Fourth Ward election ballots mailed to voters

This reporter has to confess that the heavy focus on the San Bernardino's financial condition has so far prevented the completion of a comprehensive election story.

What follows are capsules on each candidate, which are taken from previous SB Now posts and observations from candidates' interviews with The Sun's Editorial Board, which took place Wednesday. Reporters at The Sun often sit in for candidates' interviews with The Board but have no say regarding which candidates receive endorsements.

Joe Arnett

Joe Arnett pulled papers needed to run for City Council on Dec. 18. He is a potential candidate to succeed Neil Derry as the 4th Ward's representative on the City Council.

This would be Arnett's first attempt to run for public office. He's concerned that the city has gone in the wrong direction in recent years.

"I hope when I tell people this that it doesn't sound negative, but San Bernardino for a long time has been on a downslide," he said.

Arnett manages the educational support services team at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. He said in a telephone interview that he considers San Bernardino's most pressing issues to be jobs and crime. He's concerned that the perception of the city as a high-crime area discourages business owners from coming to the city.

Describing himself as "more conservative than liberal," Arnett said that if he is elected one of his priorities would be to streamline city services. He doesn't want to lay off city staffers but wants to do more to assure that public services are delivered efficiently.

Another of Arnett's objectives is that he wants to participate in efforts to redevelop the downtown area, which he sees as a potential means to eventually improve other parts of the city.

"I hope there would be some trickle down effect," he said.

The above was posted to SB Now on Dec. 23. Arnett visited the editorial Wednesday and noted his dissatisfaction that the City Council did not engage in much discussion of alternative revenue options before deciding to enact layoffs.

"I think they were on the right track ... (Tuesday) night, until it came to voting," said Arnett.

(During Tuesday's deliberations, 7th Ward Councilwoman Wendy McCammack presented a document that outlined a kind of framework to talk about revenue strategies, but her ideas were not subjected to any extensive debate or exploration. Mayor Pat Morris and interim City Manager Mark Weinberg suggested that her ideas on using restricted funds to temporarily bolster the general fund could be illegal.)

Arnett told Editorial Board that he would like San Bernardino to offer more services online, saying "smart businesses realize that e-commerce is an alternative to a standard storefront."

He also emphasized his concern about graffiti. He wants graffiti abatement to be focused on commercial areas.

"No business is going to move into any area that has a graffiti problem like we do," Arnett said.

Saman Saman

Saman Saman pulled his nomination papers on Dec. 18. He is one of the potential candidates in the upcoming race to succeed Neil Derry as the 4th Ward's representative on the City Council.

Saman, who has not held public office before, said he decided to run after going to City Hall to report his concerns about homelessness near the former site of his business near Cal State San Bernardino. Saman owns BestPricedMattresses.com, which is at present an Internet-only business.

He maintained that city government is disconnected from residents.

"It's difficult to get in touch with someone and get something done," Saman said.

Concerning homelessness, Saman sees the issue as a matter for Code Enforcement officers to keep the city clean and other service providers charged with teaching skills.

Saman sees the need to improve San Bernardino's appearance as its most-pressing issue. He proposed that if the city can clean up its entry points, people will develop a greater respect for their own neighborhoods and take steps to improve the city's aesthetic appeal.

Asked about where he stands on the political spectrum, Saman didn't describe himself as conservative or liberal but as "truthful." He said he will support "whatever is good for the common good."

If elected, Saman said he doesn't have an agenda that he wants to push from the outset of his term.

"I would listen to see what's going on ... then when I get more information I can render my opinion," he said.

The above was first posted to SB Now on Dec. 23. It was later learned that Saman had run into problems with the law. Here's a flashback to a Jan. 12 posting

"City Council candidate Saman Saman has a criminal record that includes convictions for domestic violence, but he's hopeful that voters will look beyond his past when they cast their ballots.

"I accepted the charges, did my time, and it's behind me," Saman said Monday during an interview at his home.

Saman, 36, runs an online mattress sales business and is one of four candidates who have qualified for the March 17 Special Election to fill a council vacancy in San Bernardino's 4th Ward.

Saman readily confirmed that his court records show multiple criminal convictions, but was nevertheless upbeat regarding his run for office and personal future.

"What happens yesterday is yesterday, and you only have the moment and you do what you can handle," he said.

Information from the City Clerk's office could not be obtained as of Monday's deadline to report whether Saman's convictions make him ineligible to hold office.

