Here’s Your Line Up
At 5:00 PM today the filing period to run in the Fullerton Recall Election came to a close. These are your candidates:
F “Dick” Jones:
- Travis Kiger
- Glenn Georgieff
- Roberta Reid
- Dorothy Birsic
- Matthew Hakim
Don Bankhead:
- Greg Sebourn
- Paula Williams
- Jane Rands
- Rick Alvarez
Pat McKinley:
- Barry Levinson
- Doug Chaffee
- Matthew Rowe
- Sean Paden
As a public service, FFFF will be providing detailed, insightful, and colorful descriptions of these candidates to help you Friends reach an informed decision on June 5th.
OK, I am waiting, give it to us, the truth. I have seen some of these names before….
The ROV lists Levinson as filing against Jones rather than Bankhead. Is this a clerical error on the ROV’s part, a filing error on Levinson’s part, or some sort of strategery wherein Levinson and Kiger run for the same seat without splitting the vote?
Pardon me: that should be “as filing against Jones rather than McKinley.”
Which ones are Acker-hacks? Alverez? Hakim? Paden? Hope I’m not unfairly casting aspersions.
Alvarez is an Ackermite. Still looking into the others.
Dorothy Birsic would appear to be an Ackerflack, too, but would just show you how far he has to go to find a puppet. She’s 51 and lives with her mother. Fullerton High ’78, got a Rotary scholarship in the early eighties. My guess is that dad was a Rotarian and mom a Federated repuglican Woman.
Of course these are all guesses
Thanks for the heads up.
It would be nice to get some candidate statements to find out who these people are and what they stand for.
Are any of you stand alone candidates without any political party affiliation? You are the ones who would get my attention first.
I am not a Fullerton voter but I am following this revolution closely.
Not that your approach is wrong but I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss any for their partisan affiliation. Some are more involved in their parties than others.
The important thing is that there are good candidates in every race.
Pardon the ignorance, but why are there more candidates for Jones seat when his term comes up in November?
Let’s be truthful …..This is a free-for-all. We could put three monkeys in those seats and be better off. Sorry, just how I feel.
Ah’ cuz ever’ one lahks me so dang much!
Things are looking up 🙂
thanks!
I’m very pleased to see that Barry decided to run. I don’t know what party he is and I don’t think I care. I’ve seen and heard enough to support him.
Travis, you also have my support but I look forward to learning more about you.
I find it a bit unnerving that only a few people decided to run for each seat. The lack of public participation leaves the door open for the same type of people you’re voting out to come in again.
I think this demonstrates a deep seated problem within our political system.
On the other hand, if too many people run we elect candidates with a percentage of the vote.
That is a lot of people, thirteen in all. Being a city councilman in a mid-size city is an all consuming commitment. You have your choices, choose well.
Thanks for the updated list. I’m looking forward to casting my vote for Greg Sebourn in the Bankhead seat. Good luck, Greg!
Yay Greg, now you have something in common with Gary Miller – an endorsement by Robyn Nordell. /rimshot/
Ha, and other principled luminaries like Ed Royce, and Jim Silva, and Dana Rohrabacher.. Wait, that probably won’t happen again now that he’s been outed.
Can I correct my “with all due respect” comment?
Who’s been outed? And as what?
1. Travis
2. Greg
3. Barry
4. We (Fullerton) win!
P.S. I am available to cook/prep/clean/whatever you need for the walk-a-thingiee, let me know if you want help.
Q.S. throw your money on her……She needs your money…..(Back stabbin b____)
Travis, Greg and BARRY….
Got Recall?
Join
http://youtu.be/bXANna2wR3s
Surprised that Roland Chi did not throw his hat in the ring………Maybe he doesn’t live in Fullerton anymore.
Variety is the spice of life. Out with the Neo Con old guard that has squandered our childrens futures. Bottom up not top down is how restoration is accomplished. One word of advice involve do not alienate the younger voters. This time I believe they will account for the margin. It is refreshing to see the names that appear on this post. May you all fight the good fight. So much more than you realize is at stake. We must free Fullerton from this evil grip once and for all. The hour is late but there is still time.
R.I. for shame……
Shut it dude. This is a good thing, please don’t poop on it.
Agree. But it’s still politics.
Yes, but for now it appears that the voters (and those that want to make it right) are in the know.
Who are you pulling for?
I like Travis. Thinking Paden, Williams, Hakim though.
I’m still not convinced the recall will even succeed. Old farts still the major voters. Only way recall succeeds is if the non voters actually come vote this me. Otherwise nothing is changing.
You are wrong. I like the way you think but this time things are different; we are setting the goals and we will win. Mark my words. 😉
Reality Is reminds me of an old roommate I had in college who used to get kicked out of every bar we ever went into, and soundly slapped by every woman he ever approached.
This guy was forever getting 86ed out of everywhere we went, however it never seem to deter him?
This is sort of how I see Reality Is sometimes with his blogging.
Reality Is will rattle everyones cage with his blog posts, and then people will scream for him to get 86ed, or removed, yet he never gets tired of trying, and we never seem to mind welcoming him back?
because although he pisses us off sometimes, we all think he’s funny with his candor that we kick him out. and then immediately start looking over our shouder to see whem the inevitable happens and Reality Is reappears : )
I wonder if any of the lesser known candidates will be up front about any FPOA campaign contributions or links to Ackerman/Ellis…….
