Signs of Fall: Election Billboards and Campaign Signs Popping Up in San Bernardino for Election 2011
September 13, 2011 Leave a comment
By Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law
Chas Kelley, before he was elected to the Council, told a story of how he kept calling a local billboard company to make sure that he would be able to rent the billboards. Apparently, he still is in contact with the billboard company because the Chas Kelley billboard, appropriately in Kelly green, is up on Kendall Drive. There is also a Gigi Hanna lawn sign on the Habitat for Humanity house built on E Street, and a Larry Lee yard sign further south on E Street, including a website address on the sign.
Let’s look at the state of affairs in the 2011 election so far (taken, in the same order, and same ballot titles as the San Bernardino Registrar of Voters Candidate list :
The candidates
Third Ward:
Tobin Brinker, Teacher/Councilman
John Valdivia, Advertising Representative
Fifth Ward
Chas A. Kelley, City Councilman, 5th Ward
Larry A. Lee, Minister/Sr. Pastor
Sixth Ward
Rikke Van Johnson
Seventh Ward
Wendy J. McCammack, Councilwoman/Business Owner
Jim Mulvihill, University Professor/Businessman
City Clerk
Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna, Communications/Administration Manager
Peggi Hazlett, Assistant to Mayor
Esther Jimenez, Senior Legislative Assistant
Amelia Sanchez-Lopez, Health Education Specialist
William A. Valle, Maintenance Clerk
City Attorney
David L. McKenna, Civil Litigation Attorney
James F. “Jim” Penman
San Bernardino City Attorney
City Treasurer
David C. Kennedy
Where are we in this campaign? It’s just getting started. As I related in the earlier discussion regarding the City Clerk’s race; local candidates wait until after Labor Day, but can be punished if they wait too long because of the effect of vote by mail. According to the Registrar, the first day that Vote by Mail ballots can be mailed is October 11, 2011. Similarly, early voting at the Registrar of Voters begins on October 11, 2011, a little than a month before the elections. This is the “get to know you” part of the campaign, where candidates extoll their virtues rather than attack their opponent (the City Attorney’s race notwithstanding).
So, which candidates are on the ball and have working internet sites (that can be found at this date and time)?
As of the morning of September 13, 2011, less than two months from the election, in the same Registrar of Voters order:
City of San Bernardino Third Ward
These are the most notable sites of all the elections:
Third Ward council member Tobin Brinker has a functional, up-to-date website, and a Facebook page. The main site has a blog. There are links to YouTube endorsement videos, which is a cost-effective use of video.
Third Ward challenger John Valdivia has a website, too. And a Facebook page and a Twitter feed. They are not quite as polished as council member Brinker’s sites, but they are full of enthusiasm that any challenger could use as a model.
City of San Bernardino Fifth Ward
Fifth Ward council member Chas Kelley does not appear to have a website up and running at this moment.
Fifth Ward challenger Larry A. Lee has a website and a more active Facebook page.
City of San Bernardino Sixth Ward
Rikke Van Johnson is running unopposed. Council member Johnson does have a personal Facebook page. There is a link to website on the page, but it is currently a dead link.
City of San Bernardino Seventh Ward
Seventh Ward Council member Wendy McCammack does not appear to have an online presence at this time.
Perennial Seventh Ward challenger Jim Mulvihill has a Facebook page, but does not appear to have a website.
City of San Bernardino City Clerk
This is a rare open race with no incumbent.
City Clerk candidate Georgeann “Gigi” Hanna. It took a little searching, but Ms. Hanna does have a Facebook page.
City Clerk candidate Peggi Hazlett, does not appear to have a web presence at the moment beyond a LinkedIn page that is not related to her bid.
City Clerk candidate Esther Jimenez has a Facebook page. She does not appear to have a website.
City Clerk candidate Amelia Sanchez-Lopez has a brochure-style website. Ms. Sanchez-Lopez does not appear to have a Facebook page.
City Clerk candidate William A. Valle has a Facebook page. He also has a website.
City Attorney
City Attorney challenger David L. McKenna has a very simple website. He may have a Facebook page, but I was unable to find it.
San Bernardino City Attorney James F. “Jim” Penman does have a website, electpenman.com that still features his last Mayoral campaign.
City Treasurer
City Treasurer David C. Kennedy is unchallenged, and virtually absent from the Internet.
The most interesting information that I have found on the web is the Third Ward race. I think the other candidates in contested elections should look at the two contenders in that race for ideas about what to do.
The information you obtain at this blog is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is established by reading or commenting on this blog. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation.
About Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law
Michael Reiter, Municipal Attorney. Partner with Cole Huber, LLP in Ontario, Roseville California 