One of our readers sent us the following commentary regarding the City Council race in Anaheim. We are pleased to submit his thoughts on that contest for your consideration.
By Daniel Lamb
Anaheim politics have never been so… strange.
After an eerie calm, the political crossfire is heating up, as battle lines are being drawn and re-drawn in the race for city council.
The GOP mayor, Curt Pringle, is opposing his former council ally Lorri Galloway, the only Democrat left in city hall, in her campaign for re-election, despite her endorsements from prominent party figures on both sides of the isle.
Pringle was forced to turn on his once productive relationship with Galloway in the face of intense pressure from Disney’s lobbying operation in Anaheim. Disney is determined to form a more “resort friendly council.†In return for the mayor’s support, the mayor would have a governing majority, which he needs to achieve much of anything.
Disney is furious at Councilmember Lorri Galloway for supporting a residential housing project in the resort district. She supported the union workers of the resort who are desperately seeking an affordable place to live. The Disney Corporation spent millions forming the group: Save Our Anaheim Resort (SOAR). The group targeted Galloway and recruited people in the community to spread inflammatory information. For example, they claimed Anaheim residents would lose their police and fire services if Disney’s wishes were not met. The meanness of Mickey Mouse made national headlines.
Disney’s lobbyist planed to scare policy makers into unquestionably supporting Disney using SOAR as a front pressure group. Anyone who crossed SOAR would be labeled anti-resort, anti-business, and anti-Anaheim. Lorri Galloway resisted Disney’s heavy-handed lobbying efforts and is now on the other side of goliath’s wrath.
Galloway is still sporting a healthy lead in her re-election bid, despite the massive attempt to slander her name. Turning up the heat, Disney, with the help of Mayor Pringle and the Republican Party, formed a PAC called Citizens for Anaheim’s Future (CAF) with the stated purpose of supporting Pringle’s allies running for Council. The Disney/Pringle controlled CAF is supporting planning commissioner Gale Eastman’s effort to unseat Galloway. Eastman, who switched her party ID from Republican to decline to state when she decided to run for office, could be counted on to support both the Mayor and Disney on all major issues and thus give the mayor and Disney what they want, control.
Disney has currently given $25,000 to CAF and don’t be surprised if they find a way to contribute more cash through the Republican Party of Orange County and party leader Scott Baugh.
Galloway’s relationship with the Democratic Party has not been perfect, as many know. Her moderation and friendship with certain republicans has fueled some liberal opposition. However, If Disney succeeds in bullying her out of office, the only progressive voice on the city council would be gone, mostly to the detriment of the city’s workers. Disney Corp’s unprecedented intervention must be called out and stopped.
For more information about Lorri Galloway’s campaign visit her website at LorriGalloway.com.
To add to the weirdness, a very smart, attractive and amicable young man named Steve Perez is also running in the Anaheim Council race. I believe he attempted to secure the DPOC endorsement, but they opted to endorse the candidates they endorsed 4 years ago. The Sierra Club was also going to endorse him but they could not overcome his age, so they endorsed no one. Regardless I’ve ( I cut out the 3rd person talk because I started to feel like Bob Dole) knocked on thousands of houses and I have more campaign signs then any other candidates on yards and on streets.
Young Mr. Perez. – While I applaud your chutzpah and grass roots campaign, I believe your post is inaccurate in one regard. Gus Roditis ran two years ago and I believe was not endorsed by the DPOC Central Committee because he was a registered Republican at the time. It is widely believed he has switched parties because he could finagle an endorsement more easily from the DPOC than the RPOC. But, I can assure you that no employees of his taxi business are union.
Ugh, If that’s the case I’m disappointed in being inaccurate in 2 respects. First because I was wrong and second because a non-unionized snake oil salesman beat me for the nomination…great
I think that the issue here is more about Galloway’s personal agenda and tactics that have turned many supporters away from her. I admit that I voted for her when she first ran. She will not ever get my vote again. If she has to use hit tactics rather than running on her record, she does not deserve to be re-elected to our city council. She is doing to Eastman exactly what Lynn Daucher tried to do in 2006 with Lou Correa in the State Senate Race. Scare tactics just don’t work anymore and people are now seeing Galloway for what she really is .
Running on her record? What record? Her campaign materials claim she opened libraries, police and fire stations, community centers….but every one of those improvements were planned long before she was elected to office. Her entire record is taking credit for the work of others. She has to list the work of others to get re-elected, because the only work Galloway has done in 4 years of Anahiem City Council is antagonize business owners, and give away our tax dollars to her developer friends. See http://noongallowayanaheim.blogspot.com/ for documented details.
By way of disclosure, I am working with the No On Galloway team, and while Daniel Lamb did not disclose, he is the leader of Anaheim College Students for Lorri Galloway.
Cynthia Ward