# 31 Probably not, they the Gangsters always run VOTE-SPLITTERS..but let the candidates think they have a chance.
Bottomline,Money from outside interests V Hard working Volunteers.
RI – the real shame would be at FPD headquartes on June 6th, when all the officers realize there is a new sheriff in town – a real city council they will answer to.
All of them need to know “if you can”t take the HEAT, get out of the fire”…Loosers need to leave NOW…..
R.I. STOP!!!! You need to get a life….Work for a living like everyone else..
I dont need to. I’m blessed.
It’s Pat Omalley- resident stalker, know it all and liar-go sailing on your yacht, the SS Pigpen.
I’m gonna change my name to that name soon.
That wasn’t a coincidence Patrick the stalker, that website of yours with your picture went down as soon as you were outed on here.
FFFF, will find that.
BOOM! Exactly right, and ’bout time too. We need this.
I’d like to start hearing the candidates platforms and how they plan on resolving the problems that we see in Fullerton on a day to day basis.
I’m just spitballing here, however one of the biggest problems that we face here is our large homeless population due to our city having a National Guard Armory on the West side. This leaves alot of transients milling about during the day near the parks and libraries rendering them useless for children to play in. Since there are a large contigent of homeless that are unable to sleep indoors, whats wrong with taking over the federal site out near the Brea Dam where the Occupiers were allowed to camp, and converting that to a temporary campground with a couple of showers and laundromat?
What about how they are going to deal with the problematic beligerent drunks coming out of the downtown bars at night? Is it time for these restaurant/bars that plan on stay open past dinner time? Is it time for the City Council to mandate that each one of these bars abide by conditional use permits that would curb cheap drink specials and mandate valet parking personnel who would be able to act as a first line of defense in ascertaining whether patrons/drivers are intending to drive back out into our streets drunk out of their minds? We could even deploy the valets with breathalyzers if there are questionable calls on who to give the keys back to. Combine the valet service with a mandatory bouncer/doorman deployed outside of the restaurant/bar so that they make sure that patrons aren’t milling about the parking lots looking to start fights or cause vandalism that they won’t even remember doing in the morning.
How do the candidates plan on tackling our potholed streets? How about our City Manager? Chief of Police? Where do they stand on Public Employee Unions? etc…
Sorry, City Manager and Acting Chief of Police, have their lips firmly locked on Q.S. bum.
eww, I just got a visual.
Sorry Merijoe for the visual.
That would explain why I overheard Q-S saying Joe Felz is a ‘good City Manager’.
Look where he managed to place his lips!
Put them in a bus and take them to cypress. Everywhere you go in fullerton there is always bums hanging around asking for money. This town should be call Bummerton. Yuck!
actually I think thats a good idea, a good shanty town, a build it youself homeless camp.
really? valets and bouncers enforcing the law and confiscating private property? good luck with that.
Who said anything about them enforcing the law and confiscating public property?
I advocate the valets to give the patrons a chance to call a cab or they call the police to report a suspected drunk driver. Would or should any of us ever hand the keys over to a drunk driver? Wouldn’t that valet or yourself be doing the drunk and all of us a favor by keeping the drunk driver off the street and out of jail?
What’s your plan to control the taxpayer costs and the human toll of drunk drivers?
In cities like NY and SF and Santa Monica, the more comfortable they made the homeless, the more they attracted them to their city.And where will this money come from? IOW this approach has been tried and has failed.
You need to identify who is a criminal, who is violating their parole, etc., before you start giving them stuff with our money. Use Laura’s Law, use the police effectively.
Ontario tried the free huge homeless camp. It failed. Became a hangout for drugs, crime, rape, and parolees. Failed. Too much money to run and patrol also. They had to shut it down.
Is that where Rincon and Mejia went?
Hahahahhahha…
Funny Joe!
Are you sure you didn’t just describe the Fullerton Police Department?
What I’m talking about is a small campground with a sort of “homeless host”, in order to keep an eye on things such as drug and alcohol use, and collect overnight fees.
This would at least give police a humane low cost alternative for dealing with the homeless, rather than arresting them for trespassing and taking up the police and court’s time to pursuit more serious crimes.
OK, we volunteer you as “host”.
How about giving them an orange vest and letting them clean the streets and/or parks for a few hours in return for campground fees?
Still waiting for alternatives from any other bloggers and/or candidates on what their approach would be to our homeless population?
Homelessness effects our entire city and needs to be addressed by our City Council members instead of ignored.
Many of the homeless are out on the streets because of ruinous choices they have made early in life such as drug abuse and alcoholism from which they have never been salvaged. Their path has become an ever descending spiral into an ignominious oblivion, and their countenances often reveal the depths of degradation into which they have fallen. Of these, the idiom “but by the grace of God, there go I” was coined. Can the Bourbon Street known as Downtown Fullerton that succors impressional young adults into its bars fully divest itself of any responsibility for college aspirations abandoned and lives ruined as a result of the alcohol?
Others of the homeless community, like Kelly, roam the streets by little fault of their own. Many, for whatever reason, have found it difficult to conform to the norms of society. They eke out an existence by whatever means available. As long as they peaceably co-exist in the community, they ought not be bothered or harassed.
Very few have mentioned the religious implications for the events that have transpired in Fullerton recently, so I will.
