Ojai Democratic Club Wants Election to Fill DeVito Council Seat, or Appoint Leonard Klaif
Contact: Pat McPherson
pat@gigavac.com; 805-895-3537
The Ojai Valley Democratic Club unanimously passed a Resolution at its November 23, 2009 general meeting asking the Ojai City Council to fill Joe DeVito’s seat with an election. DeVito resigned before his term was up next November and will leave office at the end of December 2009. Should the council not have an election, the Club asked the Council to appoint Leonard Klaif who lost by only 70 votes when DeVito’s seat was last up for election.
The resolution presented by the club Vice President Pat McPherson reads as follows:
"The Ojai Valley Democratic Club requests the Ojai City Council to call for an election in conjunction with the June 2010 Primary to fill the open Ojai City Council position when council member Joe DeVito leaves at the end of December 2009.
Should an election not occur, the Ojai Democratic Club hereby requests the Ojai City Council to appoint Leonard Klaif as Joe DeVito’s replacement to the council."
According to Sean Keenan, President of the Club, “Our club always supports the democratic principal of one person one vote. The difference in time between an election and an appointment to fill the position is only 4 months and our club believes its best to let the citizens decide. It’s important to understand too that which ever option is chosen, the new city council member will have to run for office next November, and it is more reasonable if that person was elected in the first place rather than be appointed by the council and become anointed as the incumbent.”
Keenan goes on to say "Should the City Council choose to go the appointment route, the Ojai Valley Democrats and many other Ojai residents believe that Len Klaif is the best choice. Recently, the signatures of over 200 Ojai City residents were collected on a petition in just 72 hours asking the Ojai City Council to appoint Len Klaif to the vacant council seat. No one else has even shown an interest. In 2006, the last time this council seat was up for election, Len Klaif ran against the 20+ year incumbent Joe DeVito. Mr. DeVito won by only 70 votes. Len Klaif has spent hundreds of hours speaking in the Council Chambers on behalf of the citizens of Ojai and is familiar with all of the issues we are facing. He and his wife have owned a business in Ojai and Len has worked tirelessly for almost twenty years on numerous causes to preserve Ojai's unique small town character. As an attorney, he is uniquely qualified to understand the legal choices that influence the future of Ojai.”
The Ojai Valley Democratic Club is an active group in Ojai that accept members from all political affiliations that share their beliefs and goals. To learn more, visit their web site www.ojaidemocrats.org
Related Stories:
October 25, 2009 - Why I Support Ojai City Council Candidate Lenny Klaif
October 24, 2009 - A Message from Ojai Resident Pat McPherson:"It's official, Lenny Klaif has agreed to step forward ..."
October 23, 2009 - Good News for Ojai: Len Klaif for City Council
http://www.ojaipost.com/2009/10/good_news_for_ojai_len_klaif_f_1.shtml
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