ANAHEIM : Barnett Says She’ll Seek Council Seat

Jo Ann Barnett, a longtime board member of the Anaheim Union High School District, has announced that she will seek a City Council seat in the November election.

Barnett, 58, has served for 19 years on both the city elementary and high school boards and believes that the city should be paying more attention to the problems of gangs and drugs.

“I think it’s about time the city recognizes that there are some gang problems here,” Barnett said. “I think we need to put more money into the gang-suppression efforts.”

She would also like to bring more cohesion to the often-antagonistic council, a role she said she has had much experience playing in her many years as a school board member.

“I can work with other people--that’s my strong point,” she said.

Though she ran for the council unsuccessfully in 1982, she said she learned that funding is an essential part of a winning campaign. “A lot of people told me that if you had waged a campaign, you would have won it. So this time, I’m going to do it,” she said.

Barnett raised about $5,000 at a recent back-yard barbecue, her first campaign function. She expects to raise about $80,000 to $100,000 in her bid for the seat.