In the third decade of the Christian era, a homeless man delivered a prophecy. He said, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” Despite the noblest intentions of societies (and sometimes ignoble intentions), that prophecy has endured the test of time. That man identifies himself with the poor and homeless. In the end, our existence will be evaluated on how we have treated them.
See http://bible.cc/matthew/25-31.htm
For any who think that driving out the homeless will yield prosperity for a community and a more tranquil way of life, think again. When the homeless among us are driven out, the man who said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” leaves with them. When that happens, desolation follows. Consider the warning regarding the prosperity and tranquility of a government extended to the king of Babylon, one of the greatest nations of antiquity: “Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.” If you visit Babylon today, you will find only bats, moles and lizards residing there.
Listen, according to the witness aboard the OCTA bus, just before he lost consciousness, Kelly cried out to God. Do any doubt he was heard or that justice will prevail? When those men picked themselves up off from Kelly and looked around, they saw nothing but eyes upon them – both human and electronic. Besides the high-quality pole cam, there were bus videos and cellphones. Anyone who tries to obscure what happened that night or in the aftermath will not prosper. What happened to Kelly has already taken down the chief of police and potentially three council members, and it’s not over yet.
Fullerton should not have to shoulder more than its share of the homeless, but it should shoulder no less.
I certainly like your thought process and your words of enlightment, however I missed the plan that you were going to include in your post on what to do about the homeless people currently on the streets of Fullerton?
If they are merely an eyesore and not harming anyone, let them alone. As far as a plan, here it is:
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Thank you Deacon, but the angry hoards only see wrong and blame. They fail to see how community plays a role… and how community can resolve to live in peace. Say good morning to a neighbor, open a door for a stranger. Ask if you can be of any help. The golden rule.
Sounds easy. Just like Occupy LA sounded easy.
None of them have my vote yet. The only person who has my support right now keeps his seat. BRUCE WHITAKER!
I’ll be doing my homework. Fullerton can’t afford to place 1 wrong person in one of those seats. This is not game like pin the tail on the donkey. Fullerton has been there, done that for sure in the past.
F “Dick” Jones:
Travis Kiger
Glenn Georgieff
Roberta Reid
Dorothy Birsic
Matthew Hakim
Don Bankhead:
Greg Sebourn
Paula Williams
Jane Rands
Rick Alvarez
Pat McKinley:
Barry Levinson
Doug Chaffee
Matthew Rowe
Sean Paden
Can we use a nail, instead of a pin. New comers, can you take the HEAT. Can you be honest, ethical, and work for the people?
Candidate Statements availble on City Website
http://www.cityoffullerton.com/depts/city_clerk/elections/june_election/default.asp
I don’t think that I would vote for any of the candidates based on their candidate statements only. I am sure I will change my mind after speaking with each person, however, there are a couple of things.
Some of the candidates need to learn how to write an actual statement.
Another reason is because as I was reading the statements, it is the same old thing that we have heard before from everyone, including the Rinos that are up for REcall. So what makes these candidates so different? should we trust what they have to say because they are different people. I am not going to give up my vote to anyone that easy for them to sit their pretty self in a seat for four years and ruin our city.
Did anyone else want to stick a fork in their eyeball or get the straightjacket poised and ready after reading the statements from those paronoid genius’s the 3 desparate dookies?
the recall will fail
lol
Keep thinking like that and see where it lands you
my office chair will fail to support my weight.
have a salad
It’s great to see that there are concerned citizens in Fullerton and eager for change. I am running against Pat McKinley because we cannot expect to achieve different results with the same people in charge of the oversight of our police department. I am not anti-cop, but I am for equal justice under the law, and NOBODY is above it. McKinley and Bankhead have had many years in leadership positions on the FPD, and now we have seen the results of them sharing 40% of the city council’s voting power- and 60% if you count their friend and ally, Dick Jones. It’s time to break this monopoly of cronyism.
Fullerton needs a new group of public servants to examine our challenges with fresh eyes and new solutions. I have respect for Mr. Levinson and Mr. Chaffee, and their many years of doing business in Fullerton, but they don’t have the leadership experience that I have when it comes to dealing with public safety. I realize that Fullerton is not Baghdad, and that is precisely why I think that a review of FPDs tactics, techniques, and procedures needs to be carried out to ensure the proper escalation of force procedures are followed – to protect the public as well as the police.
Additionally, I would focus much of my time and effort on the city’s budget, ensuring that we are taking care of our obligations with respect to roads and infrastructure, utilities, maintaining clean parks and recreation facilities, sound policies in terms of parking and zoning- but that we are not spending beyond our means as a city. I would review how much debt Fullerton has incurred by the terrible decisions of our current and previous council members – and I would work to create a structured plan in order to reduce it, and put the city on solid financial footing. Our families, friends, and neighbors deserve better. I look forward to engaging with everyone on these issues as we work to reform our council, but keep Fullerton the great city where we have grown and live.
Respectfully,
Matt Rowe
rowe4fullerton.com (site coming soon)
Matt welcome aboard. Priority #1 is the budget. With the loss of the RDA, the lawsuits, the water tax going away etc., money is the issue. Don’t worry about paying down the City’s debts, they will all be paid by tax increment from the former RDA. It is going to be cash flow, and the lack of money for infrastructure. It is not there, and there is nowhere to get it. And, don’t even think about a a parcel tax…..
