Fire union endorses Penman, not Turner
The fire union opted to take a safer road than their police contemporaries, endorsing longtime ally James F. Penman for city attorney and staying neutral in the Joseph Turner/Rachel Clark race for city clerk.
"For the most part we always endorse together," said Scott Moss, president ...
...of the firefighters' union.
But not this time. Moss said there was never any question the union wouldn't endorse the controversial Turner nor ditch the stalwart Penman.
In the council races, no surprises: Tobin Brinker, Chas Kelley, 6th ward challenger Betty Dean Anderson and 7th ward incumbent Wendy McCammack all will roll with the fire union as well as the police union.
Politics is so feverish in the city these days that the mere announcement elicited vitriol from two candidates contacted Tuesday night.
Penman, who's bitter blood feud with police union head Rich Lawhead led to a break with his longtime bulwark last week, wasted no time landing a blow when asked about his fire union endorsement, saying the decisions don't mean he's lost favor with the police union, only the difference between Lawhead and Moss, the former ostensibly being the reason for his break with the police.
6th ward councilman Rikke Van Johnson, snubbed for the second time in favor of challenger Betty Dean Anderson for both police and fire, blasted the unions for consistently siding with Republican council members.
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
Big bad James Penman receives the Fire endorsement. Does this mean you're gonna stop pouting?
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OK~ Just making sure my NAME/E-MAIL ADDRESS are NOT published, since I already sent something, yesterday; I'd like to live to see tomorrow!
Rikke has it right: union endorsements do not necessarily go to the best candidates and in his race that's a certainty!
Bette's time has come ~ and gone.
It is embarrassing to see the shadow of her younger self trying to accommodate the maneuverings of Wendy & Jim. At times, Bette rightly appears to be the embodiment of what she most certainly is politically: their marionette being pulled and held this way and that as she confuses where to go; what to say; and what to do.
Perhaps it is the pain medication she is on while postponing surgery for her lower extremity that clouds her mind? This is a surgery she has unwisely foregone after many months of arduous preparations in order to run in this race. Bette touts this as though it were a source of pride for her when, in reality she should be ashamed of herself.
She is not fit to run real races or political races: Bette has already announced that she will re-prepare herself for the unavoidable surgery after the elections ~ leaving the ward's leadership to a convalescing elderly invalid for an impossible-to-determine period of time.
If only the heavily spiritual westside residents' prayers could be heard by Bette! Perhaps they would usurp the center stage she's allowed her ego to take by focusing on the self-serving silver-tongued platitudes of those seeking to protect their own interests ~ those who have repeatedly indicated their stance that westside can wait. After all, Bette's Backers have consistently indicated that their greater incomes make them of greater importance ~ deserving of more soccer fields while blood runs "out of sight & out of mind" in the streets across town from them.
If only The Right Thing would happen before more time is diverted from addressing issues Rikke has so vigorously attended to while in office.
The Right Thing, in the interests of her poor health, her neighbors and her city is to withdraw from the race, attend to her medical needs and enjoy the twilight of her life at a pace she can handle. That is clearly not the fast-paced lifestyle of a San Bernardino City Councilmember.
As an aside:
My focus is on Bette because the other candidate is nothing more than a rube, placed to split the vote and increase Bette's probability of election. In a race against he and Rikke the result would be a landslide and Rikke could resume the excellent job he's been doing for his constituents.
As another aside:
Bette may have the financial assistance of Wendy & Jim, but Rikke has the grassroots' support: folks in his ward are humbly fundraising, selling handmade crafts in order to donate the proceeds to his campaign ~ it has been lovely to behold such appreciative constituents immediately responding to the notification that Rikke had under $10,000.00 in campaign funds by creating goods from what they modestly had on hand, in order to generate modest but most sincere funding sources for his campaign account.
While it is true that Bette may continue doped up to endure her pain, allowing the political machine placed around her to run the campaign ~ and later the office, as demonstrated by her announcement of candidacy being arranged by a third party and her lack of ability to respond to a direct query with something as simple as the name of her campaign manager, to march forward for her until election day. She may laze about her home doped up while recuperating interminably after a crafty win, only coming out for council meetings to bobblehead for her puppeteers. But, it is not right. What San Bernardino needs most of all right now are people willing to DO THE RIGHT THINGS!
Rikke has been doing just that: The Right Things. When re-elected, he will continue to do so, too!
The people Rikke serves who are not kowtowed to a manipulative clergy intent on wringing every last cent from their fixed incomes so that he may tool around in a fleet of luxurious cars including a Bentley while they eat Ramen and quake before his intimidating rants, gesticulations and stares know Rikke is the person for the job and they are doing all they can to see to it that the fine representation they have waited for so long to receive, remains.
FOUR MORE YEARS, RIKKE!