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news
Mayoral hopefuls
visit CSULB
By Larry W. Brunson Jr.
On-line Forty-Niner
More than 500 students,
faculty and community members gathered Monday to hear the
Long Beach mayoral candidates field questions about the involvement
of Cal State Long Beach in the community, the port and neighborhoods
in Long Beach.
Organized by Associated
Students Inc. the debate was the first-ever held at CSULB
in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.
According to Se
Reed, press secretary for ASI, this was a collaborative idea.
"This was
everyone's idea [in ASI]. We wanted to get involved in the
city," Reed said.
Craig Smith, CSULB
professor of communication studies, acted as moderator and
was responsible for shrinking a long list of questions students,
faculty, staff and members of the community wished to ask
into only six questions which the candidates had 90 seconds
to answer.
One issue discussed
was the role CSULB plays in the city. All of the candidates
agreed that CSULB is an important part of Long Beach that
needs to be integrated more into the city's plans.
Some of the candidates
said they would like students to work directly in city offices.
"I want student
interns in the office, we need a youth commission for our
city," said candidate and Vice Mayor Dan Baker.
Candidate John
Stolpe, police captain for the Long Beach Police Department,
agreed.
"We need more
student internships and a mentorship program with CSULB,"
Stolpe said.
Norm Ryan, a Long
Beach Masonic Lodge member and community leader said he sees
a need for the community to look at CSULB differently.
"The city
of Long Beach looks at CSULB as a profit center. We need more
partnerships between CSULB and the community," he said.
The candidates
also discussed the Port of Long Beach and improvements that
need to be made in the area.
"The port
should be a little less antagonistic. The port is very important
but should not dictate our budget," Ryan said.
"The Port
of Long Beach is the busiest in the U.S. They are doing the
best they can with what they have," Mayor Beverly O'Neill
said.
O'Neill is attempting
to run as a write-in candidate for her third term, due
to new city term limitations, according to Paul Schmidt, professor
of political science at CSULB.
Another issue of
the debate was the effect of Sept. 11 on tourism. The candidates
suggestions ranged from building amusement parks to cleaning
up the beaches.
"We need family
type attractions," said Stolpe. "We must re-invite
amusement companies back to Long Beach and we need a pier
like Santa Monica."
Ryan said he thought
the city should focus on making the beaches more inviting.
"We invest
in things that we don't really know about," Ryan said.
"We need to have a beach."
According to Schmidt,
the mayoral candidates will have to invest a great deal of
money and time if they wish to be elected.
"A lot of
people don't realize how much it costs to run a campaign,"
he said. "It costs about $300,000 to $400,000, which
eliminates the average person."
Because the debate
was so brief, some members of the community said they were
unable to make decisions on the candidates.
Ann Denison, a
CSULB alumna who was invited to the event by the Alumni Association,
said the debate really didn't help her find a candidate who
stuck out in her mind.
"Actions speak
louder than words," Denison said.
Other community
members said they felt differently about the debate.
"All the people
defined themselves well in the process of the evening. I thought
this was a well run thing," Schmidt said.
Ron Noe, a candidate
for the 55th Assembly, said he is giving his support to Ryan
who was at the forefront of Proposition J, which is a bill
to reduce the utility tax in Long Beach.
"He's the
most qualified candidate to run for mayor. He's going to look
after the taxpayers, and I have the utmost confidence in his
ability," Noe said.
The next debate
will be Thursday evening at the Bixby Park Community Center.
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