The Rossmoor Homeowners Association hosted a candidate forum for residents to hear from candidates for the 72nd Assembly, 47th Congressional and the local sewer district.
The Rossmoor Homeowners Association hosted a candidate forum for residents to hear from candidates for the 72nd Assembly, 47th Congressional and the local sewer district.
Gary DeLong was in attendance, but Alan Lowenthal was unavailable. Both candidates for the 72nd State Assembly, Los Alamitos Mayor Troy Edgar and Huntington Beach business owner Travis Allen were both in attendance.
Four of the five candidates for the Rossmoor/Los Alamitos Area Sewer District were also in attendance. Current director of the district, William Poe was unavailable, but another incumbent running for re-election, Jim Bell was in attendance. Also there to address the audience were new candidates, Carolyn Sylvia, Van Jew, and Eric Frankenberg.
Without Lowenthal in attendance, DeLong had the audience and questions all to himself. DeLong addressed the audience with his goals and ideas for going to Washington D.C., and said his highest priority would be the economy and jobs. However, when asked if he would sign a no new tax pledge, DeLong quickly replied, no.
“I won’t sign any pledges,” DeLong said.
The reason he said he wouldn’t sign was because locking into a pledge limits a Congressman’s ability to work with others. He said he won’t concern himself with party lines, but will work with anyone who is willing to compromise and seek out ways to fix the economy and make more jobs available for Americans.
DeLong said to make progress, representatives in Washington D.C. need to be willing to put any idea on the table and have an open mind. However, he noted that he didn’t see how raising taxes right now would help lift the economy.
Allen and Edgar each offered their thoughts on reviving the economy and education. Allen said that California was once a leader in education in the United States. But he said cuts have changed that.
“The answer is getting more for our money … we need to once again lead the United States in education,” Allen said.
Regarding the economy and finances of the state, Allen said that the answer is not getting more money, but spending the money the state has more wisely.
Edgar noted that his wife is a teacher in the Garden Grove Unified School District, and they have first-hand experience in how the economic downturn has affected public school education. Edgar noted that he would like to see more going to the schools and that too much is spent on reports and governing bodies, trying to change the system.
“I think we pour a lot of money into that level of bureaucracy that doesn’t always give us the right level of return,” Edgar said.