Election Forum In The Lodge - Thur., 1/27, 7pm-9pm

[Mountain Times Editor]

Election Forum!

Thursday, January 27th, 2005
at 7 pm to 9 pm in the
Mountain Cove Lodge


The next city election for Azusa is on Tuesday, March 8th. The positions of Mayor and two city council seats are on the current ballot. Please come to the Forum to find out where the candidates stand on the issues that are important to you. Thank you!

[John]

This looks like it could be very informative. Thank you for providing this event for us.

[mrmrsmtnlaurel]

Where can I see a list of people running, also which positions are available?

[mrmrsmtnlaurel]

I found it on the city web site:

Mayor - 2 Year Term
Diane Chagnon, Councilmember
Uriel Macias, City Treasurer

Councilmember - 4 Year Term
Joseph R. Rocha, Incumbent
Karen Johnson, Retired
John Dierking, Attorney
Robert Donnelson, Purchasing/Fulfillment Manager
Robert "Gonzo" Gonzales, Businessman
Keith Hanks Sr. Engineer, Angel Carrillo Teacher

City Clerk - 4 Year Term
Vera Mendoza, Incumbent

Treasurer - 4 Year Term
Leslie Dierking, Accounting Manager
Marcene Hamilton, Certified Public Accountant

[McLite]

Here is an article with some more about the candidates .........
newazusa.proboards40.com/index.cgi?board=local&action=display&thread=1103271209

[Tribune Goof Up]

Oh Gesh, our forum is listed in the Tribune. I hope that there will be enough room for everyone. The address that they printed is wrong. I feel bad for the owners of that home.

www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205~12220~2676149,00.html

[mrmrsmtnlaurel]

I'm looking forward to learning more about the candidates. I think that it might be a good idea for residents to attend a few minutes early, to make sure that they have a seat.

[Uriel Macias]

I would like to thank everyone that volunteered to put the forum together and I would also like to thank everyone that was present. I want to send personal thanks to Russ for having invited me.
That is exactly the type of civic involvement we need in Azusa. Good job Mountain Cove! Keep it up.

/s/ Uriel Macias

[VOTER]

Uriel,
It was a pleasure having you at our community for the forum.
I for one was very impressed with our Mayoral candidates and a couple of the council candidates as well as for the city treasurer position. I was, however, very dissapointed with some of the candidates for council who support the gun club.
If these candidates support them, they can not also support us( the residents). The forum made it very easy to see who I am going to vote for. Good luck to all of the candidates who support the voice of their constituents!
And by the way Thanks to Russ and the others who made this happen. It is wonderful to know we have so many people willing to take their time to inform the residents of this community so we may have a better future for our city!
;D

[Jen]

Tribune selections in Azusa races

www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205%257E12238%257E2699744,00.html

I agree with most their assessment, with the exception of their choice for city council. It is important to choose city council members that support the residents first, not outsiders. It does not suprise me who the Tribune chose. They have been one sided all along. Hanks is willing to take money from the gun club. Hanks would slow down the changes in our city. It takes him forever to make decisions. He is an engineer and he meticulously goes through every last detail again and again. It is very painstaking to watch him on the Planning Commission. He slows everything down. That is not what this city needs. We need people that are able to absorb the information and make decisions quickly. We will never get the downtown redeveloped with him on the city council.

Here is my guess on who will win:

Mayor: Diane Chagnon
Council Member: Joseph Rocha
Council Member: Robert Donnelson

Having Diane as Mayor will open up an additional seat which will be chosen by the City Council. If it were me, I would choose either Uriel Macias or Angel Carrillo for this seat

[azusa1]

I have to say I am quite disturbed by the endorsement of Keith Hanks by the Tribune. What are they thinking! Did they not attend the forums, or read his web page! Not only did he indicate he would accept donations from the Gun Club but what is this all about??

This is a quote from Hanks web site:

".... Government should encourage the practice of religion ...."

What happened to the separation of church and state.

[Dont think so]

Guest-Jen said:

Having Diane as Mayor will open up an additional seat which will be chosen by the City Council. If it were me, I would choose either Uriel Macias or Angel Carrillo for this seat

Chagnon as mayor would make certain that it *not* be Macias who takes her old seat. I'd die of shock if she were remotely that gracious.

I'm inclined to leave Chagnon *in* that seat, and have Uriel Macias as mayor. Chagnon takes the very same liking to special interest contributions that was mentioned about Hanks. I don't see her as being for the people, and call it gut instinct but I don't find her coming off as a trustworthy, inclusive leader.

[mcoph]

Both endorsements of Hanks and Chagnon are bizarre. Donellson has been more involved and worked harder for the community than Hanks, and brings no weird religious baggage. So when the article says he's the perfect replacement for Stanford, that makes sense, yeah.... but it's not about "replacing Stanford," it's about having the best person to represent the entire city. That's Bob Donnellson.

