Election Sees City Attorney Recalled, Elected Officials Prepare for Next Steps

After edging out of last Tuesday's election with narrow wins, mayoral candidate Wendy McCammack and 4th Ward candidate Fred Shorett are preparing to head into a Feb. 4 run off against their respective challengers because neither received more than a 50 percent vote in last week's election. McCammack, though recalled from her 7th Ward city council seat by a 58.45 percent vote, took a 24.09 percent win for mayor in the 10-person race to succeed former mayor Pat Morris. She will compete against challenger and mayoral candidate Carey Davis, who garnered a 23.50 percent vote. Regarding the results of the election, McCammack said, "The voters have spoken as to the two top vote-getters and I hope the campaign will reveal the candidates' experience, their backers and what, exactly, they will do to clean up our City. It is (in) dire need of attention to the basic services. Getting back to basics and stopping of non-essential spending is the message I have tried to communicate to the voters for many years. A large coalition of supporters have come forward in the campaign to prevent opportunists from profiting off the taxpayers and their assets." Incumbent 4th Ward city council member Fred Shorett kept his seat with a 48.30 percent vote and will go head-to-head in February's run off election against opponent Anthony Jones, who won 30.97 percent of the votes for the seat in the November election. Jones said, "I campaigned for three and a half, close to four months. Before that, I was a ... concerned citizen with a few ideas to restore the quality of life in San Bernardino. After the Nov. 5 election, I'm now in the runoff for a seat in the 4th Ward." Part of Jones's campaigning strategy for the February run off election, he explained, would be to "talk to voters and really have them voice their opinions. The community is really suffering from the poor decision making my opponent has made," said Jones. "It's a critical time. We want to pay attention to intricate details and restore the quality of life for San Bernardino citizens," Jones said. "On Feb. 4 we will take back the 4th Ward and we will be victorious." Shorett said, "They (his opponent Jones) have accused me of everything but the Gulf War. They hold me responsible for crime numbers, lack of high school graduation, (and) the jobless rate. There's all kinds of things they've put on me, but I would like to remind them I'm one vote. The bankruptcy happened on my watch, and I take responsibility, but I am certainly not responsible for everything they're accusing me of. I'm going to try to do the work of the citizens, the taxpayers, and turn this city around into what we all know it can be." Shorett said of his run off campaign, "My intention is to run the same campaign I ran before. We'll run a hard campaign and I think I can be elected. I was at 48 percent with Jones the closest at 30 percent, and that's a sizable difference and I think we can maintain, if not beat, that." James F. Penman, the city's longest serving elected official, was recalled from his position as City Attorney by a 60.46 percent vote, according to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters' unofficial count as of 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7. He will be succeeded by Gary Saenz, who won the post with a 56.13 percent vote to opponent Tim Prince's 43.87 percent. 1st Ward incumbent Virginia Marquez retained her city council seat by a 56.55 percent vote in the three-candidate battle for the seat; Benito Barrios will take the post as the 2nd Ward city council person after overtaking incumbent Robert Jenkins; and Jim Mulvihill will take McCammack's place in the 7th Ward after taking a 41.36 percent win. 3rd Ward council member John Valdivia survived recall efforts and will keep his seat. Mulvihill will be sworn into office at the Nov. 18 council meeting confirmed the City Clerk's office. Saenz will also be sworn in that day. Swearing in for the Feb. 4 run off winners will be March 3. Barrios will be sworn in March 3, as he won in a regular election, not a recall. Parties looking to succeed former councilman Chas Kelley's seat in the 5th Ward had until Friday, Nov. 8 to turn in nominations to the city clerk's office for the Feb. 4 special election. Election results have a certification deadline of Nov. 25. ===== Note for advertising: Reach out to: Wendy McCammack, Carey Davis Fred Shorett, Anthony Jones Any candidates vying to replace Chas Kelley in the Feb. 4 special election (Check city's website to get list of candidates who have filed) Valerie at city clerk's office: sworn in public on Nov. 18, but will sworn in privately tomorrow. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: After edging out of last Tuesday's election with narrow wins, mayoral candidate Wendy McCammack and 4th Ward candidate Fred Shorett are preparing to head into a Feb. 4 run off against their respective challengers because neither received more than a 50 percent vote in last week's election. James F. Penman, the city's longest serving elected official, was recalled from his position as City Attorney by a 60.46 percent vote, according to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters' unofficial count as of 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7. He will be succeeded by Gary Saenz, who won the post with a 56.13 percent vote to opponent Tim Prince's 43.87 percent. 1st Ward incumbent Virginia Marquez retained her city council seat by a 56.55 percent vote in the three-candidate battle for the seat; Benito Barrios will take the post as the 2nd Ward city council person after overtaking incumbent Robert Jenkins with a 55.43 percent vote to Jenkins's 44.57 percent; and Jim Mulvihill will take McCammack's place in the 7th Ward after taking a 41.36 percent win. 3rd Ward council member John Valdivia survived recall efforts with a 62.67 percent no vote and will keep his seat. McCammack, who was recalled from her previous 7th Ward city council seat by a 58.45 percent vote, took a 24.09 percent win for mayor in the 10-person race to succeed former mayor Pat Morris. She will compete against challenger and mayoral candidate Carey Davis, who garnered a 23.50 percent vote in a Feb. 4 run off election since neither candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote. Incumbent 4th Ward city council member Fred Shorrett kept his seat with a 48.30 percent vote will go head-to-head in February's run off election against opponent Anthony Jones, who won 30.97 percent of the votes for the seat in the November election. Mulvihill will be sworn into office at the Nov. 18 council meeting confirmed the City Clerk's office. Saenz will also be sworn in that day. Swearing in for the Feb. 4 run off winners will be March 3. Barrios will be sworn in March 3, as he won in a regular election, not a recall. Parties looking to succeed former councilman Chas Kelley's seat in the 5th Ward had until Friday, Nov. 8 to turn in nominations to the city clerk's office for the Feb. 4 special election. Election results have a certification deadline of Nov. 25. WENDY'S EMAIL RESPONSE: Breeanna: Thanks for asking. The voters have spoken as to the two top vote getters and I hope the campaign will reveal the candidates experience, their backers and what, exactly, they will do to clean up our City. It is dire need of attention to the basic services. Getting back to basics and stopping of non-essential spending is the message I have tried to communicate to the voters for many years. A large coalition of supporters have come forward in the campaign to prevent opportunists from profiting off the taxpayers and its assets. On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 3:29 PM, SanBernardino wrote: Hello Wendy, My name is Breeanna and I’m a reporter with the San Bernardino City News. We are working on an article concerning last week’s election and I wanted to reach out to you for commentary. If you’d like, I’ve left the questions below. If you would like to call me today, that would be fine, as well. My contact information is listed in the signature at the end of this email. The deadline is 4 p.m. today, Tuesday, Nov. 12. 1) How are you feeling overall about the election results as they currently stand? You are welcome to comment both on your own race for mayor as well as election results concerning other candidates. 2) How are you preparing for the Feb. 4 run off election?