Black Voice News Online - Let's Work And Vote Together To Elect Milligan, Van Johnson, Tillman, Mulvihill and Clark

Let's Work And Vote Together To Elect Milligan, Van Johnson, Tillman, Mulvihill and Clark

Thursday, 20 September 2007

Let's Work And Vote Together To Elect

Milligan, Van Johnson, Tillman, Mulvihill and Clark

Hardy L. Brown

"Let's Work Together" was a song sung by "Canned Heat," a ragtag group made up of a lead singer who was overweight with long stringy hair and a beard that covered his face. Other members of the band were clean shaven and some looked like they were ready for Harvard, the University of California, Riverside or California State University San Bernardino. The lyrics of the song goes like this: "Together we stand, divided we fall, come on now people, Let's get on the ball and work together. Let's work together, every boy, girl, woman and man. People when they go wrong and sometimes they will and the road you travel it stays up hill, Let's get together, come on come on Let's work together."

The good citizens of San Bernardino started something two years ago setting the direction they wanted the city to go in when they elected Pat Morris as mayor. We now have an excellent opportunity this November to finish what we started if we "Vote Together". The voters set into motion a clear choice for a more progressive thinking, understanding, collaborative and cooperative government by electing Morris and rejecting the Jim Penman approach to governance. For the past 18 months the council was moving along quite nicely until the Muppet Master Jim Penman, the city attorney, decided to write a policy script for his muppets on the council, to place certain departments under his authority so he could go after parolees. Penman's action put a riff between some council members and widened the gap with the community. Two years earlier, Mr. Penman had tore his britches with the Black and Latino community by suggesting that all council members be elected through city wide voting, thus weakening the vote of Blacks and Hispanics in the ward. Thanks to MALDEF, NAACP and the Black Voice News working together, Mr. Penman withdrew that civil rights voting violation proposal. Two years ago the voters rejected Penman for mayor so "let us work together" to retire Mr. Penman from his twenty years of service to the city.

Marianne Milligan

Let us rally behind a highly capable attorney who wants to "work together" with the city council and mayor. We do not want a lap dog or muppet master in the seat of city attorney. We want someone who understands their role as an attorney and not writing scripts for favorite city council members. We believe Marianne Milligan will bring to the position an attitude of collaboration and clarity in written legal opinions that will help guide the direction and discussion needed for the council to make appropriate decisions on behalf of the city. We know that she will assemble a competent staff and treat them fairly by giving clear direction to other departments which will enhance the city's image. Her experience in other cities gives her a broader perspective on what others are doing in the state. We know she has good judgment because she got out from under Penman as his former employee. By voting together let us elect Marianne Milligan as the next city attorney.

Rikke Van Johnson

Four years ago the citizens of the 6th Ward elected Rikke Van Johnson over Betty Dean Anderson. There were many reasons why Anderson was rejected, one being non responsiveness to the issues and citizens concerns. Now we know that part of that reason was her close ties to Jim Penman and the police association leaders. During her last campaign she took credit for the Arroyo High School being built. To set the record straight, when I was a member of the San Bernardino City Unified School Board of Education, I got the ball rolling on having the high school located on the westsde. The first person I spoke with after we, the board of education, decided to move forward with my idea was Carl Clemons who lives across the street from the school. I knew if Carl was in favor of the idea it would be done. When I left the board it was current board member Danny Tillman who completed the idea. Betty Dean Anderson had nothing to do with the building of Arroyo High School.

Jim Mulvihill

Rikke Van Johnson has been very responsive to the citizens of the 6th ward. He has held several community forums over his tenure and continues today. He represents us well as a sought after public speaker. He is an active member of his church and participates in other organizations like the NAACP. He shies away from no issue while still remaining cooperative with the mayor and colleagues on the council. In other words he disagrees without being obnoxious and combative. When he meets with his constituents he looks for ways to be supportive of their ideas. What the city needs at this time is council members who are independent but work together for the common good of the city. Let us vote together and elect Rikke Van Johnson as 6th Ward city council.

Carolyn Tillman

In the 5th Ward we have incumbent Chas Kelley being challenged by several noteworthy opponents. The incumbent Kelley has been somewhat abrasive and confrontational at the council table when trying to articulate his position. He speaks his mind but only after gaining the approval from his muppeteer friends on the council.

I am familiar with Rick Avila when he ran for mayor. He went to school with our oldest daughter and would make a good addition as a replacement for Kelley, but the best choice is Carolyn Tillman. Her background and involvement in the entire community is just what the 5th Ward and city needs. Her style of cooperative leadership will serve the citizens in the northend of the city very well. Her understanding as an educator will help bring an approach of acceptance when working with the other members of the council. She is well educated and very articulate in her speech and mannerism. She enjoys a diversity of supporters. Therefore let us vote together and elect Carolyn Tillman to the 5th Ward City Council seat.

Rachel Clark

The 7th Ward seat is currently occupied by Wendy McCammack and is being challenged by Paul Sanborn and Jim Mulvihill a well educated professor from California State University San Bernardino with a PhD in Urban Planning. Now I want to give McCammack credit for fighting for her ward even if it is at the expense of her colleagues on the council. One other thing I recognized about McCammack is she will say whatever Jim Penman and the police association want her to say. She has a tendency to listen to the rank and file officers rather than the police chief. Nothing is wrong with listening but you pay the chief to direct, plan, manage and staff the department. McCammack is another one on the council who is disagreeable while voicing her position which leaves no room for coalition building.

To replace her we are recommending Dr. Jim Mulvihill, who has some well thoughtout plans of appropriate land use, business ventures, stimulating business corridors and policing strategies that will compliment the direction needed for image improvement. He has a rich history of involvement by serving on numerous committees, boards and commissions in the city and county. But his main strength comes from his skill of communication and respect for others. He is not combative but he is determined to have his say with a well thoughtout plan. He is open to other ideas and opinions with helpful suggestions to clarify your thoughts. So vote with us to elect Dr. Jim Mulvihill to the 7th Ward City council.

For City Clerk and the keeper of the records for the city we say stay the course and re-elect Rachel Clark. The wannabe elected leader Joseph Turner is only seeking office to serve himself with old fashioned ideas that resemble the KKK approach to solving problems. Rachel Clark has served the city very well in her terms of service and deserves your vote to continue. Let us vote together and return Rachel Clark as the city clerk.

So in the words of Canned Heat, "Lets Work (vote) Together" and finish the job we started two years ago when we elected Pat Morris mayor and vote for Marianne Milligan for city attorney, Rikke Van Johnson for 6th Ward City Council, Carolyn Tillman for 5th Ward City Council, Dr. Jim Mulvihill for 7th Ward City Council and Rachel Clark for City Clerk.

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