Recalled Pair Among 16 in Baldwin Park Council Races

Some Baldwin Park residents think their city has an image problem, and 16 of them think they know how to solve it.

Better police protection, increased communication between residents and city officials, larger retail stores and a wider Main Street are just some of the proposals supported by the 16 candidates running for three positions in Tuesday’s special election.

Baldwin Park was left with only two City Council members after Mayor Jack B. White and Councilman Leo W. King were ousted in a recall election last March.

The name of a third councilman, Robert H. McNeill, who died in December, also appeared on the recall ballot, but the vote on his recall ended in a tie, so McNeill technically was not recalled.

Had a majority, or three of the five council members, been recalled, White and King would have been allowed to serve until the special election Tuesday. But since only two were recalled, the state Legislature approved special legislation that allowed Councilmen Richard Gibson and Bobbie Izell to conduct city business by themselves.

Undaunted by their recall, White and King are running again, although for different offices.

The other candidates are:

Anne G. Farkas, Bette L. Lowes and Frank Mamone, all running for mayor.

Arthur L. Salsameda, Eulogio (Eli) A. Roca, Terry O. Hughes, Carlo L. Leone, Albert E. Sanders, Henry J. Littlejohn and Julia S. McNeill, the councilman’s widow, all running for McNeill’s seat.

Gustavo M. Rodriguez, Justina (Tina) T. Ramirez, Raquel Corrales and Raul A. Reyes, all running for King’s seat.

White and King say that, because only 2,672 of the city’s 15,252 registered voters cast ballots in the March election, the recall did not reflect the will of the people.

They also contend that many voters cast ballots not against them but against a controversial utility tax and redevelopment project that sparked the recall.

Under state law, a person defeated in a recall election can run immediately for another position but must wait at least six months to run for the office from which he was ousted.

So King, 58, is seeking the mayoral position previously held by White, and White, 54, is seeking the council seat from which King was ousted. Both terms expire in April, 1988.

‘Every Right to Run’

“I have every right to run by law, and with the figures the way they are, why shouldn’t I run?” asked King, a retired engineer.

Despite the law, most of the other candidates have indicated that White and King should have bowed out after the recall and they cite the pair’s refusal to do so as the main reason they decided to run.

“They’re thumbing their nose at the people,” said Farkas, 55, a community activist who is running for mayor. “The people have turned them out of office. They have told the citizens: ‘Be damned.’ ”

Others wondered why King and White are risking a second defeat so soon after the first, especially when a regular election is scheduled next April.

“It doesn’t pay that much. It’s not such a prestigious position to be the mayor of Baldwin Park,” said Salsameda, 36, a salesman who is one of the seven candidates running to complete McNeill’s term, which expires in April, 1990. “Why run again? I just don’t understand.”

Other than the candidacy issue, the 16 on the ballot are running on similar platforms aimed at making Baldwin Park a better place in which to live.

Communication Urged

At the top of most of their lists is improved communication between city officials and residents. Some said the recall might not have occurred if councilmen had done a better job of keeping constituents informed about city programs.

As an example, many cited the imposition of a 5% utility tax in August, 1985, that took most residents by surprise.

“The utility tax is a good concept,” said Roca, 29, a printer who also seeks McNeill’s seat. “If it was spelled out to the public, the public would have been aware of that.”

Both White, a law enforcement executive who had served as mayor since 1978, and King acknowledge that they could have done a better job of informing residents about their actions. They said they should have considered publishing a community newsletter.

“The people need to know more about what we’re doing,” said mayoral candidate Lowes, 54, a homemaker.

“What I want is more communication for the people who are really affected by city matters,” said Roca.

More Police Wanted

Others, such as mayoral candidate Mamone, 64, a retired quality assurance officer with the Department of Defense, want the city to hire more police officers and possibly get bigger raises for those already on the city payroll. They believe that a larger, better-paid police force would reduce crime and make residents feel more secure.

Rodriguez, 27, a businessman who is one of the five candidates for King’s seat, said the city’s 63 sworn police officers cannot effectively serve Baldwin Park’s 60,000 residents.

“They’re underpaid, understaffed, and some of the equipment they need to fight crime is outdated,” Rodriguez said.

Other candidates, such as Hughes, 28, a lawyer who is running for McNeill’s seat, would work to improve neighborhood surveillance programs to ensure that residents, especially children, feel safe in the city.

Better Maintenance

Residents are also concerned about maintenance of the city, for both practical and aesthetic reasons.

“Driving through the city of Baldwin Park, I see a lot of need for street cleaning, sidewalks, gardening,” said Leone, 52, a union representative who seeks McNeill’s seat. “My main concern is . . . to make Baldwin Park look like the beautiful city it’s supposed to be.”

King and several other candidates would work to widen Main Street from Park Street to Romona Boulevard for better traffic and pedestrian circulation.

“Police (cars), fire (engines) and ambulances have been trapped in there,” King said. “It just isn’t a safe thoroughfare as it is.”

Sanders, 38, a house-husband who is running for McNeill’s seat, said he wants the city to study several unmarked intersections that appear to pose a danger for both drivers and pedestrians.

Corrales, 40, a cosmetologist, and Reyes, 31, a federal worker, who both seek King’s seat, said they would attempt to attract large retail stores to Baldwin Park instead of mini-malls that generate little tax revenue. They said residents have to travel to West Covina for entertainment and much of their shopping.

“In Baldwin Park we don’t have any movie theaters, bowling alleys, skating rinks,” said Corrales. “The kids don’t have any place to go.”

Industry Sought

Littlejohn, 73, the city’s first mayor and a candidate for McNeill’s seat, said he also wants the city to try to attract more industry.

“It costs big money to do some things nowadays,” said Littlejohn. “I realize that it takes more than just revenue from a bedroom city.”

Aside from King, White and Littlejohn, the candidates are all newcomers seeking their first elective office, but many said their life experiences have prepared them for their candidacy.

“Being a mother of eight children, I have had to listen carefully to what they say and weigh what is best for them,” said Ramirez, 49, a homemaker who is running for King’s seat. “I think I can do that for the Baldwin Park residents.”

Julia McNeill, 65, a retired cardiovascular technician, said she decided to run not only to continue the work of her late husband but because she felt dedicated to the city.

‘Involved With Everything’

“I care very deeply for the city and the people who are in it,” said McNeill. “I have been involved with everything in Baldwin Park, since I have lived here for the last 24 years.”

But many, like Leone, said they decided to run as a way to help the city overcome the dissension caused by the recall election.

“I’m not saying I’m the best one for the job,” said Leone, who has lived in Baldwin Park for four years. “But I feel I can do the best I can.”