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Mostly Cloudy Long Beach City Council race heats up
Trio attempts to wrest control from Democrats
In the battle for seats on the Long Beach City Council, three Republican-backed candidates are looking to unseat two Democratic incumbents and regain control of the city from the Democrats on Nov. 5.
Council President Scott Mandel, a Democrat, is up for re-election after serving for two years. Councilwoman Eileen Goggin, who is also a Democrat, was appointed in February to serve the remainder of Democratic Councilman Mike Fagen’s four-year term, when Fagen was forced to step down after being convicted of fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits. Republican Councilman John McLaughlin is not seeking re-election.
Newcomers Damian Walsh, Michael Franceschini and Janna Jachniewicz earned Republican endorsements earlier this year, though all three said they are running as independents. They are touting their financial and legal experience, and pledged to rein in spending, hold the line on taxes, help residents and businesses still struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and strengthen the city’s infrastructure.
Mandel, Goggin and another Democratic candidate, newcomer Anthony Eramo — who is also a candidate of the Working Families Party — said that the administration remains focused on the city’s post-Sandy recovery efforts and advocating for storm victims while taking steps to restore fiscal stability after inheriting a multi-million-dollar deficit from the previous administration.
On Tuesday, Jachniewicz, Walsh and Goggin clinched the majority of 180 votes in the Long Beach Independence Party primary — with 28, 24 and 19 percent of the votes, respectively — and will appear on the Independence Party line in November. Mandel garnered 12 percent of the votes, and will not appear on the Independence line.
Walsh, Franceschini and Jachniewicz claim that Democratic council members reneged on a campaign promise when they hired a number of political supporters, have done little to cut spending, raised taxes three times in one year and have relied too heavily on long-term borrowing.