I have lived in fullerton for 27 years. I recall hearing you speak at the city council meeting (the first one that I have ever attended). I’m glad you are running and also glad that you do not seem to have any political ties to the current city council members. I’m anxious to hear more from you on your web site. Thank you for taking up the challenge.
Matt- how would you have handled the Rincon case? and how do you feel about the fact that a picture of him isn’t even being released to the public? and how about the 10% illegal water fee-what are you’re ideas about that?
Merijoe,
If a police officer is accused of sexual assault by anyone, let alone a half dozen different women, they should be placed on administrative duty, pending an investigation from internal affairs or the appropriate investigatory unit outside of their chain of command. If there is evidence to support the allegations that a crime occurred, then the facts of the investigation should be turned over to the district attorney’s office for prosecution. If there are not enough facts to determine that the officer committed a crime, then his or her chain of command should review whether the officer violated any internal policies, regulations, or procedures, that might warrant adverse disciplinary or administrative action. That is for any case. I am not privy to all of the facts in the Rincon case, but I think at the absolute minimum, if an allegation of assault is brought against a police officer, they should not be patrolling while a thorough and speedy investigation is conducted. Certainly, an officer with multiple allegations of sexual assault against several people, should NOT be on the streets with a gun and handcuffs- at the very least out of an abundance of caution. That is not to say that he is found guilty before a trial, but it is a precautionary measure to protect all parties – most importantly, the public – while our American justice system runs its course.
Matt-I guess my question is Would you have stood up and said what you just wrote to me, to everyone including the police chief, out loud and immediately? and have been outraged that nothing was done for a while and no one is releasing photos of this guy? cop or not.
And what about the 10% illegal water tax that ratepayers have paid and council kept letting slide by for years? what is your take on that?
That is exactly what was done with Rincon. If you want to run for City Council, get with what was said already by Mckinley.
Not true.
That’s why your Anonymous; choice moniker for cop trolls.
investigated by his chain of command, turned over to the DA bla bla bla. so no different than what just happened.
Malasangre, I agree; that’s what is supposed to happen, and that is what is happening now. The problem is that the current city council would NOT have done anything without the immense public pressure they received at the city council meetings, the protests, and the recall petition, along with all of the negative news coverage. They would have completely swept it all under the rug and stayed fat and happy. The difference with me, or anybody else who would have been doing their job on the council, is that we would have had immediate communication to the public about the incident and what is being done to determine the facts. The investigation would have happened immediately, and I would have spoken to the chief immediately about pulling those officers off the street, pending the investigation. The whole process would have been immediate and responsive, not dragged on for weeks while people had to drag the council into it, kicking and screaming.
-Matt
I just realized that I was referring to the wrong incident in this comment. I just saw your remark, “investigated by his chain of command, turned over to the DA bla bla bla…” and I assumed we were discussing the Thomas incident, not Rincon. So, my remarks were disjointed.
Regarding Rincon- regardless of whether any victims receive a payout by the city, if a crime occurs, then in my opinion, it MUST be prosecuted. Unfortunately, the city decided to settle rather than see justice done, and the DA took no interest in pursuing the matter. I realize that is probably cheaper for all of our pocket books that the case didn’t go forward, resulting in subsequent lawsuits; but the solution to that is getting to the route cause – the department should ensure that officers follow procedure in having a female cop or a witness observe pat-downs by male officers, or the resulting incidents may never have happened if the department took the allegations seriously in the first place, and pulled Rincon off the street, and administered disciplinary action for failing to follow procedure and turning off his audio recorder during the pat-downs. That right there is a serious and deliberate action, meant to cover his tracks – and it should have been recognized as such. He should have been fired much earlier.
It’s not about justice Matthew in prosecuting Rincon or others likes him.
It’s about COVERING UP the entire situation before it become public record during a public trial.
Once the other party knows how much dirt the other side has, wants to keep it a secret, then it’s time to settle. PERIOD!!
You can’t claim stupid or ignorance once the jury has heard the evidence.
ACU if you know one thing it is how the DA’s office works good and bad.
You know that cops get frustrated daily by the rejection of cases that the cops and public feels should be prosecuted. Hands are tied. It has to do with the number of cases, how solid, evidence, etc. just as almost all he said she said cases are not filed. Period.
You know based on the facts we do know about this Rincon case it has no shot of surviving a trial. Zero. DAs will never file a case just for fun. Civil cases hold a totally different threshold and are treated and tried differently.
Anyways, any case involving a civilian vs a girl, he said she said, would be treated the same by the DA today as it would with Rincon. Rejected. Sad but true. The DAs office is the ultimate decider and they are very tough at times. If you walked over there for 5 years everyday you would know how they think and operate very well.
DA’s attitude about cases will vary from county to county. From DDA to DDA. They too are not robots.
We just had a deputy up here get 20 years in prison for some stuff similiar to what Rincon did.
7 of his 11 victims were what McKinley would say are not like us. One was under the influence while she testified, another got caught lying on the stand in several contradictions.
Some of the vicitims were just plain trash. It did not matter, the jury hammered the deputy.
And Michael Swartz who is defending Cincinelli, defended that deputy.
The county paid out a few hundred thousand dollars to the victims BEFORE the criminal trail.
Make no mistake San Bernardino County has put more criminals on death row than Orange County ever dreamed of.
