Others who may be running will need to have their official paperwork turned in to the City by today at 4:30pm. However, if either or both of the other two incumbents choose not to run, the deadline would be extended to Wednesday, Dec. 14. It looks as though the latter will be the case.
When I called Mike Noll on Wednesday afternoon to check on his decision as whether or not he will run for office, he shared with me that he has decided not to run and plans to retire in order to allow someone new to step in and begin his/her tenure on the council.
I find it hard to imagine what council meetings would be like without Mike Noll. After all, he is currently serving his sixth term as a councilmember, including five times as the city’s mayor.
It will be interesting to see who Mike might choose to endorse as his successor, and I bet he will find it to be a difficult decision. No doubt, he will lend his support to the one, or ones, he believes will serve the city with pride, dignity, foresight and the willingness to give the job the time and effort it will require to help guide the city through the next phases of development.
I offer my best wishes to all the candidates. They will need to have strong and well thought-out platforms. They will need, as well, to be in-the-know when it comes to the rich history of Signal Hill and its government. Having a clear vision of what they see for the city’s future is a must, and they will need to make sure that they convey it to the voters. Furthermore, the candidates need to be ready for a heck of an intense campaign season. Historically, Signal Hill elections can get pretty heated.
Finally, candidates, the city’s voters take their elections very seriously, and, believe me, each and every vote counts. Back in 2007, incumbent Larry Forester was able to retain his seat by just one vote.
As boxing and wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer says, “Let’s get ready to rumble.”
