Pondering More Concerning the Upcoming Election at Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council

A member of the Heart of San Pedro Committee who also reads this blog gave me the leaflet illustrated above to support candidates the committee believes should be elected to the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council's Board.

Just about everyone who shops in downtown San Pedro, lives there, works there, or supports organizations that have offices in that area are qualified to vote.

If you live in an area represented by the San Pedro and Peninsula Homeowners' Coalition, which meets in Central's area, you are qualified to vote.

If you have a Library Card and use the San Pedro branch Library, you qualify to vote.

If you are a member of the San Pedro Bay Historical Society, you are qualified to vote.

If you donate to organizations like Little Fish Theater Company or the Golden State Pops Orchestra, both of which preform in Central's area, you are qualified to vote.

If you perform work by ingress and/or egress of businesses within the area, you are qualified to vote.

In short, if you have any dealings with anything within Central's geographical area, then you may self-affirm your right to vote in the election and you can be considered a stakeholder in that Council.

I think we all also need to realize that any stakeholder may enter the election as a write-in candidate as late as September 8, 2008 and don't be surprised if four of the five current officers of the organization become write-in candidates.

There is a real need to finish what what started during the last election cycle at Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council.

Last year, twelve candidates running on a slate that was designed to begin restoring any real sense of a good reputation at Central, was elected.

Now it is time, according to some Heart of San Pedro Committee members to finish the job and continue to restore the reputation of the Council and remove it from some very deep depths of horrible times that have befallen that Neighborhood Council in more recent years.

I do not necessarily have the same recommendations for candidates as the Heart of San Pedro Committee have, but I respect their candidates and offer both my recommended candidates that the Heart of San Pedro Committee's candidates the best of luck.

Two candidates stand out on both recommended lists as candidates that MUST BE ELECTED.

Mr. Art Almeida must be elected. He is the most qualified of all candidates, whether they are or become write-in candidates.

Art is the former President of the San Pedro Bay Historical Society and he is to longshoreman what John Olguin is to children and all who love the ocean.

I hope Art receives either the highest or second highest vote totals.

Mr. Phillip Trigas is also someone who must be elected. I certainly do not agree with Mr. Trigas' support for Bob's Ponte Vista but this gentleman has given of himself to Central in many ways already and his services are already required, respected, and enjoyed by all stakeholders within Central.

Mr. Trigas fulfills duties that have not been met by at least one sitting officer at Central for the past few months, according to some Heart of San Pedro Committee members.

A word of caution, now.

It is believed that Mr. Joe Gatlin, Mr. Joe Donato, Ms. Myra Perez, and Ms. Pamela Foster, four current officers of Central may enter the election as write-in candidates.

These four need to be given a hail and hearty thanks for their services and allowed to become former Board members at Central.

The four individuals mentioned above have created and continued some of the very disturbing issues that have been encountered within the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council in the recent past.

I and the members of the Heart of San Pedro Committee strongly believe that these four individuals should in now way be re-elected to continue serving on the Board.

If it is time for a change in our country, it is most certainly long overdue for change within the Board of Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, and you all can help provide that change by voting for the candidates listed above or the candidates I have listed on this blog within another post.