My point, don’t assume ALL DA’s trash a case just because they think it won’t fly.
Sometimes a case needs to go forth, JUST to allow a jury to be the ones to decide the facts.
Don’t think for a second DA’s give a crap about spending taxpayer money to make themselves look good in the eyes of voters.
ive never seen a DA file a case that has no shot of a win. Doesn’t make sense.
7 of 11 victims or witnesses can still be very strong. 4 great ones and 7 drug addict or bad character wits is plenty for a win.
DAs want wins. I’m amazed daily at the cases they trash. Sad that almost all he said she said cases aren’t filed on.
I’m sure a lot of the non filings have to do with staffing as well. Less DAs, less judges, no money, courts almost broke. System is a mess. Now all the prisoner thiefs are being released too. Alarm your homes. Crime is up 20-35% LA to San Berdu to OC counties since the realignment. Load your guns.
Now that I thought about it, what should or could have already been done was the walk over and let the DA formally reject it. That always makes the PD look better cause it’s in the DAs hands. This case involved victims not desiring prosecution and having character issues so the reject would be simple. Good PR move too. Was this not done?
“This case involved victims not desiring prosecution…”
Says who?
Also, to answer your question about his picture being released, I would say that is dependent upon whether criminal charges are likely to be filed, and it should be a decision of the district attorney’s office. In my opinion, it is certainly fair to release a photo of an officer accused of criminal wrongdoing if prosecutors have determined that there are enough facts to go to trial. The reason I say this is because law enforcement agencies release photos of “suspects” all the time. But, it would not be fair to release a photo of the accused, based purely on an allegation, if there were not enough facts to support it.
So would you or wouldnt you push for a release of a photo of Rincon, knowing what you know
your not you’re
fullerton is really eco- friendly city. RECYCLED candidates.
Merijoe, Absolutely. I have no problem speaking my mind and speaking truth to power. Someone posted a video of my comments at a previous council meeting on YouTube a few weeks back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ZUiF_4jHI) . I am generally a very reserved and mild-mannered person, but I am passionate about equal justice under the law, and I get angry when people sit on their hands or hide behind the city attorney’s advice, saying that they can’t say ANYTHING at all about the Kelly Thomas incident. That is not true. They could have expressed sympathy to Mr. Thomas’ family right away. They could have called it a terrible tragedy, right away. They could have promised a full and immediate investigation, right away. They could have pledged to the city that a full independent review would be carried out, right away – instead of waiting for public pressure to build before they finally took Mr. Gennaco up on his offer months later. They could have counseled the former police chief, to remove the officers involved from patrol duties, out of caution for the public, right away. But instead, they did nothing but try to minimize the incident and publicly defame Mr. Thomas and his family. That’s not right, and as a citizen, it outraged me.
WIth respect to the water tax, 10% seems very excessive, and I question under what regulation or authority that tax is being levied. If there is no basis for it, then it should be repealed. If the city does legally have that power, then it should be determined where the city is wasting money in order to require such a high tax, and eliminate the wasteful spending. Identifying where that waste is would require a deep dive into every line item in the city’s budget, and that should be a priority for anyone who succeeds in replacing the current council members. I would welcome that opportunity.
-Matt
Matt, the blog will hold your feet to the fire. We here on the FFFF blog have passion and power. We are tired of double talk. We don’t want to here political BS. The question, from me is your back ground, and who is supporting you? Special interest groups?
So far, my support has come from family and friends. I have ZERO conflicts of interest in Fullerton. I grew up here, and I live here, but I have no personal business or investment interests in Fullerton. I work for a large company headquartered outside of the state. I have had many conversations with Tony Bushala and Chris Thompson over the past 7-8 months, and I consider them to be friends on a personal level. There are issues where we agree, and issues where we disagree, but I am nobody’s puppet. I would be very proud to have the support of any person, who believes as I do, that this council is in serious need of change. I welcome it; but nobody owns me, and nobody ever will.
-Matt
Thank You, Matt, for being up front. I like the fact that nobody owns you. We all need to have a pair….
Matt you have courage and a moral compass and that will get you places in this town. We desperately need that in our city government. Keep calling a spade a spade and you will eventually end up with a royal flush. I look forward to hearing more from you and stay out in front of the issues. There are many good people in this town that desire a strong voice to represent them and not the lapdog lackeys that have looted Fullerton’s treasury. Timing is everything.
Thank you, truthseeker, very much for your kind comments. I look forward to earning your trust and support. I’m hungry for change, and we have an opportunity to impact our city’s future with a fresh start for the city council.
Best,
Matt
I watched your You Tube video and noted that at the end of your comments before the City Council that you received the coveted fist bump from “Jimmy”.
To me that’s better than a political endorsement. Welcome to the fold mi amigo.
Matt- Have met you three times, once at City council,where you spoke in public comments- I was impressed. Then, at a recall meeting. Then at a protest. I thought you were a bright guy, with a passion for justice & very wicked sense of humor. I have thought you would be an asset on city council, or in some capacity as, public servant.
I would entertain voting for you-absolutley-here are my concerns for the city.
