With last week’s not so surprising announcement of Yvonne Arceneaux’s retirement, from the Compton city council, speculation mounts as to whether a costly special election will be held or will someone be appointed to her seat. 2 Urban Girls has identified two potential up and comers, who are worthy of consideration.
[adsenseyu2]
Tomas Carlos is a long time resident of the 3rd district. He attends mostly all of the city council meetings and is well versed in issues plaguing those in the Richland Farms area. Parking issues, illegal dumping and educating street vendors on business decorum, are hot button issues. Carlos has been on the front line for years.
On the other hand, Byron “BJ” Abron is a young lawyer from Compton, and is no stranger to the community. He was born and raised in the 3rd district and graduated from Cal State Long Beach and Southwestern Law School. He has worked with local youth empowerment programs and is gaining visibility as a potential candidate
2 Urban Girls looks forward to seeing what action the council takes by the February 2016 deadline.
*update 12/28/2015*
Robert Ray has already filed papers to run for the 3rd district in 2017. He is a former volunteer with the LA County Sheriff, LGBT advocate and member of the Compton Task Force addressing crime and gangs. He is a regular fixture at city council meetings. Our apologies for the omission.
8 Comments
The question was “should there be a costly special election or an appointment”? The City Charter, section 505 states the “Council shall appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the next election for that seat”. No need to spend money on a special election.
I hope we get someone who DOES NOT live in Richland Farms. Even with the extremely flawed parking regulations, the same complaints continue. I hope we can find someone who can be more objective. There might be a need to form a Richland Farms Commission or Committee of citizens with mixed points of view on parking, etc.
The council needs someone who truly cares about the city and has community support via campaign contributions, that ensures they look out for their inerests, not a corporation or someone already on the dais.
RF is only part of the 3rd district and its a very small area compared to the size of the entire 3rd district.
The parking regulations have always been a challenge not only for RF but for the district and city as a whole on many levels.
From enforcing, to processing the citations.
Being objective is the only way you are going to be able to see
the challenges and the opportunities that exist to make the district
a better place to call home.
I believe that there should be committees or commission in every neighborhood, lead by people who are rooted,vested in the community and are unconditional when it comes to volunteering and helping out in their community.
I also believe that certain groups already exist.
IE: Block Club,Concerned Citizens,Local Churches
The 3rd district has been my home for over 30 years, and I’ve learned that there is only so much you can do by working in the back ground.
“When the servant is ready, the service will appear”
Many of us donate and don’t make it public. I would not be proud to say I was here for 30 years and this is what we have. But, hey, what do I know? For all the things that have been said behind my back that I know of, y’all have fun with that.
What’s your opinion on the appointment???
And, for the record, I have put in my request for that seat. When Mrs. Arceneaux first announced that this would be her last term I filed my candidate papers. It will be interesting to see who they pick.
As a resident I really look forward to integrity. There are other candidates who have put their interests in the 3rd district seat. Many of those people salivate for the seat and have no real interest in changing. The Mayor and city council should be very careful in their appointment. The last time Compton Mayor Perrodin appointed a member to the council it was a disaster and voters were left wholly dismayed. The best candidate for the 3rd district is one who is articulate, young and energetic and has no committment to anyone at city hall. It is time that the city elect another champion for the people just as Yvonne Arceneaux has been.