BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
Regardless of whether their candidate won or lost, many people were glad to see the end of the long, drawn-out, often rancorous, presidential election. Now, however, Signal Hill residents can look forward to about three months of political campaigns for three seats on their city council.
The nomination period for the March 3, 2009, General Municipal Election in Signal Hill opened on November 12. Mayor Mike Noll, Councilwoman Ellen Ward, and Councilman Ed Wilson now occupy the three council positions on the ballot. As of press time, only Noll had filed his nomination papers, but Ward, Wilson and challenger Edward Villanueva had pulled papers and were preparing to file.
“The nomination period is open until Friday, December 5, 2008,” said Rebecca Burleson, assistant to the city manager/deputy city clerk. “If nomination papers for an incumbent officer are not filed by this date, the voters shall have until Wednesday, December 10, 2008, to nominate candidates other than the persons who are the incumbents. This extension is not applicable to the incumbents.”
Burleson explained that some people will not run if an incumbent is running. “If the deadline for incumbents to file passes and one or more of them has not filed, that encourages some people to run for that office,” she said. “So in Signal Hill we give non-incumbents five extra days if an incumbent does not file.”
To qualify to run for office on the Signal Hill ballot, a person must be a resident of the city and obtain the valid signatures of at least 20 registered voters who live in Signal Hill. Members of the Signal Hill City Council are elected at large for a four-year term, and there are no term limits in the city.
Noll, who has served on the council for 16 years, explained why he is running again. “I want to finish what we started,” he said. “During these tough economic times, you need leadership that has experience and knows a lot about the city.” He added that his priorities include the building of the new police department headquarters and finding grant funding for the construction of the new library.
“We are really going to have to go after federal grants,” Noll said. “It is important that we have plans drawn up for projects in the city, including road improvements, because if the federal government initiates a work program, priority will be given to projects that are already planned out.” He explained that there has been much talk of the federal government funding public works projects throughout the United States in order to provide jobs for displaced workers.
Ward echoed Noll’s comments. “I enjoy serving on the council, and I feel experience is important to the city with the financial problems all cities are now facing,” Ward said. She explained that Signal Hill’s sales tax revenues are expected to decline well into next year and elected officials who know how the system works and how to manage it are a must. “We’ve planned well, we have reserves and we have continued the policy that had been set by previous city councils,” she said. “This is not a good time to bring someone on the council that would have to spend a few years learning how things work.” Ward has been a council member for eight years and spent many years prior in management positions for various other Southern California city governments.
Villanueva said he would provide fresh insight to the council. “I really feel entrenched with the community,” he said. “I would represent the residents and businesses of Signal Hill to the fullest.”
Villanueva is the secretary of both the Signal Hill Historical Society and the Friends of Signal Hill Cultural Arts and is planning to join the Friends of the Signal Hill Library. He noted that, if elected, he would continue many of the things the current city council is doing. “Obviously, the essential city services need to continue,” he said. “But at the same time, we are going into an economic situation that this city has not seen for a long time.”
According to Villanueva, 80 percent of the city’s General Fund comes from sales tax, and oil tax revenues comprise a significant portion of it as well. “Sales tax and oil tax revenues are down and I have fresh ideas of how we can have the private sector provide services at no cost,” he said. This is Villanueva’s second attempt to get elected to the city council. Currently he works as capital project coordinator for the City of Long Beach public works department.
As of press time, Wilson had not returned several phone messages left by the Signal Tribune
Nomination petitions and other documents are available in the City Clerk’s office of City Hall, 2175 Cherry Ave.