1.Bloated budget
2.Illegal water tax
3.Mis-use of finances
4.cronyism
5.toxic parks
6.crumbling water lines & water related issues
7.3 story vomitory they are building,sante fe
8.the zoo that is weekends DT-beer,bar fights,drunk drivers,vandalism ( would you vote for more bars Down town)
9.Police Brutality & accountability
10.Homeless population & their needs
You dont have to answer these, but I will be looking forward to getting these issues addressed in the up coming weeks, by any and all persons, running. The person, who addresses these,has to know, these are the issues we( the citizens) talk about and want addressed.
Are you planning, a meeting, soon? Or debates in the works? Where is your web-site , or where do we go to find out such things re; your campaign?
Look forward to watching the campaign unfold,good luck to you.
Thank you for having the bravery to stand up in a time if crisis..Fullerton is in bad shape, but she is worth the fight. Thank you everybody who threw their hat in the ring.
Citizen M, thanks you for the humbling things that you wrote. I hope to maintain your respect and earn your support.
With respect to your list of concerning issues in Fullerton: I agree that these are all priorities for the council and should be given the requisite attention that they deserve. Items 1-4 go together in my opinion, or overlap greatly. A thorough review of the city’s budget needs to be carried out, by department, and broken down to see where the money is going, versus what needs attention. Your priorities align with my priorities very well here – water lines and parks are valid uses of city funds, and there is no reason why we cannot have well-maintained infrastructure while the city council is looking at handing $9Million of public money to private developers to build the “vomitory” on Santa Fe, as you referred to it. With respect to #9, I have commented quite a bit already on my views with respect to the FPD in other places on this page, and I’ll let those comments stand. With respect to #10, I would greatly welcome a group of individuals to form the Homeless Commission that is supposed to be addressing this matter. But unlike Pat McKinley, I would not try to stack such a commission with cronies, who have no real interest in the homeless. Instead, I would hope that we could find volunteers among local clergy, business owners, non-profit personnel, etc. to address these issues on a commission and make recommendations to the council that recognize that there are ways that we can accommodate some homeless, while keeping the city clean of debris and carts, and preventing adverse confrontations with other citizens.
My website is not up yet; it will be within the next week or so. It is rowe4fullerton.com. On there, we will post more detailed information about events and meetings. Thank you very much for your well-wishes, and I look forward to the challenge ahead.
Respectfully,
Matt Rowe
That’s good passion is a good thing, but you will have to do alot of pushing back , everyday.
And the city attorney was in full CYA mode telling everyone to shut it-extending the blue silence and of course the 3 dead on arrivals were happy to lap up this excuse not to talk.
The 10% water tax IS illegal there is no ifs or ands about that-they’ve even admitted that it was-but those dirty low down skunks have let it pass year after year knowing this-it wasn’t until Howard Jarvis got involved that you see a little activity-and by little, I mean, a bit more than nothing…meanwhile, the ratepayers are still paying this illegal fee.
“They could have expressed sympathy to Mr. Thomas’ family right away. They could have called it a terrible tragedy, right away. They could have promised a full and immediate investigation, right away. They could have pledged to the city that a full independent review would be carried out, right away – ”
EXACTLY!
Best of luck to you Matt. Name calling and that fist bump with silent Bob got my vote. Very professional.
Spread this video around.
Merijoe, Rincon picture may not be released if he was not charged with a crime. Your jurassic jawboners voted to give $275,000 of taxpayer money to the two girls who filed and that sealed the case, making McKinley (who hired Rincon) look OK. Personally, I hope he was fired shortly after the city paid out money. The paying of money should always result in major change in employment status. That way, taxpayers have some control over the freespending FPD.
It shouldn’t matter what they were paid, a picture of this clown should be available for the safety of all women, people charged with a crime? a judge reprimanded his butt for what he did.
Mj- I think Rincon’s photo should be released, for public safety.
1- I think the only reprimand he ever got was pat down training, Imagine your daughter, or you were sexually assaulted by Pat McKinky-or he-bear Mc Fu%k nut’s morally bankrupt minions- and the guy who did it-gets pat down training? yeah, I thought you’d be pissed to.
2-Rincon was “isolated”- the term used by Hamilton, when we went to the emergency council meeting re rincon- and was told Rincon was isolated- Marlena asked him- what does that mean? Quote- you ladies dont have to worry- O ok? that satement did the opposite- it did in fact make me worry.
3-Judge Guilford, his report after being read should and would make anyone take pause- any who has not read this find it- and yes it claims.FULLERTON and its policies toward women- weak sauce..Rincon may not have been convicted of anything, but we sure did pay a whole lot of money- for nothing.
4- We live in a town that has so many women, young girls going to school here – how can you in good conscience- tell girls parents- trust us, its a great city- when we have Rincon- patrolling. How do we tell those parents, yeah he did have pat down training. I suspect many of Rincon’s crimes, were never reported.
5- To the Current FPD officers, that didnt out this peice of junk, now is your opportunity to be on the moral side of the argument- give us rincons picture. Send it in. you know he is a horrible person and an even worse cop- and your ok with that? give me his picture.
Amen Citizen M…
Rincon and every other creep who has violated the
citizens trust should have their picture released immediately to the public. Just as they do with other perps…all other victims may feel safer in coming forward. More needs to be done now.
However, once again, THOSE people (meaning the cops) will always get special attention.
Commit a crime, get protection by their badged-brethren, despite the risks to the public.
Can finish with bubbles blowing up our butts, PLEASE….
It actually doesn’t matter that the City paid the $275000.
A crime was commited and the DA or the Grand Jury should have initiated an investigation.