Same with Chagnon. It says they like Uriel Macias and they credit his experience, but they think he should have more council experience. Then they tout Diane having 11 years. I wouldn't be so quick to tout that... We were here but in the townhomes when she started and she ran her campaign on the promise of "revitalize the downtown." 11 years and all it got was a little makeup slapped on? Other downtowns like Monrovia turned themselves around in less than half the time. I guess there weren't enough high-paying special interest developers in the downtown to attract Chagnon's attention. There are so many problems in the city that have been neglected because of paying TOO much attention to big newsmaker development projects. I guess that doesn't count against her (or Hanks who is on the planning commission)?

I also agree with a general sentiment I hear about both of them.... that neither one is the type who try to mend fences or reach out to people who disagree with them. That rather they'll work to make sure to divide anyone who disagrees. Why would I want anyone like that to move up the ladder, the problem with the city being divided would only get worse!!? The paper endorsed the wrong people, but since it's Tribune I can't say I'm surprised. They definitely didn't base their opinions on anything I've seen, that's for sure.

[Voter]

If Uriel wins, we still get to keep Dianne. If Dianne wins we lose Uriel. I think the best situation for us would be for Uriel to win then if Joe Rocha wins and we can get Donnelson in there we would have a very strong City council. I like both Dianne and Uriel but if Dianne wins we will lose a strong candidate to fight for the city as I do not believe Dianne will appoint Uriel. Joe Rocha is a shoe in so we really need to pull for Donnelson with Carrillo as a possible appointment if
Dianne wouldn't consider Uriel if she wins. The way I see it the best council for Azusa would consist of:

Uriel Macias
Dianne Chagnon
David Hardison
Joe Rocha
Robert Donnelson

[Jen]

If Diane Chagnon wins as Mayor, it will be the City Council that will decide who will take her seat. And there is nothing to stop the residents from making an intelligent request to put Uriel on the City Council. I still do not believe the Uriel has the full grasp of the issues that we are facing. I guess that we will find out more during the next forum. 11 years experience does have value. You can't say that Azusa has not improved considerably the last 11 years. I say lets keep on track with the changes. With the money that the gun club is going to push on Hanks and the Tribune's uninformed decision, that could push Hanks higher up the ladder than he would have otherwise been. How much higher, I guess we will have to see.

[Barb]

It was great to meet all the upcoming canidates at the lodge. I got a little better picture of who they are and their issues.

I was leaning towards Diane, however after the forum I like Urial. He was very focused, and I like his financial expertise. I just felt that Diane never really answered the questions and just fluffed around while Urial was very confident and hit the target.

I just found out that Urial is having his open house tonight Feb 9th from 6:00 - 8:00p.m. His headquaters is on the corner of 6th and Foothill.

I also like the fact that Urial doesn't support the Gun Club.

[Voter]

I guess only time will tell. When and where is the next forum going to be does anyone know?

[Guest]

The next candidate forum will be held at the City Hall Auditorium. It is for Mayoral and Treasurer candidates. It will be on Thursday, February 17 at 6:30 pm.

[Doubtful]

I was impressed with Uriel at the forum we had at the lodge. Being new to Mountain Cove and Azusa for that matter, I can't help but ask...How is Diane Chagnon more qualified than Uriel Macias, other than her 11 years in council? The city of Azusa really needs to make some serious changes, and sometimes the best change is a new leader. I will not try to discredit Diane, but this city is very behind the times and we should consider that maybe our career politicians have had something to do with that. Uriel may not have council experience but he appears to be a very intelligent individual, considering his credentials. I was also kind of taken by the fact that Diane has taken money from Vulcan. It seems to me that maybe she will be a little biased, and not really looking out for our best interest. Can someone shed some light on her "accomplishments"?

[Watchful Eye]

I can't believe the tribune's endorsement of Mayor and one city council seat. Joe Rocha deserves to be re-elected without question.
As far as the other two what where they thinking? I'm cancelling my subscription tomorrow. Why would anyone vote for a candidate who is willing to sell her vote to the highest
bidder. We need a Mayor who will represent Azusa and not those who line her pocket. Please join me in voting for Uriel
Macias for Mayor, Joe Rocha and Bob Donnelson for council. I would also support Angel Carrillo if an appointment is needed to fill
Chagnon's remaining term. These people seem to have a
long record of service and the community's best interest at heart.

[mcoph]

Guest-Jen said:

If Diane Chagnon wins as Mayor, it will be the City Council that will decide who will take her seat. And there is nothing to stop the residents from making an intelligent request to put Uriel on the City Council.

There is no way on earth that Diane Chagnon would allow her opponent to be appointed along side her on the city council. Yes, the council votes on it and she would be part of it, and would likely get her way. Remember at the forum? When asked what her first goal would be as mayor? She said "choosing my replacement on the council!" THAT is the first thing that comes to her mind??! What an egomaniacial answer. Chagnon wouldn't care if an army of residents demanded Macias be appointed to council. Hopefully, with the way things are starting to look, that's going to be a moot point anyway. I think Macias is the better candidate, and is showing that to more and more people every day. He stands a great chance of winning.

I still do not believe the Uriel has the full grasp of the issues that we are facing.

