Citizen About Town

By Nancy C. Arcuri, Editor and Publisher

E-mail: nancyarcuri@thecitizensvoice.net

Fax: 626-307-9081

Now that our local elections are completed with all of the votes counted and the re-elected or newly elected Councilmembers are sworn in to serve us.

Monterey Park only had a 19.4% voter turnout, which is higher than most cities in the San Gabriel Valley.

It seems we have too many cases of voter fatigue or voter apathy in our city, county, state and country.

I disagree with the some elected officials who wish to change all voting to be held in the even years in their push to increase vote turnout.

I have noticed that some voters do not complete their ballots if they have too many issues or people to vote for in any given election. They either don’t turn the ballot over to complete the process or don’t vote on the second ballot.

In the last two Monterey Park City Council Elections the one held in 2013 had a turn over ballot for city clerk and city treasurer and the recent 2015 had a second ballot for the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees. Some voters didn’t follow directions to vote on the turn over ballot or the second ballot as stated in our summary reports from the city clerk’s office.

They failed to complete their ballots or didn’t bother to vote as they think their vote does not count.

Recent history in the San Gabriel City Council Election proved their theory wrong as incumbent Juli Costanzo was re-elected by two votes over her challenger Denise Menchaca.

I believe that our elected officials, educators and family members need to stress the importance of U S citizens to exercise their God given right to vote in our free society.

We need to continue to educate our fellow citizens that our right to vote helps to keep us free of dictators and other tyrants who would destroy our personal freedoms and our free United States of America.

Maybe the 4th of July Celebration committees should request that students and adults draw pictures and / or write essays on how our American freedoms are treasured by their families and themselves.

I also believe that any person seeking to run for a city council should attend all 12 months of the general meetings, read the agenda items and staff reports so they have an idea of the current city business before they pull their papers.  They should also address the council on any issues they are concerned about that may negatively affect our hometown.

Monterey Park’s latest election was relatively quiet without a lot of misinformation being presented to the voters.

Newly elected Councilmember Stephen Lam did admit that is a one of the owners of the Hong Kong Market building in Monterey Park during the April 1 meeting.  He abstained on the approval of emergency repairs being made on a sink hole, water main and sewer pipe at 128 N. Garfield.  His property is located in that small shopping center.

A check of the California Form 461 on Olson Homes dated from 07/01/2014 through 12/31/2014, who are now in construction of 80 homes on Potrero Grande Drive in Monterey Park, show they paid Imprenta Communications Group $10,500 in consultant fees.

Thomas Wong, now an elected member of the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, was their paid consultant in this Special Election. A check on the current employees of the Imprenta Communications Group as of March 17, 2015 disclosed that Thomas Wong is no longer an officer or consultant since 2014.

Mr. Wong kept preaching to the Monterey Park residents that we must conserve our water because of the drought.  Yet he helped the Olson Company win a zone change from commercial to residential by 187 votes. Olson paid $83.15 for each of their 2,268 yes votes.

Imprenta Communications Group also worked on the 2015 Monterey Park City Council Elections for Anthony Wong and Stephen Lam.

Anthony Wong’s California Form 460 dated from 1/1/15 through 1/17/15 stated that he paid $3,500 to Imprenta Communications Group for consulting fees.

Stephen Lam’s California Form 460 dated from Jan 1, 2015 through Jan 17, 2015 states Brian Hua as his Treasurer.

Brian Hua is currently listed as an Accounting Clerk for Imprenta Communications Group as of March 17, 2015.

Since most of us do not believe in the coincident that the Olson Company, Anthony Wong and Stephen Lam all used the same consulting firm by chance.

Monterey Park residents are concerned that the Olson Company was trying to defeat Councilmember Mitch Ing and Teresa Real Sebastian in favor of their supporters Anthony Wong and Stephen Lam.

Monterey Park’ s validated election results for three seats are Mitch Ing won by 3,330 votes, Teresa Real Sebastian won by 3,080 votes, Stephen Lam won by 2,741 votes and Anthony Wong lost with 2,540 votes.

The Monterey Park voters may have been fooled by the Olson Company once in the zoning change election but were not fooled by the Olson Company twice in the Council election.

Voters across the United States have to be on guard that special interest groups don’t buy their elected officials or change the laws to suit their personal causes or themselves.

Please study all of the issues and candidates’ agendas before you vote.

Don’t let your precious vote be sold to the highest bidder.