‘Image Thing’ Common Aim of Candidates : Politics: Among nine running for two council seats, almost all want to change the perception that the city is run-down and dangerous, and that City Hall is unfriendly.

Like other cities, this one has its problems with graffiti, crime, overworked police and inadequate parks or recreation activities for youngsters with too much time on their hands.

But in the minds of many of its leaders and longtime residents, Compton’s biggest problem involves what might be called the “image thing.”

“You tell people you live in Compton, and they say, “You must be kidding,’ ” said Marcine Shaw, a retired senior deputy to former county Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

Shaw is among nine candidates running for two City Council seats. Nearly all of them say that if voters choose them April 20, they will work to change the public perception of Compton as a place of decrepitude and danger.

For example, candidate Vernell McDaniel, a city code enforcement officer, promised to “make Compton a place where people want to come.”

Shaw and McDaniel are among the candidates seeking the 2nd District seat left vacant by Councilwoman Patricia Moore, who is running for mayor. They face opposition from former Councilman Floyd James and Lynn Dymally, a member of the Compton Unified School District board.

The 2nd District includes all city territory north of Compton Boulevard and east of Willowbrook Avenue.

In the 3rd Council District, incumbent Bernice Woods faces four challengers: real estate broker Lugene R. Brooks, business owner Fred Cressel, personnel clerk Yvonne Arceneaux, and aerospace engineer-turned-clothing designer Haywood James.

The district covers city territory south of Compton Boulevard and west of Willowbrook.

Although the council candidates must live in the district in which they are running, they are elected at large. In each race, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to win; otherwise the two top vote-getters will meet in a runoff.

In the quest to polish the city’s image, almost all candidates are proposing ways to make Compton look better. They promise to clean up graffiti, crack down on drug houses, fill potholes and pick up litter.

But several of them also say that in order for the city’s image to truly change, City Hall must change. Nearly all of the candidates say the city must become a friendlier and more professional place to attract more business and create more citizen involvement. Some say they are ashamed by the public bickering that has dominated city politics, particularly during last spring’s riots, when council members were fighting with one another while stores were being robbed and set afire.

Other candidates say residents feel shut out of City Hall and intimidated and ignored by their representatives.

The City Council’s recent decision to approve a card casino project as part of a multimillion-dollar entertainment center--without first submitting it to a vote of the people--was the height of arrogance, most of the candidates said.

“The power needs to be put in the hands of the people,” Arceneaux said.

Every candidate with the exception of Woods, who voted for the casino project, said that if they had been on the council they would have asked the voters to decide whether the project should be built. However, only Arceneaux has taken a strong stand against the casino, saying, “There are no benefits to gambling.” Woods defended her decision, saying she was just doing her job.

“Most of the people I know were for the club,” she said. “They elected me to make these kinds of decisions, and we didn’t feel we had the money to spend on the ballot question.”

For a town in which personal attacks are prevalent during campaign seasons, the races for the council seats have remained remarkably clean. Still, the records of some candidates have sparked questions.

James, for instance, was indicted on several counts of election fraud during his third term in office. In 1987, he pleaded no contest to one charge relating to a campaign mailer that stated his rival, Patricia Moore, had been disqualified from the race. Although that was true, the mailer failed to note that Moore’s disqualification was caused by a postal error, and she was quickly reinstated. The other charges against him were dropped.

James explained that the mailer was sent out by his campaign consultant.

“I never saw it before it was sent out,” James said. “But, yes, I was responsible, and I will say I was responsible, but in a campaign things like that can happen. There was never any intent to fool or mislead the public.”

School board member Dymally also has found herself on the defensive in the wake of recent revelations that the district is in deep financial trouble.

Although she has not responded directly to the issue, her campaign manager contended that Dymally and other school board members cannot be blamed for the school’s financial difficulties because they relied on the superintendent and administrators to take control of the day-to-day business of the district.

“She also believes that a weak city makes a weak school district, and if she can make the city strong by getting food in the mouths of children, jobs for their parents, the school district will improve,” said campaign manager Michael Robbins.

Dymally’s residency has become another issue in the campaign. Both Floyd and Shaw said she should be disqualified because she does not live at the address where she is now registered to vote, and they said they suspect that she does not live within the 2nd District at all.

