PARAMOUNT : Pens Draw Criticism From Council Members

The City Council regularly pens laws to deal with problems such as gangs and graffiti. But at a recent meeting, the hottest topic was pens themselves: the blue-and-silver promotional pens that council members give residents.

Several council members criticized Councilwoman Esther Corona Caldwell for distributing 760 of the pens over four years, at a cost of about $2.75 per pen. “We know for a fact she’s using those (pens) to promote herself and further the candidates she supports,” said Mayor Manuel E. Guillen, who has gone through 200 pens since 1990. Councilman Gerald A. Mulrooney, who has distributed 200 pens in the last four years, has threatened to propose limits on the practice.

Caldwell said she doesn’t understand all the fuss. “They’re made to give away to our constituents,” she said. “And they’ve got all our names on them.” The pens are inscribed with each council member’s name, and are updated and reordered every year. A total of 1,955 pens have been issued since 1990.

Caldwell said she learned recently that since 1990, more than 1,000 pens have gone unused. “If I had known there were this many unassigned pens, I would have gone back for more,” she said.