Residents call on Long Beach City Council to name Moore president

Supporters of City Councilwoman Anissa Moore turned out in force at the Jan. 16 council meeting, where they called on the council to name her president or vice president, saying that a leadership role was long overdue.

More than 50 residents, including civic leaders and clergy from the North Park community, turned out to show their support for Moore, a communications professor at Nassau Community College and the first African-American to serve on the council, who was elected to a four-year term in 2015.

Over the past few years, supporters of Moore — who is associated with a group of new Democrats who did not back council members Chumi Diamond and Scott Mandel in the November election — had urged the council to resume its practice of rotating the presidency, saying that she had received the most votes of the three candidates who ran for council that year and now has significant experience.

“I remember when your past president [Len Torres] had said that Councilwoman Anissa Moore would become the president,” Pastor Dolores Miller told the council. “I feel there has been some underhanded dealings. It should be that this year, you start off right, by telling the truth and doing what you say you’re going to do. It’s time to stop discriminating. Do the right thing. The spirit of Trump is in the land.”

The show of support comes after the council voted 3-2 on Jan. 1 to name former Council Vice President Anthony Eramo president, and 4-1 to name Diamond vice president.

A number of residents called on Diamond to step aside as vice president and give the title to Moore, if not the presidency.

“The whole city celebrated when Councilwoman Moore was sworn in in 2016,” said Kathy Williams. “And then, she was told by the City Council president, Mr. Len Torres, that she needed to learn and take time to become a council president. Why do the rules for the only black woman elected in the City of Long Beach keep changing?”

According to the city charter, the council may vote to change presidents at any time. Moore’s supporters have argued that the council should continue a practice that began in 2012 of rotating the presidency every six months, even though the practice has been largely inconsistent over the past several years.

Officials have said there is no rule that the top vote-getter be appointed president — in January 2012, former Councilwoman Fran Adelson, who earned the second most votes in the 2011 election after Torres, was appointed to the position.

Newly-minted Councilman John Bendo, an independent who ran on a Democratic ticket with Mandel and Diamond last year, said earlier this month that naming Moore president or vice president would have helped unify a divided council. Others said that appointing Moore to a leadership role would also send a positive message to young people and others in the community.

“It’s kind of hurtful to see that she’s being passed over,” said resident James Hutchison. “She had a historical race — I understand that Len Torres was the first Hispanic — but she was the first black woman to crack that ceiling. She’s been in for two years. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Eramo, Diamond and Mandel are closely associated with the Independent Democratic Club of Long Beach, known as the “old Democrats.” Several supporters claimed that Moore is “hardly” on speaking terms with the three council members, and said that while Moore was considered for the role of vice president, she was not chosen because she did not back Mandel and Diamond in their election bids.

“If the vice president won’t talk to the president, how is that going to work,” said one political insider who declined to be identified.

After the meeting, Moore disputed claims that she is not on speaking terms with the three council members.

“We all communicate because we still have decisions to make about moving the city forward,” Moore said. “The decisions made on Jan. 1 go beyond Anissa Moore but the historic treatment of North Park residents. The residents of Long Beach voted for me in 2015 with the hopes of ending the painful history and mistreatment as communicated by several residents during the meeting. I remain committed to bring healing as a public servant of all within our city.”

After the meeting, Eramo strongly denied claims of racism and discrimination. He reiterated that he, Diamond and Mandel shared the same vision for the city going forward.

“With the amount of racism and bigotry coming from Washington, the last thing we need are accusations like this in the City of Long Beach,” Eramo said. “What we need to do is work together. We shouldn’t be fighting about titles — the five of us have an equal voice on the council, and we should focus on working together to move the city forward.”