* The 6th forum took place at the George Nakano Theater and focused solely on Torrance Arts. Since the other forums focus on a verity of issues I personally believe they are more deserving of intimidate coverage. Therefore the Geoerge Nakano Theater will be given a review at a later date.
The 7th forum in a series of eight forums took place Monday May 19th at
Cliff Numark had an excellent showing at the forum. When asked what was the first thing he thought of when Torrance came to mind, Cliff spoke of a great community, which held many local events and had incredible city services. If they city were to ever take in less then it spent Cliff would find the source of the deficit. If it was short term he would use the economic anomaly fund to get through the minor economic decline. If it was more long term he would institute a zero-based budget starting a budget from scratch where every thing is on the table to be cut in order to create a new, stable and balanced budget. Finally Cliff addressed being a good listener is the key to being a team player and how he uses team work to achieve results at his job at the American Red Cross.
Kurt Weideman also came out strong and energetic and had a phenomenal performance. Kurt brought up in his opening statement that he was not a politician but rather a neighborer and a citizen that would offer on the council a spirit of honor and integrity. Kurt showed his expertise in traffic stating that extending Del Amo Boulevard to Artisia would decrease traffic on 190th and Torrance Boulevard. If Kurt were able to tell the people in Sacramento something about the budget problems in California he would tell them to quit ignoring the budget problem and putting their heads in the sand. Kurt said balancing the budget is a non-partisan issue and he would bring fiscal-expertise to the council. Kurt opposes any attempt to allow the sale of jet fuel at Torrance airport because he has seen no objective study on the significant benefits it would bring to Torrance. Kurt also said he would fix the noise abatement system that measures the loudness of planes flying over the city. Kurt also said he would step down from various commissions and boards if he were elected to the city council but would keep his position on the Torrance historical society and Torrance Library Foundation.
Rod Guyton came out strong in the forum by saying he supports the extension of Del Amo Boulevard to Artisia for it would quickly get commuter traffic onto the freeway and lessen congestion on city streets. Rod also brought a humorous point when he said he wrote a letter to the Daily Breeze telling Fabien Nunez that in the private sector a pay raise from the legislature during times of debt would get him fired. Rod said his expertise on how to deal with a budget as a small business owner would help him deal with large scale city finances. When it came to Torrance Historical Preservation Zones he would give tax incentives to those who lived in those areas in Torrance as a financial incentive to keep and preserve their old town Torrance home. Rod has no boards or commission to step down from if he were to be elected to the city council but Rod says he would continue is commitment as a coach to Rivera Little League Sports.
Pat Furey came with his usual passion when talking about how the extension of Del Amo Boulevard to Artisia would open up a freer flow of traffic on the most congested hours and allow for more tolerable traffic during other hours of the day. Pat also came out roaring when talking about how the word "smart development" was a buzz word for nobody would ever oppose "smart" development just as somebody would never be in favor of dumb development. Pat said he fought the 917 condominium units places surrounding the Del Amo mall area and the 270 near it's financial center. Pat has worked with 11 homeowners associations to stop over development. Pat would gradually implement more Torrance Historical Preservation Zone (HPZ) for two, three or four houses at a time and would also enforce the Mills act giving tax breaks to those in the HPZ's. When asked what Pat would say to leaders in Sacramento about the states budget problem he said he would tell them to get their heads out of their... Ultimately he said the people will tell the legislators what they need to do at the ballot box.
Mike Mauno was enthusiastic about actively campaigning for the school bond and also pointed out that he would force Exxon Mobile to pay it's fair share in property taxes which would result in a little less than 1/2 of all Torrance property taxes going to the schools. Mike would tell the leaders in Sacramento who have created a budget mess to live within your means and plan for something. Mike said they were more irresponsible than your average teenager and was disappointed for their lack of leadership in balancing the budget. Mike would enforce the Mills Act giving tax breaks to those in HPZ's. Mike also said he would place more sign age around Old Town Torrance to promote it. Mauno said he had concerns about government telling people what it can and cannot do with their homes. Mike said smart development requires a look at each project on a case by case basis and said that while he was on the council he voted for only 50% of the projects that came to him, the lowest of anyone on the council at the time.
Susan Rhilinger came with a steady performance saying better communications is the key to more accountability when it came to school funding being used properly. She brought up how when it came to solving the city's possible budget crisis she would look what is "bread and butter, cake and frosting" and would cut the frosting, would cut the cake if necessary and would not touch the bread and butter. Before going forwards with a HPZ's Susan would ask what areas would be in the zone first and make sure it was in the best interest of Down Town Torrance. To Susan smart development is when you ask the question what impact will this development has on our schools, traffic, aesthetics and utilities.
Gene Barnett was brave to address the amount of cynicism that would come about if a school bond measure is passed but said that he would ensure that the public could have a say and be aware of where the money was being spent if the schools received the bond money. When deciding what would need to be cut when it came to making a more fiscally sound budget Gene said he would reach out to the community and ask them what city services would we do without. Instead or smart development Gene proclaimed we needed right development and said development should be guided by the general plan. Gene pointed to the houses near Wilson Park as an example of wrong development.
Finally the person at the end of the table but certainly not least was Tim Goodrich. Tim says that the schools receiving more money from a bond measure would be an investment in Torrance for if the schools are not up to par people will not move to Torrance and businesses will refuse to locate in a city where people would not want to move. Tim also when asked how he would work as a team player on the city council said that is service to the military taught him duty before self, honor, integrity, respect and the need to work as a team to complete a mission. He would bring that same quality and team work if he were in on the city council.
Those are my reviews of the candidates that made the most significant impact at the forum; there is only one more forum left so I encourage everyone to attend on the North High School Forum this Thursday!
Torrance Election 2008
"Because We Want More Than Sound Bites"
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