This is in effect was a BRIBE to silence the plantiff and potential witnesses.
I don’t know what the statuate of limitations are for these matters, this case may not be closed.
It appears that Rincon was/is a serial rapist and will strike again.
All the powers to be in Fullerton have condoned, aided and abetted and should be charged with malfeasance.
Reality Is = Douche Nozzle 🙂
S.Q-
She should dance for her money!
Figure, we have to work WITH the people,voted in- to rebuild the city..Im willing to stand up to and for the people who are running-but once elected know I will help you in any way I can, but also know if you prove to be a fraud,special interest hack-you too will be placed on the ever growing wall of shame-
Matthew Rowe on March 9, 2012
“Fullerton needs a new group of public servants to examine our challenges with fresh eyes and new solutions. I have respect for Mr. Levinson and Mr. Chaffee, and their many years of doing business in Fullerton, but they don’t have the leadership experience that I have when it comes to dealing with public safety. I realize that Fullerton is not Baghdad, and that is precisely why I think that a review of FPDs tactics, techniques, and procedures needs to be carried out to ensure the proper escalation of force procedures are followed – to protect the public as well as the police.”
Matt welcome to the race for Pat McKinley’s seat.
I am very excited and honored to be able to throw my hat into the ring to remove McKinley.
First off; a sincere thanks for your military service. All patriotic Americans I believe share my sentiments.
However, I urge you to be very careful, when comparing yourself to your competitors.
In your statement above that I quoted word for word you said ” I have respect for Mr. Levinson and Mr. Chaffee, and their many years of doing business in Fullerton, but they don’t have the leadership experience that I have when it comes to dealing with public safety.”
Let me set the record straight, I have never done business in Fullerton. I have never worked for a company, public or private within the city.
The only so-called work I have performed is to be a current volunteer as Commissioner of the Parks and Recreation Committee since early 2011 appointed by Councilman Bruce Whitaker, who after looking at all the candidate running to unseat Pat McKinley, told me personally that he will be supporting my candidacy 100%.
My other involvement has been my consistent speaking out at council meetings to expose Pat McKinley when he fails to accurately portray the crime rate under his watch or his involvement with Officer Rincon, etc.
Being an outspoken defender of my community as a volunteer is not what I would characterize as doing business in Fullerton for many years
I also along with my wife Susan got an Ordinance passed by council in 7 short months, to protect all Fullerton neighborhoods from convicted child sex offenders by not allowing them to move into our neighborhoods that are close to a school, park or day care center. This passed in September of 2011. I believe it was the first ordinance of this kind to pass in Orange County. Since then almost a dozen other cities and the county have passed laws to help protect us from those predators.
So I think it is fair to say that I have done some good work on the safety issue for our citizens as well.
Thank you Councilman Whitaker for your ongoing support and the confidence you have shown in me to get the job done. You do not know Bruce how much your support means to me.
If I am fortunate enough to win this recall election, in my mind you will always still be the man!
Thank you!
So please Mr. Rowe please refrain from making statements about me that leaves a false impression with the folks.
It is not the right way to start your campaign.
Best of luck and may the best person win!
Barry, thanks for your response and for welcoming me to the race for McKinley’s seat. I appreciate your kind words of support for my service, and that is humbling coming from an outstanding citizen such as yourself.
Although, I would like to say that I think you took offense where none was given. In reference to my comment,
”I have respect for Mr. Levinson and Mr. Chaffee, and their many years of doing business in Fullerton, but they don’t have the leadership experience that I have when it comes to dealing with public safety…”
It was a general statement about your involvement in the affairs and business of the city, in any capacity, whether for work, volunteering, applying for permits, purchasing goods and services from Fullerton businesses. I suppose that I could have said “many years of involvement in Fullerton,” but I didn’t spend too much time word-smithing it. I do not know your background in particular, so I was making a general statement, and not any specific claim about yourself. Please don’t consider that a dig or an attack. Just like I told you in person at the last city council meeting, I have great respect for you; you are a brilliant speaker and concerned citizen; and, I wish you the best of luck in this election, even though I am also running to replace Pat McKinley.
With regard to the public safety issue, I laud your work with your wife in helping to pass an ordinance to restrict the places available for sex offenders to live. However, I stand by my claim that you don’t have the same experience when it comes to public safety. That’s not an attack; to the best of my knowledge, that’s a fact. Have you ever conducted a formal investigation into possible criminal wrongdoing by people within your organization? Have you trained others on handling a restive mob and restoring order while respecting the rights of the people demonstrating? Have you ever had to detain people, search their belongings, and gather evidence? Have you ever searched a home, looking for a gunman, not knowing whether he was going to shoot you in the face when you opened the door? I have done these things, and I have done them professionally. I am not a police officer, but I do have more than enough experience to know about escalation of force and how to keep peace and order. If I can do that in Baghdad in ’06-’07, while being shot at on a regular basis, then I’m pretty sure that I have the knowledge and the legitimacy to work with Fullerton police leadership on understanding the scenarios and challenges that officers face, while ensuring that they have the proper tools and training to keep Fullerton a safe place to live for all of us.
Congratulations on earning the support of Bruce Whitaker. Even though I grew up in Fullerton, I have lived in 8 places, on 3 continents in the past 10 years; so unfortunately, I do not have a lot of the same connections that you do within the city. I am counting on getting my name out there and introducing myself to people from all over the city between now and June 5th. My website will be up soon, in order to help people make an informed decision about the future of Fullerton.