Robbins has said that Dymally does live within the district and that he can prove it, but refused to disclose her address. He said Dymally is having a dispute with her estranged husband.

Although recent campaign financial disclosure statements, due last Thursday, were not available at edition time, previous statements show that in the 2nd District race, Shaw has received the most money.

She had raised $11,310 by March 7, according to her statement. Her largest contributors were her former boss, Supervisor Hahn, and M.D. Properties, a Lynwood real estate company. Dymally had raised $7,550, including $1,000 from her father, former Rep. Mervyn Dymally, and $1,500 from the law office of Melanie Lomax, which represents the school district.

James had raised $2,250: $1,000 from the local oil company of DiMenno/Kerdoon and $1,000 from the development company he owns. McDaniel plans to spend less than $1,000 in the race, according to her campaign statement.

In the 3rd District, Woods’ campaign account dwarfed that of her opponents. In her last campaign statement, filed March 18, she had raised nearly $28,000, although $16,500 of that money was in the form of loans from herself and brother-in-law Cleo Bluitt. Woods also received $5,000 from Bakewell/Bunkley Investment firm and $2,000 from Western Waste Industries.

Arceneaux reported $3,300 in her campaign chest--$3,100 of which she lent herself. Cressel had raised about $1,400; Brooks lent himself $1,391, and Haywood James declared he would spend less than $1,000.

Here is a brief look at what the candidates consider their top priorities:

2nd District

Dymally is touting a five-point plan to create jobs, including a proposal in which Compton residents would get first priority for all new construction jobs in the city. She would also “deputize” block watch captains to report on such problems as potholes, and would establish a team of employees to clean up graffiti within 24 hours after it is reported. Dymally ran unsuccessfully last year for the congressional seat vacated by her father. She now is an official with his consulting company.

James said he can “almost guarantee” citizens that he will shut down every drug house in the city through strict code enforcement, and would create a police team dedicated to arresting graffiti vandals. He also promises to bring more industry to the city to help reduce the tax burden on residents. James, a land developer, served on the council for 12 years before being defeated by Moore in 1989. He says his experience is needed on the council.

McDaniel, who has worked for the city for 10 years, said she is concerned about how the “community has been let down.” Campaigning on the slogan, “Let’s stop the nonsense, “ she said her first priority is to train city employees to handle complaints from the public and put an end to the practice of transferring callers from one department to another. She said she would bring new life to the council and would work to make City Hall more accessible.

Shaw promises to recruit manufacturers and other businesses to the city and would encourage them to hire local residents. Shaw, who speaks Spanish, said she is backed by several different ethnic groups and believes she can unify the city and the council. Shaw was senior deputy to Hahn for six years and was the supervisor’s public liaison in a nine-city area, including Compton.

3rd District

Arceneaux, a senior personnel clerk for the Compton school district, said cleaning up blight in the city is one of her priorities. She also said she believes City Hall needs to be more responsive to citizens. Arceneaux, who is endorsed by Rep. Walter R. Tucker III, has promised to create more recreation programs for senior citizens and youth.

Brooks said he would help create an atmosphere in which council members get along with one another, and he wants more police officers on the street. His slogan is “Peace and Safety”--peace on the council, safety in the streets. He said the council should work closely with the school board to improve the district.

Cressel said the council needs someone with business experience. He owns Cressel’s Stationers, Mr. Presto Printing and the Moon-Lite Chinese Restaurant. He called for cuts in taxes, complaining that high taxes make Compton an undesirable location for new business.

James said his biggest concern is poorly planned development, such as the expensive, nearly empty auto plaza in the city. He said the redevelopment agency should be disbanded. He said he would send the agency’s administrators “to college for four years to learn how to run a development project.”

Woods said her four-year record on the council “speaks for itself.” On the council she has become known for quoting the Bible to make a point, defend a policy or silence a critic. If reelected, she said, she would continue her work on a new city project, “Civil Assistance,” in which the city hires teen-agers to clean up neighborhoods while training them how to interview for jobs. She says the city will eventually hire 500 teen-agers.

Community Correspondent Emily Adams contributed to this story.