EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an op-ed written by a candidate in the Nov. 3 election for one of two seats on the West Hollywood City Council. WEHOville has invited each of the nine candidates to submit up to two op-eds to explain to West Hollywood residents his or her stand on local issues .
By this time many of us have heard over the recent years how unhappy residents are with our City Council’s decisions and leadership. Lethargy, scandals and over-development have hindered our city and made our future look dismal. Residents blame the current Council for many good reasons. Our mismanagement did not happen overnight.
The bigger question is why would voters now want to vote for and approve the same exact leadership that has lead us down the wrong path? Having two incumbents where one has been in office since the city began 36 years ago and the other in office for over 20 years is really the problem.
Campaign mailers arrive daily in the time leading up to the election where the incumbents tout amazing leadership and even more amazing endorsements, hoping to catch the eyes of any residents willing to give them another four years.
And why would the voters want to do this? To get what? Another four more years of the same?
It is time to give these two incumbents the boot as their expiration dates have long since passed. Something stinks in West Hollywood, and it has to do with the exorbitant amount of campaign donations from developers, special interests, and attorneys, all who have great designs on how our city’s future will evolve. We have all watched how this has played out. If you are tired of our Council members being the campaign dollar lapdogs, then you must vote in new blood on our Council.
I moved to West Hollywood in 1986 and immediately got involved in our city by speaking on many topics at meetings of the City Council and city commissions and advisory boards.
I served two years on the Lesbian and Gay Advisory Board and have been a community advocate for over three decades. In 1998 I created two local TV shows for our city, a topical talk show: “Jerome Cleary,” and a local events show: “Jerome On The Town.” These two TV shows still air three times a week on our Time/Warner and AT&T U-Verse and have for the past 22 years. I have interviewed over 400 local residents, artists, and leaders. I have covered social, political, and current events issues in many of these interviews.
I was a newspaper columnist for the West Hollywood Independent for over three years where I wrote over 150 weekly op-ed articles. I was also a blogger for over three years for AOL’s Patch for West Hollywood. The LA Weekly featured me as one of the eight “Local Heroes of West Hollywood” for my work as a community advocate.
I offer practical insight, empathy, and compassion that will create a better balance on our city council.
I am spending less than $2,000 of my own money to run my campaign. I am interested in making our residents my first and main focus for our important quality of life issues. The only way to dismantle this incestuous cycle of hundreds of thousands of campaign money is to vote for me.
Together we can make the changes that are needed.
Click here to visit my campaign Facebook page.
Hey Jerome, your campaign has been leaving your oversized flyers on the front windows of cars here on the Eastside, which is a code violation as it blocks visibility. If you must distribute them that way, you can leave it tucked between the front & back doors, but not on the windows.
no thanks