Dear Editor:Our neighboring city of Bell has once again reminded us Downey residents of how vigilant we must be of our local politicians. The next election for Downey City Council is a few weeks away and The Downey Patriot has done a wonderful job of publishing stories about the three candidates running for District 4. The Sept. 23 story about how each candidate earns a living was informative but did leave me wondering about whether certain candidates who stand to personally gain from their votes should seek your endorsement. Do we need to remind our candidates what a conflict of interest is? Even the appearance of a conflict must be unacceptable in this city. For example, one candidate, Fernando Vasquez, works with a large company (National Community) that buys property to make affordable housing. This company has a direct interest in three of our Downey properties and one of their employees, Mr. Vasquez himself, who is running for city council, stands to indirectly gain if the projects go forward. A conflict? We need candidates who will examine every issue thoroughly and vote on every issue with their hearts and with no self-interest. If National Renaissance does well, Vasquez's job is more secured and thus he will do well. Mr. Vasquez claims he will abstain from voting on issues his company has an interest in, but what good is it to have a representative that is not going to be able to vote on such important matters facing our city? No conflicts of interest votes in my city of Downey. We are not Bell. Let's be vigilant and protect Downey. -- Lazaro Urutia, Downey

********** Published: September 30, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 24