1_LBBJ_Mar18_SectionA_LBBJ MASTER LAYOUT 3/16/14 8:03 PM Page 20
POLITICALWIRE 20 Long Beach Business Journal
March 18-31, 2014
Our Choices For Best (Most Effective) And Worst (Oops) Mailers On the left, the mailer – for by the paid Independent Committee to Elect City Attorney Charles Parkin 2014 – tells it all. It’s the most effective mailer the Business Journal has seen so far in the 2014 campaign season. At right, the campaign staff for mayoral candidate Bonnie Lowenthal failed to look at the photo. Yup, that’s the San Diego skyline. By the way, no truth to the rumor that Lowenthal is running for mayor in both cities. (Continued From Page 1)
not win any other way. Johnson does not have the experience to serve as city attorney. And he knows it. It appears, based on his mailers, he also lacks the professionalism and high ethical standards the office requires of its city attorney. Parkin has worked with the city attorney’s office for 15 years. Last year, the city council appointed him city attorney to fill the unexpired term of the former city attorney, Bob Shannon, who has endorsed Parkin – as have all 19 attorneys in the city attorney’s office. They know that experience does matter when it comes to being the legal advisor for the city. Johnson is resorting to negative advertising and misinformation, and relying on his
political alliances to win. The city attorney post is a non-partisan office that has intentionally been made partisan by Johnson. The problem – and deep concern from throughout the community – is that it could work. Numerous well-known politicians are supporting Johnson and uniformed voters may follow their lead. Individuals such as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Congressman Alan Lowenthal should be ashamed backing an individual who is illprepared to provide legal advice to the city. Johnson, who for years hasn’t been able to get a job at a law firm, wants to be the top lawyer for a city which has very complex legal issues. Johnson is misleading voters about the
Long Beach Business Jour nal Journal
Coming Attractions
role of the city attorney’s office. He claims in a mailer that he will “protect city resources that fund public safety” and fight for pension reform and other items, yet he knows full well the city attorney does not set policy. In another flyer he tries to take credit for a low crime rate and associates himself with police: “Working with our police . . . ”, yet the police officers endorsed Parkin. He claims that while serving as assistant city auditor he made “government more efficient and effective,” yet his former boss has not endorsed him. A mailer featuring a letter from Congressman Lowenthal states: “The next city attorney must be more than just a lawyer – he must be a leader who can bring people together to solve problems.” Again, the position is not that of a policymaker, which Lowenthal, a former city councilmember, should fully understand. Not once in the letter does Lowenthal refer to Johnson’s experience as an attorney. Not once.
Lowenthal Mistakes Mayoral candidate Bonnie Lowenthal continues to have missteps, including the recent mailing blunder that received statewide publicity. Her campaign staff ran a background picture of the San Diego skyline instead of Long Beach with the headline, “Getting things done in Long Beach” (see photographs of our best and worst mailers on this page). Last month, she failed to respond to part two of the four-part series of questions from the Business Journal. Another mistake by campaign staff. More recently, she showed her ignorance of how Long Beach city staffers have been taking care of potholes. In a mailer to voters she stated: “Do you have a pothole? . . . Bonnie will make sure it gets fixed within six months of her election.” Really? That means taxpayers will have to wait much, much longer under a Lowenthal administration to get it fixed. Right now, potholes are fixed in less than
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Mayoral candidate Damon Dunn was endorsed by the Long Beach Jobs Political Action Committee, not the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce as he shows on this mailer. (The red circle is provided by the Business Journal.) The Chamber organization cannot endorse candidates for political office. Same goes for the mailer below by 3rd District city council candidate Suzie Price, which includes a statement from the chair of the chamber board of directors.