Editor’s note: In our Feb. 17 issue, we published our Meet the Candidates section to allow those running for Signal Hill City Council to share information about themselves and their platforms. Because of problems we had faced in previous years with candidates not meeting deadlines, we instituted a strict policy of not publishing any responses not received by noon on Friday, Feb. 10. Because we had not received a submission from Edward Wilson, we only published responses from the eight candidates from whom we had received emails by that deadline.
After Meet the Candidates was published, Wilson informed us that he had indeed sent his submission before the deadline. He also forwarded to us the original email he had sent, which included a time stamp that was indeed before the deadline. Additionally, he mentioned that there had been a power surge in the area right around the same time he had sent it.
After reviewing all the information, our editorial staff has decided it is only fair to publish Wilson’s responses. We regret that this incident has occurred and apologize for the confusion.
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Edward “Ed” Wilson
Age 54
Years residing in Signal Hill 24
Occupation CPA (Inactive)/accountant
Previous elected office(s) held Signal Hill Councilman 1997 to present
Education BS Business (emphasis in accounting), University of Southern California
Nonprofit/professional affiliations
Advisory Board Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital
Board Member CCEJ
Board Member Gateway Cites COG
SCAG Energy and Environment Committee
SCAG Audit CommitteeLA County Sanitation
Signal Hill Sustainability Committee
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity
Goals if elected/platform
My priorities for the next four years are as follows:
• A new library powered by solar
• Ensuring a strong police force
• Sustained business and residential growth
• Balanced budgets
• Increasing renewable energy in the city
• Maintaining accountability to the citizens
• Supporting enhanced transparency through directly elected mayor
Signal Hill could face significant fiscal issues due to the California state budget deficit, increases in PERS contribution rates and potential slowdown in retail sales and the national economy. Signal Hill has made
a concerted effort to build our reserves and diversify our revenue base to ensure a buffer from dramatic economic fluctuations. We are looking to develop and implement a master plan for economic development and job growth. It is my goal to incorporate new sustainability strategies such as solar and energy consumption reductions within this plan.
Endorsements
Congressman Alan Lowenthal
State Senator Ricardo Lara
Assemblymember Mike Gipson
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn
LB Mayor Robert Garcia,
SH Councilwoman Tina Hansen
LB City Attorney Charlie Parkin
LB City Councilman Al Austin
LB City Councilwoman Susie Price
Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Campaign website facebook.com/ehj.wilson
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Building appreciation
Thank you for the great article on Paul Williams and for featuring the story on your front page. [“Leaving a legacy of imagination: African-American architect Paul Revere Williams left his mark in Long Beach,” Feb. 24, 2017]
As a University of Texas college student of architecture in the mid 80s, I studied several American architects and, sadly to say, Mr. Williams was not one of them. I certainly hope that has now changed.
I learned of Paul Williams on my own when I first moved to California. I admired his designs for the many famous homes and commercial buildings he designed. I also learned that he had mastered the technique of drawing “ upside down” so that his “white” clients who may have had an issue sitting next to him could see his designs being birthed before them as he drew.
In April, a few of my staff and I will be attending the American Institute of Architects (AIA) convention in Orlando. We will be there to witness the AIA’s highest award, The Gold Medal, being posthumously given to his granddaughter. I only wish he could have received it in person 40 years ago when he was alive. But just maybe that would have been too much to expect in 1980.
Well deserved, Mr. Williams. Godspeed!
Charles Kluger, AIA
Kluger Architects, Inc.
Long Beach
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I was very interested in reading your article about Paul Revere Williams. It is wonderful! He was such a gift to us all, and I am so happy he is being recognized for it at the national level. And, I hope our Signal readers learn and appreciate his gifts. Thank you so much for your interest in him.
We tried very hard to save the Administration Building at our historic Roosevelt Base for use as headquarters for the Port, but failed after a court battle that we actually won. Even though it was decided it was environmentally the best choice for reuse, the City decided they wanted the property for cargo offloading. I felt devastated by the loss. I still feel it. As a mitigation for the loss, the Port gave Long Beach Heritage $4.5 million, which I was able to turn into a trust, who’s board- would only spend the interest to further historic preservation in Long Beach. Many projects have and will in perpetuity be helped. However, I will never forget the loss to the public.
I wish you could have experienced being on this historic site. There is nothing like it anywhere.
It has been many years ago, and I have not expressed this as I have in the above. But, our view every day of cranes is disparaging! Thanks for reading this and again for writing this wonderful article.
Nancy Latimer
Long Beach Heritage
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Doing the math
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and Girls Who Code, a nonprofit tech group, recently hosted the first Female Governor’s Summit in Menlo Park. The summit focused on strategies to combat the gender gap in technology by taking the fight locally to the states.
Focusing on state-led initiatives is a good strategy. The Long Beach branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), a nonprofit that has advocated for the rights of women since 1911, has long embraced grass-roots programs to get more girls into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers— which provide higher wages, greater job stability and significant growth opportunities.
Over the last 13 years, AAUW Long Beach has hosted over 1,700 girls from local middle schools and introduced them to dynamic women right in their community who work as software engineers, paleontologists, environmental scientists and in other diverse STEM professions. On Friday, our 14th Annual Stem Career Conference hosted over 220 girls to participate in “hands-on” workshops about the “ins and outs” of working in different STEM careers— many of which the girls had likely never even heard of. The conference is a collaborative community effort that unites local schools, businesses, STEM professionals and larger entities like the Port of Long Beach.
And we have other programs that build on this one. “Tech Trek” is a week-long STEM camp at a local university. Our college scholarships and mentorship programs support advanced degrees in STEM. We even have programs after college, like a salary negotiation workshop— because pay disparities exist even in STEM jobs with women generally earning less pay than men.
Local organizations, like AAUW Long Beach, know their community and have the relationships to develop innovative programs that will close the STEM gender gap. Take the fight locally to the states? We are ready.
Cacilia Kim and Sharon Westafer
Co-Presidents
American Association of University Women, Long Beach
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Minding our business
Thanks for the great coverage of the annual meeting. [“A year of fruition: At annual address, Cohn highlighted openings of numerous businesses,” Feb. 24, 2017] Very nice and appreciated.
Blair Cohn
Executive director
Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association
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