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news
Mayoral candidates
come to CSULB
By Jamie Rogers
On-line Forty-Niner
The mayoral election
will be upon the citizens of Long Beach on April 9, 2002 and
in effort to attract votes the candidates will take part in
their first debate tonight at the Carpenter Performing Arts
Center.
This will be the first mayoral debate held at Cal State Long
Beach and was organized by Associated Students Inc. This is
the candidate's chance to inform CSULB students what they
can do for the university and the city, said Chris Dollar,
executive administrator for A.S.I.
"We here at A.S.I. wanted to get students involved with
local issues," Dollar said. "It is our chance to
flex our political muscle. They say that all politics starts
local."
The debate will begin at 6:30 p.m. when each of the six candidates
will give a two-minute opening remark and then take part in
a question-and-answer session, moderated by Craig Smith, CSULB
professor of communication studies.
Following the debate is a free concert featuring the winner
of the CSULB Battle of the Bands.
The mayoral candidates are:
Dan Baker
Vice Mayor Dan Baker came to Long Beach in 1988 when he served
as federal officer for the U.S. Customs Service for 11 years
at the Ports of Long Beach. His concern for the community
led him to join the civil service and he was unanimously elected
vice mayor in July 2000. He was re-elected to city council
in April 2000 to represent the 2nd district.
He has served as chair for the State Legislation and Environmental
Affairs Committee and vice chair of the Federal Legislation
and Environmental Affairs, just to name a few of the boards
and organizations he belongs to.
A major concern of Baker's is supporting the youth of Long
Beach. He is a Big Brother and a mentor at Poly High School
Pacific Rim Academy and is a teacher in the Long Beach Unified
School District.
Ray Grabinski
A Long Beach native, Councilman Ray Grabinski knows
the city well. After attending Jordan High School and Long
Beach City College, Grabinski joined the U.S. Army.
Since then, he served as councilman in the 7th district from
1986 to 1994, was reelected in 1998 and is currently serving
his third term.
During his tenure as a civil servant, Grabinski has served
on several boards and committees, including the Los Angeles
County Transportation Commission as chairman from 1991 to
1992, the chairman of the Housing and Neighborhoods Committee
from 1998 to 1999 and vice chair from 1999 to 2000.
He also serves on the board of the Southern California Association
of Governments, is a member of the League of California Cities
and is vice chair of the Economic Development and Finance
Committee.
Beverly O'Neill
Mayor Beverly O'Neill was elected to office in 1994 and is
seeking reelection this year. Since her election, she has
focused on international trade, tourism, technology, retail
and neighborhood development.
She has been successful in bringing issues important to the
city of Long Beach to the attention of lawmakers in Washington,
D.C. Her influence in the capitol has helped to revitalize
the areas owned by the Navy.
O'Neill has spent her entire life in Long Beach and graduated
from CSULB. One of her top priorities as mayor is empowering
the city's youth, she said. She does this through the "Long
Beach Promise for Youth" initiative.
John Stolpe
John Stolpe has been an employee of the city of Long Beach
for more than 20 years. He said he plans to utilize his intimacy
he gained while walking the city's streets as a police corporal.
If he is elected, he said he plans to continue to walk those
streets, getting to know citizens and their concerns.
Interested in attracting youth to city employment, Stolpe
said he would like to implement an intern program for students
ages 18 to 21.
Along with encouraging youth to join the city's workforce,
Stolpe said he would like to ensure that current city employees
remain satisfied on the job. To do this, he would encourage
City Hall to evaluate the civil service job promotion and
testing process. A process, he said, that can sometimes be
frustrating and appear unfair to civil service employees.
Norm Ryan
Born and raised in Long Beach, Norm Ryan has worked toward
the betterment of the city since attending Poly High School
Pacific Rim Academy and Jordan High School.
After graduating from high school, Ryan enlisted in the Army
then attended Cal State Long Beach in the ROTC program. He
served in the Persian Gulf War where he was promoted to captain.
Ryan is active in community service and is a member of the
Long Beach Masonic Lodge, the downtown Long Beach Lions, was
on the board of directors of the Young Horizons and fundraised
for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Heart Association.
In November 2000, Ryan crafted a citizen's initiative that
passed unanimously that led to the Measure J Utility Tax Cut.
David Wong
Local businessman David Wong has one goal in mind for the
city of Long Beach, to clean it up. He said he imagines a
new era of accountability and cooperation for the city. He
said he wants residents and civil servants alike to have access
to a friendly and helpful city hall.
Wong said he intends to be a highly visible mayor, if elected.
He said he would like to establish a "21st Century Identity"
for Long Beach by diversifying the economic base of the city.
Wong said his major concern is bringing city hall's involvement
to every corner of the city, including those areas that are
typically left behind. Addressing the diversity of the city,
Wong said if he were mayor he would find ways to improve the
treatment of all residents and visitors to the city, no matter
what their background.
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