Taking on the Government Old Foes Poised To Square Off Again in Walnut Council Fight
Walnut, CA Mayor Canidates Fight each other over RLC even after article is done!
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Check out the comments. These California candidates face off about scameras even after the article is done.
http://walnut.patch.com/articles/old-foes-poised-to-square-off-again-in-walnut-council-fight
Old Foes Poised To Square Off Again in Walnut Council Fight
Mayor Nancy Tragarz will likely face off against bitter political rival Michael West in 2012, for one of three contested seats on the Walnut City Council.
By Aldrin Brown, September 2, 2011
Less than two years after helping lead a failed attempt to recall current Mayor Nancy Tragarz, marketing manager and engineer Michael West said he’s very close to throwing his hat in the ring to challenge her for one of the three Walnut City Council seats up for grabs in November 2012.
West, who plans to make his intentions known by mid-September, would become the first known challenger for the coming council race.
“I ran in 2008 and I had a decent showing for a relative unknown,” West said. “For 2012, I’m really thinking about it…I’m about 80 percent (likely to run).”
West’s candidacy would rekindle one of Walnut’s rare political dustups of recent years. In 2009, West was the treasurer behind an effort to recall Tragarz and Councilwoman Mary Su, after accusing them of failing to vigorously oppose a plan to build a new professional football stadium in City of Industry.
West is also opposed to the operation of automated red light cameras in city intersections, a program that received renewed council support after a review in August.
City Councilmen Joaquin Lim and Antonio “Tony” Cartagena are also up for re-election. Messages left for both at city offices were not immediately returned.
And though the top three vote-getters will win election, West said he thinks Tragarz is the most vulnerable, despite her well-funded political operation.
“She’s a typical government-type,” he said. “I just want government to get back to basics.”
West ran against Tragarz and four other council candidates in 2008. Tragarz won her first term, coming in third with 1,065 votes. West came in sixth with 726 votes.
Two years ago, West was treasurer for Walnut Citizens Recall Committee. The 2009 recall campaign fell short when the proponents fell short of getting the 3,357 signatures required to get the on the ballot.
“There was no recall election because he could not get the support of the citizens,” Tragarz said.
Tragarz, a lawyer, confirmed this week that she is running for re-election in 2012, said the city is being well-managed and questioned the need for change on the council. She pointed to the city’s recent selection by CNNMoney.com as No. 57on the list of Best Places to Live 2011.
She also noted Walnut saw the highest increase in property values of any Los Angeles County city during the past year, with a spike of 4 percent.
“I think were doing a very good job running this city during the current (difficult) budget time,” she said.
Comments:
Michael West
8:47am on Friday, September 2, 2011
I think the headline is a bit too dramatic; I see a big difference in ideas between myself and Tragarz/Cartagena. It’s not a grudge match in my mind at all. I was involved in the recall campaign because I didn’t think both Mary Su and Nancy Tragarz were serious about defending Walnut from the stadium project without a proper EIR- nothing personal involved, I wanted action. There is a clear choice on the red light camera issue- I think we all know where I stand on that!
Log in to reply Robert Corona
8:47am on Friday, September 2, 2011
Go Michael Go!!! We need change! Good change..
I think you would be a cool glass of water in the middle of a marathon!
From your blogs, you would be an excellent candidate.
Log in to reply Howard Wang
10:08am on Friday, September 2, 2011
We need new thinking and new way of serving the Walnut residents and tax-payers: something that some of the incumbants seem to have forgotten.
Log in to reply peter chung
11:21am on Friday, September 2, 2011
When water stagnates, it rottens. So does the politics...!
We either need new thinking or changes to meet the challenges.
Log in to reply Nancy Tragarz
12:30pm on Friday, September 2, 2011
"Well funded political operation? Where does that come from Mr. West? I spent under $5,000 on my last campaign and I have $42 currently in my campaign account.
"Government type???" I have a business degree from USC and did accounting and fiance for Unisyses and Security Pacific National Bank before going to Law School. I practiced business litigation in the private sector after graduating. I have been a Cub/Boy Scout leader for the last nine years; Community Club President, Teasurer and more at Collegewood; Community Club Secretary, Treasurer, and Coordinating Council Rep. at Suzanne; and on School Site Council at both schools for a total of 7 years. I am currenty VP of WVUSD Coordinating Council and a WHS Band Booster. I have also been Pony Baseball and Soccer Team Mom many times as well as Room Mom for 8 years in both my sons' classes. I have also been teaching Sunday School for the last 14 years. I also was the chairman of my Walnut HS, 10, 20 & 30 year reunions. I believe I have been a community servent in Walnut for almost 40 years.
Log in to reply Michael West
1:14pm on Friday, September 2, 2011
Respectfully, I define a "government type" as someone that believes in more government: citizens don’t support the government watching them with cameras (you do). Taxpayers these days are afraid of more government spending for something like an Aquatic Center (you support that idea). People want the “little” things they vote for enforced, like the fireworks ban in Walnut- voters on that measure would have been appalled if they knew that someone would set up a fireworks stand 50 feet from the city and their city council wouldn’t even send a letter of protest (perhaps because big government has more “important” things to do). This is how I define it. [Thank you for engaging the public in this forum]
Pat
9:25pm on Friday, September 2, 2011
Nancy, I am very proud of you and all the efforts you have made to be an excellent
mother and role model to the other young mothers in Walnut. What a bonus the schools in Walnut got when you decided to volunteer your expertise and talents. It's a shame that some people try to make it seem like you aren't worthy to be on the City Council. You are bright, articulate, caring, and you have my vote.
Nancy Tragarz
1:44pm on Friday, September 2, 2011
We have an excellent swim team in Walnut, the Sharks. Plus we have older citizens and numerous other people in the city who would like a pool. As noted in the staff reports, we could break even on an aquitic center's operating costs. We are trying to get an outside grant for the cost to build the pool above the money already specially dedicated for that site by the settlement with Standard Pacific. As you can see we are not using Walnut tax payer money on this project. We enforce the fire work ban in Walnut. There are security cameras in banks, grocery stores and numerous other places. The red light camera wasn't put in to "watch people" but to prevent accidents and save lives, which it has done. No one has died in that intersection since there has been a red light camer. I do believe as long as you follow the laws there shoudln't be any problem with that light.
Log in to reply Brigid
2:10pm on Friday, September 2, 2011
Michael I wish you the best. Walnut needs council representatives who are there to work for the people and not their own self aggrandizement. Some council members are so out of touch with the community.
(Ban the Cams comment: I love how Nancy hides behind the less death claim wihtout given any facts, oh like WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THOSE WRECKS. Check this out in LA where LAPD LIED with Statistics on less death claim! http://www.banthecams.org/Blogs/example-of-how-the-scamera-side-lies-with-statistics.html
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