An open letter to the Downey City Council

Dear Mayor Pacheco, Mayor Pro-Tem Alvarez, Councilmember Frometa and Councilmember Trujillo:

We, and the community at large, are very concerned about the current instability at Downey City Hall. Like you, the four of us are still quite tied to the fabric of our community. Our fellow citizens have lots of questions that even we cannot properly answer nor satisfy.

We have no political agenda. We are not here to tell you how to vote on policy matters. This request is very simple. One of your colleagues left you unannounced. There now sits a vacancy in District 2. We believe you should appoint the most capable individual who can best service our city during these challenging times.

We believe you should temporarily fill the vacancy in District 2 with an individual who has real experience in the position. It should be an individual who knows the city and community inside and out. It should be an individual who can only be appointed, not elected, to that seat this year. It should not be someone using the power of incumbency to get elected in November. Appointing a potential future office candidate would be unquestionably unfair.

Our request is to appoint Former Mayor Mario Guerra to the vacant district seat. This will allow for the inclusion of a new (but old) voice of reason on the dais. This individual’s service will be short-lived, as the appointment can only last until the end of this year. Former Mayor Guerra cannot run for the seat in November, so he could only serve about six remaining months.

Regardless of how Downey got here, we can all agree that city leadership through this challenging time is of utmost importance right now. There is a perception that this council is not focused on the same matters together. The loss of our city manager and city attorney now makes this hire the top priority for us.

You were all elected to prioritize the community and its needs above personal preferences and politics. No former mayor has worked harder, more tirelessly, and more precisely on making Downey better than Mario Guerra. Not only was Mario the city’s number one cheerleader while serving at city hall, he’s still cheering for Downey. He’s cheering for all of you too.

Please show our community the leadership within your governing body. True leadership requires a willingness to work as colleagues for the betterment of the whole. It now requires working even harder and closer to stabilize a very fractured city hall with little direction.

Though you four are in a very difficult position, we are confident you can show true leadership by putting personalities and politics aside, stabilizing city hall, and increasing morale. By appointing former Mayor Guerra to serve the district’s remaining term, you can restore the community’s faith in you and in our city government.

If you can provide the leadership to restore stability to our city, we can all claim victory in November. 

Please ensure that all members of the general public have the ability to share their opinions at the city council meeting on Tuesday, April 26th. 

Respectfully,

Kirk Cartozian
Former Downey Mayor

Rick Rodriguez
Former Downey Mayor

Alex Saab
Former Downey Mayor

Roger Brossmer
Former Downey Mayor