Also, I am not so sure that the “best person” always wins these elections. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have these current clowns who are in office now. But, I agree with your sentiment that we need quality people, who care, on the city council. Best of luck!
Respectfully,
-Matt Rowe
Personally I would not vote for a council candidate who has an alliance with an existing council member. I see way too much ‘tit for tat’ on OC council boards. Political kinships have become part of the disease. Look at the 3 stooges on the current council. Have they ever voted against one another? Fullerton needs 5 independent thinkers who decide each agenda item on it’s individual merit.
Wrong. Five independent thinkers would get picked, divided and conquered. We need 3 small government who really mean it, and who know what they’re talking about.
Sorry. I don’t buy it. Little political gangs on commissions, commitees or councils with an ‘I got your back’ mentality is a big reason we have so much political corruption today. The three stooges are a perfect example of a little political gang. We want LESS of that. Not more.
that’s what led to the problems the recall is supposedly trying to fix…but I guess one Tri-umverate replaces another. nothing seems to change. I hope you all see what is brewing…
Thanks for the clarification. I was not suggesting that your comment was intentionally misleading but the words we choose do matter. Doing business relates to making money not volunteer work.
Also, I first met C. Whitaker when I was running for the Bankhead seat and he was running for the Pam Keller seat. Since then most of our contacts have been in the open when I speak at the council meetings. His support in no way suggests we have a long buddy, buddy relaltionship. We have a cordial and mutually respectful relationship based on our mutual profesional knowledge of each other.
Again, I do appreciate your response and do very much appreciate your past service to our country.
Thank you sir. My appreciation for your community involvement is mutual. All the best.
So far, Mr. Levinson and Mr. Rowe are demonstrating the utmost professionalism with their dialog on this blog.
No smear campaign here…
I hope one of the two of you get in,either of you-is 1000% better than McKinley. Thanks for keeping it clean guys-lord knows I couldnt.
I think there’ s way too much diplomacy in American politics. Give me the guy who doesn’t hold back – but does it in an intelligent way – and he would get my vote hands down. I like straight talkers who aren’t afraid of confrontation. Most American politicians are wussies. I like politicians like Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He doesn’t mince words and isn’t afraid to offend people. We need more leaders like him.
Which of the 3 stooges has the least chance of being recalled?
Any guesses?
Still waiting for your approach to how YOU would handle the homeless, however I guess your just going to throw stones at mine all day instead of thinking for yourself.
Fair enough, implement Laura’s Law no matter how many advocacy groups threaten to sue the city. Get pro bono help from attorneys who believe the mentally ill should be treated, not left on the streets. These threats IMHO are the main reason no action is ever taken to solve the problem.
Run warrant and parole checks on all arrested, like the guy who tried to break into my house. You will find many are not homeless but criminals.
These are starters. You don’t have to beat someone to death to enforce law and order.
Obviously the Christ never met Supervisor John Moorlach, who has promissed to end homelessness by the year 2020.
Matt Rowe….he’s young, military service, seems bright and intelligent. Maybe this is exactly what we need on our city council. I like the idea of a young, former (honored) servicemen replacing an old, withered, (disgraced) police chief.
Jeffy, thank you for the kind words. I greatly appreciate your support.
In regard to Barry and Matt, may I just say I hope the one not elected in June will run again in November? Matt, if I recall correctly, you we’re at the signature table when John and Ken were here. I was on the other side of Barry and listening to both of you quite a bit. If anyone here is unfamiliar with Matt, Barry or both, let me assure you: what you’re seeing is is the real them. The professional way they are conducting themselves with courtesy and respect for each other is not just lip service to impress everyone. This is what I’ve seen firsthand when they weren’t aware anyone was listening. And they’re a couple of nice guys to boot. 🙂
SherBear, I was at the signature booth that day. You have a good memory, because that was several months ago, and at that point I had not decided to throw my hat in the race. Thank you for the very kind words, and I hope to continue to live up to them and earn your support.
Latest and greatest illustration of the point that “Wrong Guy” is making…
http://www.ocweekly.com/2012-03-08/news/moxley-confidential-shannon-james-roberts-huntington-beach-police/
I am sure they trash many cases simply to clear their desks off. It is what it is.
I mean really dude, are they just going to tell ya, “naw we don’t feel like doing anything with this, were just to busy”? Not a good idea.
Better to say, “I don’t think we can get a conviction on this”.
And anyone in LE with half a brain knows DA’s don’t like to file cases on cops because they are a PITA. They really have to work at those cases.
I never thought a system that works 8-5 Mon-Fri, could ever handle a system (LE) that works 24/7 365 days a year.
Pretty easy to see who is over loaded. Then they spend weeks and months dicking around with what they do decide to take on.
To much game playing within the Superior Courts in So. Cal. To many attorneys back slappin each other, and worrying about their next golf game.
But if Rincon’s case was a weak one for criminal prosecution, so be it. Not either of our problem.
But the citizens won’t leave that one alone anytime soon.
Seems easy to me, Rincon handcuffed women, threw them in the back of his squad car and stuck his hands on their bodies without consent-what the heeelllll am I missing? release his damn photo, thats not weak to me. Good gawd
There is no common sense in law or anyone connected with it?