ELECTIONS / LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL : Pet-Store Vote Dogs Incumbents
Three incumbent City Council members, facing 10 challengers in Tuesday’s election, have been forced time and again while campaigning to defend their decision to lure a large pet-supply store to town.
At political forums and in interviews with the candidates, the fur has flown most often over the council’s vote last year to spend up to $187,500 in redevelopment funds over 7 1/2 years to persuade PetSmart to open in Lancaster.
Many of the candidates hoping to unseat incumbents Arnie Rodio, George Root and the Rev. Henry Hearns, have asserted that the city should not subsidize larger retailers. They have said the council should be more sensitive to the concerns of Lancaster’s small-business owners.
The deal outraged the smaller pet-shop owners in town, who said PetSmart, with the city’s support and discount prices, would steal their customers and jeopardize their businesses.
Although some 11th-hour campaign charges developed, the campaign has been otherwise low-key. The incumbents have stood by their decision, saying the city needs PetSmart’s sales tax revenue to support critical services such as law enforcement.
They insist that the store will generate far more than the subsidy in sales tax revenue. Without the subsidy, they say PetSmart might have opened in Palmdale instead.
And they believe the challengers are hammering at the PetSmart deal because of the absence of more serious issues that have angered residents in the past--such as growth limits, traffic problems and flooding hazards.
“Our records stand on their own,” said Root, who is seeking his second four-year term. “They don’t have any issues on their own, so all they do is attack things that we’ve done.”
Rodio, who spearheaded a drive to incorporate Lancaster in 1977 and now is seeking a third term on the council, has no regrets about the PetSmart deal. “I did what was right for the city of Lancaster, protecting the taxpayers’ base,” he said
Hearns, who is seeking a second term, also stands by the vote. But he says the incumbents did not fully consider the impact on other pet stores. “I think we could have looked at it a lot more, maybe talked to the existing (store) owners some more,” he said.
The three incumbents each plan to spend more than $20,000 on their reelection campaigns, far more than any of the challengers.
Nonetheless, some local activists believe the incumbents are vulnerable. They say the PetSmart deal showed they are out of touch with the community.
“It’s not PetSmart per se,” said Milton Huckaby, secretary of the Lancaster Coalition of Neighborhood Organizations. “It’s the thought behind it.”
The coalition, representing 23 homeowner associations and about 3,000 households, has endorsed three challengers: Deborah Shelton, Michael Singer and Ronald Thomason. Four years ago, the group backed Hearns and Root, who were elected; two years ago, it supported Shelton and Singer, who finished third and fourth in a race for two seats.
Beyond the PetSmart issue, Singer has stirred attention by calling for unification of Palmdale and Lancaster. He believes the rival cities could operate more efficiently as a single entity. It would also eliminate the costly competition for new businesses, he said.
Other candidates have promised to increase spending on law enforcement, although the incumbents have pointed out that crime in Lancaster, a city of almost 110,000, is decreasing.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department figures, the number of major crimes in Lancaster dropped 7% between 1992 and 1993, and the crime rate--the number of incidents per 10,000 residents--dropped about 10%.
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The incumbents also have taken credit for projects such as a new sheriff’s station and new library, both slated for construction soon on Lancaster Boulevard. And they point with pride to the recent opening of the new Avenue L overpass at Sierra Highway.
Unseating the current council members will be tough, but not impossible, Huckaby said.
“We all agree it’s hard to beat an incumbent,” he said. “In less than a week, the general public will tell us whether we’re right or not.
“It boils down to the public. If they’re satisfied with the way things are going, they should vote for the incumbents. If they’re not satisfied, they should vote for someone else.”
Running for the three seats on the Lancaster City Council are:
* ALBERT E. BLIGHT, 60, a retired aircraft inspector who has lived in Lancaster for 37 years. He has never run for office before and plans to spend less than $400 on his campaign, all his own money.
He believes the city should stop giving incentives to retailers such as PetSmart and strive to bring more industrial employers to Lancaster. He also opposes the city’s purchase of mobile home parks.
