“Elections have consequences”.
This infamous quote was famously coined by former United States President Barack Obama after his 2009 inauguration and in reference to his meetings with Republican Congressional leaders in the aftermath of his historic election as the 44th President of the United States and the first, African-American to serve as President in United States history.
This pronouncement – simple but profound – holds significant weight as voters in the City of Inglewood can exercise their collective voice and power by potentially electing two new members to the Inglewood city council and possibly a new City Clerk this coming November.
Keeping in mind that elections do have consequences and given Inglewood voters most recent voting patterns, If I’m Inglewood Mayor James Butts I have to begin to question whether simply, “keeping the team together” serves as an effective and compelling enough argument in returning his allies to the council; long-time Councilmember Eloy Morales Jr. and former Inglewood Unified School District Board member and first term Councilwoman Dionne Faulk.
Surely it’s hard to argue against Inglewood’s success and exponential growth since James Butts’ reign as mayor, but with him narrowly avoiding a runoff in his most recent campaign against an underfunded and lesser-known candidate Fredrisha Dixon, begs the question, does the Mayor still have the ” magic ” to carry his allies across the finish line in helping them secure their re- election bid?
Well if we’re to look at recent history, the answer is more complex than meets the eye, as the mayor who describes himself as the mayor who “fixes things” his resume and debatable popularity weren’t enough to carry his former Council ally and District 1 representative George Dotson across the finish line despite the mayor’s pleas to keep the team together through strategically placed billboards around town. George Dotson was ultimately defeated by long-time Inglewood politician Gloria Gray.
Should the Mayor be worried?
If the collective goal is keeping the team together the answer is yes!
The additional loss of just one ally on the council wouldn’t necessarily spell doom and gloom but the loss of both Councilman Eloy Morales and Councilwoman Dionne Faulk could drastically change the makeup of the council and in turn destroy the carefully orchestrated image of a united front that the mayor often proudly boasts of begging the question how will the mayor respond to a council that for the first time can not only challenge the carefully orchestrated image of unity that he often touts but a council emboldened by a mandate given to them by the voters to challenge his authority?
With that said, it is clear the mayor will plant his allies (commissioners, flunkies, and the like) to file nomination papers in order to neutralize votes with the hopes that the incumbents remain in their seats.
Candidate’s messaging has to be clear and concise to show: 1) they know the issues facing residents particularly homeowners who continue to face mounting property tax bills due to the amount of bond debt being levied on them at the behest of the mayor, 2) that they have sound and rational ideas to address these issues, and 3) they have to discuss the taking back of our schools through restoring local control.
The Los Angeles Times recently published a glossy feature on the mayor where he says, and I quote, “What’s happening [in Inglewood] isn’t gentrification, it’s integration”.
Homeowners are happy. But not renters, many of whom are Black and Latino. As people of means — many of them white — continue to move to Inglewood, there’s a push to keep them out.
That irks Butts.
“My intent was to provide a city that had jobs for the residents and would give them properties that would provide generational wealth for their children,” he complained. “I knew all I’d hear about was gentrification.”
James T. Butts Jr.: Bare-knuckled mayor who rebuilt Inglewood
The only jobs being created are part-time. Current residents can’t afford the price of a home in Inglewood with asking prices upwards of $800,000 on a part-time salary. Inglewood has become a city of the haves vs the have-nots and the have-nots have the numbers to drastically shift the trajectory of the City should they make their voices heard at the ballot box.
The other side of the “integration” the mayor speaks of involves the recent heartbreaking eviction of 85-year-old Marie Riggans, who had her door kicked in by sheriff’s deputies who drug her out of her Carlton Square home in handcuffs two months ago. The new owners who arranged her eviction are Asian investors who acquired the home after her HOA foreclosed on her.
You see the greed being seen in Inglewood is aggressive, ugly and is causing an unquantifiable toll on resident’s mental health as they live in fear of being priced out of the place they call home.
The City needs elected officials who will fight aggressively on their behalf but need a clear message that they will no longer rubber stamp every whim that the mayor thinks is a good idea because he dreamed it up while pumping iron in the city’s gym.
It’s time Inglewood voters demand more from their elected officials and it starts with having the best candidates to choose from.
Marvin McCoy
The nomination period begins on Monday, July 15, 2024, and closes on Friday, August 9, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
