the City Council. Prior to that I served seven years on the Planning Commission (twice as Chair), ten years on the local Workforce Investment Board (three years as Chair), three years as Chair of the El Camino College Bond Oversight Committee, three terms as President of the Torrance Historical Society, and two terms as President of the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation. My family has lived in Torrance for over 55 years. My wife, Sue and I have owned our home here for 29 years. My business career was spent at a local Aerospace firm where I retired in 2006 as Vice President & General Manager. My roots are in Torrance and I love this community. My message to the voters of Torrance is simple: I stand for efficient, effective and accountable Government; I have the experienced leadership and the dedicated commitment to serve them and the City into the future. Identify the most serious issues affecting the City and what you hope the City Council can do to improve them. Heidi Ashcraft: While walking Torrance neighborhoods and speaking with residents I have found one of their most serious issues is the condition of our city’s infrastructure, specifically the streets and curbs. The city has had to postpone infrastructure improvements during the recession in order to balance the budget. I believe we need to identify and schedule infrastructure needs, prioritize them and post them on the Torrance website for residents to see and follow, keeping the site updated as improvements are made. We need to make sure the city website is user friendly and easy to navigate. Our city is facing a pension issue. Torrance does have a plan to pay down our pension obligation the city is not going bankrupt. We need to be very diligent when negotiating future employee contracts. Tim Goodrich: I believe the most serious issues affecting the city include public safety, roads and infrastructure, and open, transparent, and efficient government. As someone who has volunteered with our public safety departments, started a neighborhood watch, and graduated from the partners in policing program, I look forward to continuing my work with our public safety personnel to make our neighborhoods safer. Regarding our roads and infrastructure, I work with civil engineers every day and I not only have experience in what it takes to make a city run well, but have a passion for it. Finally, I will work to implement today’s technology to make our City more open, transparent, and efficient. As a councilmember, I will make these three items my top priorities Douglass M O R T U A R Y “Our Family Serving Yours Since 1954” B U R I A L - C R E M A T I O N - W O R L D W I D E T R A N S F E R P E T M E M O R I A L P R O D U C T S 500 EAST IMPERIAL AVENUE EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245 Telephone (310) 640-9325 • Fax (310) 640-0778 • FD658
Torrance 04_17_14
To see the actual publication please follow the link above