Controversial mayor seeks third term 

By John Caldwell
Daily Forty-Niner

Success and controversy have marked Cal State Long Beach alumnus Omar  Bradley's two terms as mayor of Compton.

Bradley announced he would seek a third term at a Compton City Council meeting earlier this month. The 42-year-old incumbent said he wants to seek out some large economic development projects, including the construction of a movie multiplex, and wants the chance to tackle some new projects.

"Our educational system is beleaguered," Bradley said, of Compton's K-12 schools. "I can no longer stand back and see children without textbooks."

A Compton native, Bradley grew up and went to school in the city's predominantly black culture. A graduate of radio and television communications in 1981, he credits CSULB with giving him the necessary tools to advance his political career.

"Looking back it was positive," Bradley said. "It was an opportunity to co-mingle with people of various backgrounds."

Compton was in trouble when Bradley took the helm, he said. Dead dogs, abandoned grocery carts and rampant crime were among its most prominent attributes.

"At one point we had double the county average of unemployment," Bradley said.

The redevelopment of City Hall and the Civic Center, improvements in public housing and a dramatic decrease in the unemployment rate are among Bradley's accomplishments as mayor. He also claims credit for the introduction of a large casino and several large chain stores, and prides himself on $100 million of new infrastructure without a raise in taxes.

But his opponents have accused him of using heavy-handed tactics to control city government.

"I think Mr. Bradley's days as mayor are numbered," said District Attorney Eric Perrodin. "I think the sentiment in the city is a need for change."

Perrodin said he would run against Bradley, who fired Perrodin's brother, Percy, from his job as police captain last year. The two have had a tenuous relationship, including a quarrel at a council meeting last June in which Bradley had to be physically restrained.

Perrodin accused  Bradley of appointing family members to key posts, and blamed him for a lack of Latino city officials in a predominantly Latino city.

"I really didn't want to seek any kind of political office," Perrodin said. "But I think I'm the best person to bring respectability back to Compton."

The Compton police department was disbanded Sept. 16. The police union voted no confidence against Bradley in January, and four officers filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city government in September, stemming from a confrontation between officers and the mayor at a council meeting and claims that Bradley sought to dismantle the department to silence his critics.

Bradley shrugs off those critics with confidence, however, saying he will win a third term with at least 70 percent of the vote.

"I don't see it as a problem," Bradley said. "I will defeat everyone who runs against me solidly."

Omar Bradley