Considered a lock for Tuesday's upcoming runoff election, Councilman Danny Tabor warmly greeted political ally Alice Dymally back in May at the opening of his campaign office. (Photo by Olu Alemoru)
Story Created:
Aug 25, 2010 at 9:32 PM PST
Story Updated:
Sep 2, 2010 at 7:04 PM PST
INGLEWOOD — In one of the most muted local elections in years, voters will go to the polls next Tuesday with the likelihood that Councilman Danny Tabor will become interim mayor after runoff replacement challenger Councilwoman Judy Dunlap declined to campaign for the seat.
Either Tabor or Dunlap — who replaced former deputy police chief James Butts following his July 20 residency disqualification from the ballot — will be mayor for just over two months until the Nov. 2 primary elections.
On that day, all eligible candidates, including Butts, can appear on the ballot to elect a new four-year term mayor to replace Roosevelt Dorn, who resigned in January.
Dunlap could not be reached for comment this week, but Tabor said that he is looking forward to winning the seat on Tuesday to at least temporarily guide the city through the November primary.
“I’m surprised that some people don’t know there’s an election next week,” he said. “But many people have already cast their ballots by mail and people are interested in knowing what the future will look like for Inglewood.”
He added: “In the two months that I am mayor … I think one of things we’re going to try to achieve is a forward-thinking vision for Inglewood.
“What that means is to take a look at how we’re going to restructure the operation of the city to increase transparency and responsibility in the various operating units.
“Secondly, how can we begin to work as a community to communicate what we can do to improve our secondary schools and bring folks together around the central issues and get the work done.
“I won’t be able to build huge monuments and create new employment in that two-month period, but we can identify those opportunities, bring people around the table and invite the stakeholders to sit down and work with us on a plan.”
Asked how being the interim mayor could help his possible candidacy in the November election, Tabor said: “I think being the incumbent does have its advantages and one of those is that I will be mayor for 60 days and can perform a variety of functions as mayor to demonstrate not just where I want to lead the city, but how I want to lead it. In many instances, the ‘how’ is even more important.”
And according to Tabor, he would continue to serve as mayor if no candidate achieves a 50 plus one majority, with a runoff election to be held within 71 days.
“I think it’s just a formality, since she [Judy Dunlap] didn’t run a campaign and I think he represents a better opportunity for expansion,” said community activist Larry Aubry.
“But I’m very concerned about some of these issues. The police thing; it’s an abomination that the council haven’t been more transparent.
“I know they have legal problems and have settled one or two cases. However, the point is — and I talked to Danny [Tabor] last week about it — the council hasn’t said anything. These are human lives involved that have been snuffed out by the cops.
“People deserve some sort of communication. One of the big things here is the trust between the council and the community.”
In terms of November and whom he might support, Aubry said he hasn’t closely examined the platform of original runoff candidate, Butts.
“The vibes I get are that in important areas like the police, he’s a traditional cop,” said Aubry. “And the fact that he said he doesn’t want to hear about a civilian review board, is a terribly important issue for me.”
Rob Cantin, a retired science teacher and aerospace engineer, who actively follows local politics, said he has already voted for Tabor, but declares himself a Dunlap supporter.
“I already voted by mail and since Danny’s the only one running I voted for him,” said Cantin. “But I’m not happy about the money being spent when the city can’t afford it. I’m a friend of Danny’s, but I’ll be voting for Judy in November. I think she’s a great watchdog for the city.
“She knows how the city operates and has been at it for a long time. She warned them two years ago that they were going into debt, but the mayor and Wanda [City Treasurer Wanda Brown] didn’t want to listen calling her a naysayer.”
Meanwhile, Kokayi Kwa Jitahidi, of Families for Community Safety, said that Inglewood was at a crossroads right now.
“We’re stuck kinda in a mush,” he explained. “You have a lot of new development but pervasive poverty, which creates a very interesting dynamic for a city of only 100,000 people. There are huge disparities between the haves and the have-nots. You can spend $100 at Red Lobster at the Century mall, but its workers can’t afford to buy a house in many parts of Inglewood — and that’s key.”
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