* IRENE M. FLORES, 36, a former small-business owner who has lived in Lancaster for six years. She plans to spend about $5,000 in personal funds and contributions.
She has never run for office before but entered the Lancaster race because of her concerns about crime in the Antelope Valley. She believes the city should encourage more community involvement to reduce crime.
* BARBARA HALLEY-MERRITT, 47, a marketing director and 15-year Lancaster resident. She has served on the city’s Mobile Home Rent Arbitration Board and has been active in numerous community groups, including United Way.
She opposes city subsidies for large retailers. She believes the council must aid small businesses, combat child abuse and promote family activities. She plans to spend about $5,000 in personal funds and contributions.
* The REV. HENRY “HANK” HEARNS, 60, a civil engineer who retired in 1989 as chief of the environmental office at Edwards Air Force Base. He has been pastor at First Missionary Baptist Church in Sun Village for 29 years and is a seven-year resident of Lancaster.
He is active in many social service groups and views himself as a peacemaker on the council. He plans to spend about $22,000, mostly in donations.
* RONALD L. MAIN, 26, owner of a small gardening business and a five-year resident of Lancaster. He has never run for public office, but entered the race because he is upset that the city allowed a manufacturing firm to operate near the mobile home park where he lives.
He favors the elimination of federally subsidized housing in Lancaster. He plans to spend less than $1,000 on his campaign.
* ARTHUR L. NASH, 56, logistics manager at Edwards Air Force Base and a 24-year resident of Lancaster. He has served four years on the city’s Planning Commission, including a term as chairman.
He is running for office for the first time. He wants the city to work more closely with local schools, particularly on graffiti and safety issues. He plans to spend about $4,000 in his own funds and contributions.
* ARNIE RODIO, 65, a retired plumbing contractor who has lived in Lancaster for 41 years. He was chairman of an advisory panel that helped prepare planning guidelines for northern Los Angeles County.
Rodio points to the widening of streets and installation of new storm drains during his council tenure. He pushed for construction of the Avenue L overpass. He plans to spend about $28,000 in personal funds and donations.
* GEORGE LEE ROOT, 63, retired administrator of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base. He has lived in Lancaster for 38 years and has been an activist for the city’s mobile home residents.
He advocates the expansion of hiking and riding trails and the preservation of open space. He supports the city’s purchase of three mobile home parks. He plans to spend about $25,000 in personal funds and contributions.
* DEBORAH SHELTON, 37, a four-year resident who works for the Lancaster United Methodist Church, running an after-school help line for latch-key children. She ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in 1992.
She opposes city plans for excessive high-density home-building. She objects to retail subsidies and believes the council is unresponsive to residents’ concerns. She plans to spend about $10,000, mostly in donations.
* MICHAEL J. SINGER, 41, a county paramedic-fire captain and lifelong resident. He ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in 1990 and 1992.
He believes the council should have halted the PetSmart deal after local shop owners objected to it. He favors consolidation of Palmdale and Lancaster so that Antelope Valley leaders can solve problems from a regional perspective. He plans to spend up to $7,000 in personal funds and donations.
* ELIZABETH “JESSICA IRISH” SONLEITNER withdrew from the race, citing medical concerns. However, her name will still appear on the ballot.
* RONALD M. THOMASON, 49, a sheriff’s deputy who is on leave because of high blood pressure. He has lived in the city for three years and worked at the Antelope Valley sheriff’s station since 1984.
He says the city should do more for small businesses. He favors two-term council limits and believes the city should consider hiring private security guards to patrol local parks. He plans to spend about $5,000 in donations.
* WILLIAM F. WHITLATCH, 33, an engineering technician for the city of Santa Clarita, who also owns a small firearms sales business. He has lived in Lancaster for seven years and has never run before for public office.
He believes the council has wasted tax dollars, particularly on the PetSmart deal. He wants to increase local police patrols, including the use of private security guards. He plans to spend no money on his campaign.
