Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Ruling on R1 Group's Stakeholder Status

Last night, all members of R Neighborhoods Are 1 were included as stakeholders in the June 25 Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council's election, which includes electing new or incumbent Board members.

The voting period, which begins at 1:00 PM at the Peck Park Community Center and lasts until 7:00 PM, will allow for voters who use "self affirmation" in belonging to the R1 group, to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice.

Any person over the age of 14-years old, who signed the "R1" petition, supporting that the Ponte Vista site remain with its current zoning, is a member of R Neighborhoods Are 1, and therefore eligible to vote in the election.

It is not necessary to actually live in the specific area which the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council covers. R Neighborhoods Are 1 members do not have to live in any particular city to be included as eligible voters.

No one needs to be a "registered voter" to vote in this election.

When you come to vote, you will be asked to fill out a form where you affirm that you are eligible to vote in this election. The form must be truthful and there is a statement that it is signed under penalty of perjury. Everyone needs to be honest and truthful when identifying themselves as being an eligible voter in this election.

Voters will be asked to vote after filling out the form, deposit their ballot, and then calmly and quietly leave the building. No campaigning may be done anywhere near the polling site.

If voters wish to return after 7:00 to wait for the preliminary results to be given out, that is something everyone can do.

There are three candidates I personally feel should be elected, at this time. I have written their names in a previous post.

I will post the recommendations that the Steering Committee of the R1 group makes on Thursday night for both this election and the July 10 election in the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, where members of R Neighborhoods Are 1 also qualify to vote in.

You should vote according to the facts and opinions you learn about. Simply being recommended by R Neighborhoods Are 1, should not be the only factor in the choices you make and the votes you cast, I feel.

Doug Epperhart will have an article in Saturday's More San Pedro, which is an insert to the Daily Breeze. His column will provide many more facts about the candidates than this blog will post. I will provide a link to that column once it appears on Saturday. I will probably also "copy" it in its entirety for a post on this blog.

If you choose to be a one-issue voter, that is your choice. At least one group stacked the deck last year attempting to get pro-Bisno seats on the Board. There is a small slate of candidates heavily supporting Eastview Little League. I personally recommended one of those candidates be looked at favorably, but that is my own opinion.

The June 25 Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council election and the July 10 Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council election, are very important for all of us, I think. We need to work at beginning to heal some of the very open wounds Bob has created in this community and trying to bring all three Neighborhood Councils more together in their communications, working relationships, and their common goals for supporting San Pedro.

This is democracy in action at a basic community level. We may have little say in State and Federal issues, but helping to steer our local communities is something we all can do.

Please be concerned. Please be informed. Please vote on June 25.

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