Council members to seek re-election next year

DOWNEY - As his 8-year service as a city councilman nears its end next year, David Gafin is convinced he can look back with pride on his accomplishments and that it's time to look around for his successor for District 1."It's but natural to groom someone who shares the same vision and commitment to the betterment of the community as I have," he said. "That someone should possess the mindset and drive to push desired programs along, he must know the city, its history and its culture as well as a sense of where it's supposed to go in the future. He must possess qualities that will help him succeed as a councilmember." "I think I know who that someone is," Gafin added, "but until there's a firm commitment to run for office from the party concerned, we can't announce the possible candidate's name yet, can we?" Meanwhile, mayor Luis Marquez and mayor pro tem Roger Brossmer, who both got elected in 2008, have indicated they're both planning on running for re-election in their districts in 2012. Marquez, who has been employed by the office of state Sen. Alan Lowenthal for a number of years now as senior district deputy, said he has seen a lot of positives happen in his years as a councilmember and mayor of Downey. "As much as I emphasized economic development, public safety and quality of life issues during my campaign," he said, "I've seen much progress done in these areas, and I believe I still got a lot more to offer [to the citizens of Downey]. Because I'm serving citywide as the District 5 city councilmember, I want to continue doing a good job and intensify my efforts in improving the quality of life in my community. And if anyone wants to run against me, let him/her do so. After all, this is what democracy is all about-an equal chance for everybody to make his/her mark. Let the process take its natural course." Brossmer is next in line to become mayor next year. He said he is looking forward to it, after which he'll seek another term. He said he hopes nobody runs against him, but if somebody does, he says, "I'll be confident in running on my record, which speaks for itself. I think we in the council have done a good job, and people have generally responded well to our initiatives. And I hope I'll have their support then. In any case, I'll be ready to mount a re-election campaign honed to win." He also said he's contemplating on going for his doctorate degree in educational leadership after his term as mayor. He'll choose among three universities: University of La Verne, Cal State Long Beach or USC.

********** Published: May 5, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 3