San Bernardino Superior Court records show that Saman has had multiple run-ins with the law. Presented with copies of the records Monday, Saman acknowledged cases that include the following:

- On Sept. 4, 1998, Saman pleaded guilty to one felony count of domestic violence [PC 273.5 (a)]. Court records show he was sentenced to 36 months probation and 263 days in jail, for which he received credit for time served.

- On that same day, Saman also pleaded guilty to a misdeamenor count of domestic violence [PC M273.5 (a)] that stemmed from a separate incident. He was sentenced to 36 days in jail, for which he received credit for time served.

- On Dec. 27, 2005, Saman pleaded guilty to one felony count of causing injury to a child [PC 273D (a)]. In February of the following year, he was sentenced to serve 36 months probation and 124 days in county jail, for which he received credit for 58 days served.

His probation is scheduled to expire on Feb. 8, according to court records."

This reporter was not able to sit in during Saman's Editorial Board interview.

Fred Shorett

Fred Shorett, a self-employed salesman, is the first possible candidate to file papers for a possible run at succeeding Neil Derry as the 4th Ward's City Council candidate.

Shorett, 59, is registered as a Republican but repeatedly stressed during an interview that the council seat is non-partisan. He also said that he decided to run after reading the news that current 4th Ward Councilman Neil Derry had defeated Dennis Hansberger for a seat on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.

In general, Shorett presented himself as someone whose primary interests are improving San Bernardino's appearance and image, being business friendly, increasing the police presence within the 4th Ward (northeast San Bernardino) and calming the political disputes that have characterized San Bernardino politics.

Shorett did not want to issue any opinions on two of San Bernardino's bigger news stories since the summer - Operation Phoenix and the dispute between Police Chief Michael Billdt and the police union. He said he doesn't know all the details on those issues, save for what he reads in the newspapers. He also said repeatedly that he does not want to point fingers at any city figures.

Here are some notes from the interview, which will be part of a future story:

On the city's appearance:
"I think the biggest problem that we have in the city right now is we need to really clean it up, and I mean literally. Street sweeping. Fix up potholes," said Shorett, who repeatedly employed the metaphor of giving San Bernardino a new coat of paint.

Also, "Why is a businessman in San Clemente, driving to his second home in (Lake) Arrowhead, why is he going to consider moving here or starting a business here?" This was in reference to a person driving up Waterman Avenue and seeing unkempt parcels.

On his plans for working with other council members, if elected:
"I don't think that I'm any kind of messiah that can bring everybody together, but what we need to do is work together for the good of our community," he said.

On the economy:
"Obviously, we're going to be hit hard by reduced sales tax and those kind of things," he said. "The best thing we can do is clean up our image and get projects off the drawing board and moving."

This is from Oct. 1, as Shorett was really early in declaring his candidacy. During his visit with the Editorial Board on Wednesday, he said he is concerned with what he described as a City Hall that charges high fees but takes a long time to deliver service, particularly to businesses.

He called for work by the city or San Bernardino County to revamp the Arrowhead Springs Hotel, saying "Arrowhead Springs Hotel should be our Mission Inn."

Shorett also said that only consultants have so far benefited from talk of revitalizing the downtown area.

"I'm kind of tired of studies. We need to get some stuff of the drawing boards and on the ground,' he said.

John Valdivia

John Valdivia II pulled nomination papers on Dec. 18. He is a potential candidate in the special election to succeed Neil Derry as the 4th Ward's City Council representative.

Valdivia said he works for a major pharmaceuticals company but was not willing to disclose the name of his employer before the Jan. 8 closing of the nomination period.

Asked about where he stands poltically, Valdivia said he is a registered Republican.

Valdivia - who has not previously held public office - calls the 4th Ward "the gem of the city of San Bernardino" and said he's concerned about crime and San Bernardino's economic situation.

Police Chief Michael Billdt has said he will retire in March and Valdivia said city officials need to select a new leader for the Police Department as soon as possible. He also favors increased foot and bicycle patrols.

Valdivia also said he is concerned about foreclosures and the recent wave of auto dealership closures. He would favor tax incentives or other strategies to bring replacement dealerships into San Bernardino.

"Let's make opportunities for (car) dealers to come back to our city," he said.

If elected Valdivia said he would "want to build a bridge between all the City Council members and Mayor (Pat) Morris."

The above was first posted Dec. 23. Wednesday, Valdivia told Board members how he is intent upon running a shoe leather campaign.

"I believe that the greatest, greatest potential for our city is if I get out and knock on doors," he said.

Valdivia also said his passion is one of his best qualities as a potential council member and mentioned his concern about the return of former prisoners to San Bernardino. He said there needs to be some kind of program to assist in rehabilitative efforts.