Challengers Stress Need for Development, Safety

The political hopefuls in the 6th District look around and see neighborhoods struggling to lure businesses while racked by crime and drugs.

And they claim that in the six years Clarence Smith has been in office, he has failed to develop strong programs to deal with those problems.

“He’s not a visionary person,” says Doris Topsy-Elvord, a Civil Service commissioner who rattles off rapid-fire criticisms of Smith. “He simply does knee-jerk reactions.”

She faults him for supporting tax increases, blames him for the slow pace of redevelopment along Atlantic Avenue and maintains that he has neither the energy nor the imagination to meet the challenges of the troubled district.

Over in the Wrigley neighborhood in the western part of the district, community organizer Dan Cangro charges that Smith has ignored the area while taking credit for the accomplishments of community groups. Terry McClure says the district needs more clout, and Ronnie L. Barnes says youth need more help.

“Nothing has ever moved as fast as I would like it to,” Smith responds, listing various efforts he has undertaken to tackle the district’s troubles. He has sought more money for parks and recreation and supported affordable-housing programs. He has also pressed the Police Department to impound the cars of people arrested for patronizing prostitutes, and successfully pushed an ordinance that gives the city more muscle in forcing landlords to evict drug dealers from buildings.

As for his support of tax increases, he said “they were necessary to maintain the level of service that the community deserves.”

Regarding police protection, Smith notes that the council has found the money to add more officers in recent years and has supported management’s efforts to increase patrols. He is also a strong advocate of the Citizen Police Complaint Commission.

All of the candidates, with the possible exception of McClure, want to keep the Long Beach Police Department. “That would be a huge loss to the city in jobs and infrastructure,” Cangro said of a proposal to disband the department and replace it with sheriff’s patrols.

Although the Sheriff’s Department could be more effective, McClure says, he would vote to keep the Police Department if that’s what his constituency wanted.

The candidates offer differing views on the construction of single-room-occupancy hotels, a simmering controversy in the city. Smith, McClure and Topsy-Elvord favor them on a trial basis, while the others oppose them. Topsy-Elvord added that there is enough affordable housing in Long Beach, it just needs to be fixed up.