Council race
By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- Voters living in the city's Fourth Ward will have four candidates to choose from in the March 17 Special Election.
The four qualified candidates are Loma Linda University IT manager Joe Arnett, online mattress merchant Saman Saman, self-employed sales contractor Fred Shorett and pharmaceutical company representative John Valdivia.
Whoever wins, Fourth Ward voters will end up being represented by a newcomer to public office. The March 17 Special Election will determine who will succeed former councilman Neil Derry, who left the City Council after ascending to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in December.
Derry was one of the seven-member council's more conservative members. He was often supportive of providing additional resources to law enforcement and tangled with Mayor Pat Morris on the question of whether new money should have financed youth-oriented services.
In terms of the candidates' political viewpoints, the Fourth Ward could be represented by someone of a similar mindset regardless of the election's outcome.
The four candidates generally agree that public safety is of paramount importance, as is the need to enhance San Bernardino's physical appearance, attract business even in the midst of a recession and manage the budget.
"Everybody will say we've got to attract business to San Bernardino. That's true, but we can't just attract any kind of business," said Arnett, who thinks the city is already too saturated with jobs in the service industry.
Arnett, 37, said he's interested in attracting technology jobs to the city, and ventured that potential activity at San Bernardino International Airport, combined with the local availability of sunlight and water, make algae-generated biofuels a unique possibility.
"What would be better than your own source of fuel oil?," he asked.
Of the four candidates, Shorett, 60, has so far been the most successful in acquiring the support of other local politicos. His endorsements include Derry's, Morris' and San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce director Judi Penman.
"My primary goal would be to dig in and look for efficiencies," he said.
Valdivia, 33, listed the foreclosure wave among his top concerns.
"Foreclosures are going to impair the Fourth Ward and we need to put a plug on it," he said.
Valdivia also wants the city to develop a strategy to bring auto dealerships back to town and prevent an exodus of restaurants from the Hospitality Lane area.
He said he supports youth-oriented programs but wants to reevaluate the Operation Phoenix program as well as the recent closure of Police Department substations.
Saman could not be reached for comment Thursday or Friday. In a previous interview, he said improving the city's appearance would be one of his primary objectives.
He also pledged to bring an open-minded approach to city affairs.
"I would listen to see what's going on ... then when I get more information I can render my opinion," he said.
The Special Election is planned to be conducted mostly by mail-in ballot. Fourth Ward voters are scheduled to receive ballots that can be sent by post between Feb. 26 and March 7.
Ballots could also be delivered by hand to Registrar of Voters on Election Day. City Clerk Rachel Clark has also said that a single polling place is planned to open on March 17.
The winner is set to take office on April 6 and complete a term that expires on March 10, 2009.
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
Hey Andrew, What is this stuff about Saman Saman? Are you carrying his water? If a candidate is not available for comment during an ongoing campaign, then YOU should not be restating previous statements. At a minimum, it gives the appearance of favoritism and bias. Come on, lets be fair and let each candidate pull their own wagon.
Well, what is all this talk about biofuel and algae? Arnett's vision, and that is really a pipe-dream, is hardly practical, let alone doable in the near future. What we need is someone practical, not rhetorical, and a person who can bring the political factions at City Hall together in a cooperative manner. Seems to me, that Shorett is that person. Who would have ever thought they would see the Morris and Penman name in the same endorsement. Who ever gets the job will have to work closely with SB County Supervisor Derry, who has also endorsed Shorett.