How so? He actually answers questions about issues that she gives the run around on. He recognizes the city's shortcomings a lot more than Chagnon fesses up to (like the downtown, just to name one of many). I'd say he was grasping every issue, while she was skirting many.

11 years experience does have value. You can't say that Azusa has not improved considerably the last 11 years.

I can DEFINITELY say that in 11 years, Azusa has not improved nearly as much as the average city would. Azusa has been on the slowest track I've seen. Monrovia Nursery took 5 years longer than it should have because Diane Chagnon and Dick Stanford tried to railroad that cheap@ss "Rosedale" housing project the first time around - and today her only excuse for that is "well, the property was going to be sold anyway...." She forgot to mention the punchline to that: "....and the developer gives big bucks to my campaign, so I didn't care whatever we got."

You think it should take ELEVEN YEARS to deliver on the one promise that first got Chagnon elected to council, revitalizing the downtown? Monrovia turned themselves around (WAY around) in less than half that time. It obviously wasn't all that big a priority to her, and she had other things to keep her busy. Anyone could have rode the snail's pace 11-year long "progress" ride that Chagnon has.... I mean, it was city staff steering the wheel. She was nothing more than a backseat passenger.

We need a mayor who says what they mean and has heard of the concept of multitasking, and we need a mayor who actually acknowledges problems instead of making excuses or trying to pretend they don't exist. It is crystal clear to me and a lot of people that Macias is the choice for that.

[mcoph]

Guest-Watchful said:

I would also support Angel Carrillo if an appointment is needed to fill
Chagnon's remaining term.

In a perfect world, that would be great. But Chagnon keeps her seat on the council when Macias wins for mayor.

Agree definitiely with you, though: Macias, Rocha, and Donnellson.

[Tribune]

Hamilton best qualified for city treasurer post

www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205%257E12238%257E2699742,00.html?search=filter

[its a load of garbage]

The whole 'Diane Chagnon might appoint Uriel Macias to the council if she gets elected' is just another ploy from her supporters. They want all the people leaning toward Uriel Macias to choose her instead... on the *false* pretense that Macias will get appointed to the council and that Chagnon somehow 'more deserves' to be mayor for having sat around 10+ years.

One of Chagnon's greatest, most apparent weaknesses is that she can't stand to listen to (and often disenfranchises) anyone who disagrees with her. She seems to be condescending by nature, and shows zero tolerance for differing opinions. (Not exactly 'mayoral' qualities)

Imagine how she feels about anyone who runs against her?

[Jen]

I think that someone forgot to take their Prozac today.

[true colors]

Nice, intelligent comment there, Jen.

Did you intend than for any particular poster, or for every single one that disagreed with you?

[oph]

Guest-true said:

Nice, intelligent comment there, Jen.

Did you intend than for any particular poster, or for every single one that disagreed with you?

I think that's just her special way of calling everybody who disagrees with her crazy.

Wait a second....

Condescending to people for having different opinions?
Alienating anyone who disagrees with you?
Not actually responding to questions and skirting the actual issues that are being discussed?

Now I can CLEARLY see why she's voting for Chagnon.

[Voter]

All I can say is that the more people I speak with who were at any of the forums, the more I hear that they were impressed with Uriel Macias. I actually spoke with about 10 people who were originally going to vote for Dianne and were completely won over to the Macias camp, myself included. At least we don't seem to have any doubt about
Rocha and Donnelson. I think another forum at Mountain Cove with be helpful for the people who couldn't make it to the last one or who couldn't get in the door. I spoke with many who where there and they liked the fact the the questions being asked were the ones from the audience versus ones prepared by some person who wasn't sensitive to what we want to know int order to make our decision.

[Mtn Cove Gal]

We could not make the first forum but would love a follow-up. I'd like to question the candidates firsthand.
The more I read about Diane vs. Uriel the more I lean toward him. Diane's campaign center called our house the other night. I asked why I should vote her over the other candidate and the guy on the other end said her years of experience and besides I should be "suspicious of Uriel's motivation as he is going from a paid city job to a non-paid position." Real professional I thought... I asked if he had a more specific reason and he said "well, they have a lot of the same views." I also asked why she didn't vote on the gun club and was told that "she doesn't want the lawsuit on the city she wants to put it back on Vulcan so it won't be the city's problem." I want a candidate who does not stay in the grey zone to avoid conflict. In order for Azusa to move forward we need definitive responses and stances on the issues we are facing. I don't want to spend another 11 years looking at empty storefronts in downtown because we don't want to rock any boats.

[Voter]

MNT Gal,
I agree with you, and it seems that a lot of people are saying the same thing. I really thought it was great for Macias to make it so clear as to where he stood on some of the issues that we are concerned about. He even stood up at the last city council meeting when Madrid asked who was against the gun club. I understand he took some heat for that but he really made it clear to everyone in that room that he was for the residents of Azusa, not special interests. That is the kind of leadership we need in this town, someone who's not afraid to stand up what they believe in!
Another forum at the lodge for those who missed the last one would be great ! Maybe the people who did the last one wouldn't mind doing another one if there is enough interest. They have my vote.