Mr. Derry goes to Arrowhead Avenue

Here's a longer version of an article that Sun county reporter Lauren McSherry and myself wrote on former 4th Ward Councilman Neil Derry's elevation to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

By Lauren McSherry and Andrew Edwards
Staff Writers

Neil Derry was not often in the county's political spotlight during his seven years on the San Bernardino City Council, but he stepped into a larger role by ousting longtime Supervisor Dennis Hansberger in the June 3 election.

On Monday, Derry -- who previously served on behalf of San Bernardino's northeastern area -- was sworn in as 3rd District Supervisor. He now represents a vast territory stretching from San Bernardino north to Big Bear Lake and east to Yucca Valley.

"I plan on bringing new leadership into the 3rd district and the county of San Bernardino," Derry said Monday. "I plan on serving the district aggressively."

Derry exits a City Council that over the course of the past few months has had to confront some divisive issues. Officials have dealt with a range of subjects including the arrest of youth center supervisor on suspicion of child molestation, cops' vote of no confidence in the police chief and budget cuts.

The Board of Supervisors has had its share of drama this year as well. Supervisors acknowledge that some constituents have pressured them to discipline Assessor Bill Postmus, who multiple sources say has battled an addiction to methamphetamine.

Meanwhile, San Bernardino Mountain dwellers -- now represented by Derry -- have been working to rebuild their homes after the Grass Valley and Slide fires devastated their communities in October 2007.

Derry was first elected to the San Bernardino City Council in 2001, defeating former Mayor Bob Holcomb for an opportunity to represent northeastern San Bernardino.

In the seven years since he was first elected, Derry established himself in part as a staunch advocate for public city in a city that has seen more than its share of gang-related violence.

He also experienced a major disaster during his first term. After the Old Fire burned a path through San Bernardino in 2003, Derry supported a move to waive permit and inspection fees for fire victims who sought to rebuild homes in the city.

Derry said Monday after the swearing in ceremony that he was motivated to run for supervisor to address the pockets of crime in the unincorporated areas of San Bernardino and because he perceived a lack of cooperation between the county and city on some issues.

Longtime San Bernardino councilwoman Esther Estrada had a somewhat different take. She noted that she and Derry have different viewpoints - she sees herself as a proponent for social services whereas she considers Derry to be a proponent of business - but said Derry's new job as a county supervisor could be beneficial for the city.

However, she said she was pleased with Hansberger's relationship with the city and said San Bernardino officials can also communicate with 5th District Supervisor Josie Gonzales, who also represents part of the city.

San Bernardino councilwoman Wendy McCammack said she hoped that Derry's elevation to the Board of Supervisors means that he will be able to push new resources to the city to help police supress crime.

Derry has enjoyed strong financial support from law enforcement unions during his campaigns and from has pushed for the San Bernardino Police Department to receive a greater share of public funding.

Derry was at the center of an important debate in 2006, when San Bernardino voters passed Measure Z -- a quarter-cent sales tax hike -- to raise money for crime fighting efforts.
But voters also passed Measure YY, a nonbinding ballot referendum that gave voters a way to tell city officials that they wanted new tax revenues to finance crime prevention programs in addition to beefing up the city's police force.

But to Derry, Measure Z was sold to the public as a "police tax" and after its passage, he argued that the tax's sole purpose should be to enhance policing and code enforcement. A majority of the council initially agreed with him, voting in February 2007 to direct the first batch of Measure Z revenues entirely to the Police Department.

Things would change. For the current budget year, the council opted to spend more than $160,000 in Measure Z funds on programs to keep children away from crime.

Council colleague Dennis Baxter was on the opposite side of Measure Z debate, but nonetheless credited Derry for not changing his position on the subject.

"I've always been an advocate for the aspects of prevention, intervention, as well as policing," Baxter said. "Once again, he was consistent. He wasn't all over the map."

Another councilman, Rikke Van Johnson, said he the city would miss Derry's leadership, although the two are far from ideological twins.

"We were practivally on opposite ends of the spectrum," Johnson said. "But I still respected his view because he was articulate in defending his positions."

Like public safety, the stewardship of taxpayer money is a universal job requirement for all elected officials. As a supervisor, Derry can't escape the financial challenges that all local governments are dealing with as tax revenues plummet in the new recession.

"Every municipality is going to be facing the same issues. We're dealing with limited dollars," Johnson said. "We're going to have to make choices that are not going to be well received by the people."

With Derry so new to the county's political stage, political insiders have been left wondering what direction his leadership style will take.

"My hope is that he finds a way to work closely with his colleagues," said Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Claremont. Adams' district stretches to include parts of the San Bernardino Valley.

Asked if he perceived Derry as more of a renegade maverick or a bridge builder, Adams said, "It's difficult to say I would hope for a collaboraritve effort. Politics is a team sport."

Current supervisors Josie Gonzales and Brad Mitzelfelt were also sworn in to four-year terms. During the swearing in ceremony, the supervisors avoided mention of Postmus' name in their speeches although they alluded to the turmoil coming out of the Assessor's Office.

Derry, who ran on a government reform platform, said a proposal for an ethics commission _ designed as an independent body to investigate corruption allegations - is in the works.

Gonzales seemed to be referring to Postmus when, in her speech, she asked voters to evict her from office if she stops doing her best.

"We have enough to deal with individuals who do not take their offices seriously," she said.

Mitzelfelt, won election in June, formerly served as Postmus' chief of staff and was appointed to fill Postmus' seat as supervisor after Postmus was elected assessor in 2006.

In his speech, Mitzelfelt said he had spent 22 months as supervisor, serving out "someone else's term."