Report on Election Was Misleading

The report (Times, April 15) on Monterey Park’s election was misleading. In my opinion, the main reason incumbents Barry Hatch and Patricia Reichenberger lost so badly is because they had to run on a record riddled with mismanagement and bloody City Hall infighting.

This is why they weren’t reelected. It isn’t because the city is “ . . . reaching an era of mutual tolerance among ethnic groups . . . “ as your reporter, Elizabeth Lu, put it.

In her article, she relied too heavily on UCLA sociologist John Horton’s study of Monterey Park’s Asian community. I have watched his efforts from the beginning. It was never an objective study, but a propaganda effort supported by groups who seek to divide America into separate and unequal minority groups. Why divide Americans into these groups?

In this election, a newcomer to civic leadership, (Asian-American) Sam Kiang, came in first. Councilman Fred Balderrama had the broad backing of a cross-section of the community, although he was described as a Latino during the campaign. To her credit, Councilwoman Marie Purvis was able to win without any labeling of her ethnic heritage at all.

In my opinion, Kiang, Balderrama and Purvis didn’t win because of their race. They won because they were qualified and the only alternative to four more years of Hatch and Reichenberger.

FRANK J. ARCURI

Monterey Park