Caption:
BY RAYMOND MENDOZA

Walnut – In preparation for Walnut’s general municipal election on April 8, City Council members Bob Pacheco and Mary Su participated in a candidates’ forum on Feb. 24 at the Walnut Senior Center that was organized by the League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley for the purpose of helping Walnut voters ask questions of their City Council candidates.

Betty Tang, the third Council candidate invited by the League to participate in the candidates’ forum, did not show up for the candidates forum, did not send a representative in her place, and did not present written comments for the audience. When the Weekly News Editor in Chief, Michael Armijo, left a message for Tang at her campaign office requesting an explanation for her failure to attend the candidate’s forum, Tang failed to return the call. He then left a public message on her website, but there was no response as of press time. Tang’s campaign manager, Samuel Lee, claimed that Tang “had another appointment that evening”, but refused to say what that appointment was.

During the candidates’ forum, Pacheco said in his opening statement that his main focus for his next possible term would be to increase tax revenue to the city, bring in more businesses, and adding an additional volunteer sheriff to the Walnut/Diamond Bar Sheriff Station.

During the event, Pacheco said he plans on creating a city swimming pool and an amphitheater for outdoor arts performances that would make Walnut a destination for performing arts.
Su, who served as Walnut’s Mayor in 2009 and 2012-2013, said her priorities were preserving Walnut’s rural atmosphere, maintaining the city’s low crime rate, and retaining and attracting high-quality businesses.

One of the first questions of the evening concerned filling vacant storefronts in the City, notably the former Albertsons building at the corner of Nogales Street and Amar Road. Both candidates said they were already taking steps to fill the vacancy.

Su said she had tried to bring a Trader Joe’s Market to Walnut while she was Mayor because she enjoys its products. However, Trader Joe’s informed her at that time that the population of Walnut was not considered to be large enough to fulfill the requirements of the supermarket chain.
Su said she has been actively working with the property manager of the former Albertsons store to attract a suitable business to fill the vacancy.

Pacheco mentioned his recommendations to bring a 99 Ranch Market, Walmart or Northgate Market to the former Albertsons lot. “(City Council members) have to be proactive in how we go out to look for these markets,” Pacheco said. “So I’ve actually taken it upon myself to make special calls (to businesses) to welcome them to the city. I spoke to the owners and representatives of 99 Ranch Market … and they’re a good market.”

When asked about their views on the city’s budget, Pacheco said that Walnut has maintained a balanced City budget by adopting a cautious spending plan that stayed away from high cost and high risk projects. He also said that he would push for more property development since property taxes were essential to maintaining the city’s revenue growth and ability to pay for the City’s outstanding public services.
Su said that eliminating some city jobs, such as Assistant City Manager, had allowed the City to have a financial surplus for the past two years, and she estimated that Walnut might have as much as a $600,000 surplus at the end of the current fiscal year.

While most attendees of the forum appeared to be satisfied with Su’s and Pacheco’s answers, several Walnut residents were left questioning Tang’s chances of being elected to the Council when she ignored such an important chance to talk to Walnut citizens about her plans for the City.
“To be honest, I was very disappointed that Betty Tang did not come,” Walnut resident Karen Breitkreutz said. “Because she’s the one candidate that we’re not familiar with and because she’s never been on the City Council.”

Breitkreutz also said that she had thought she might vote for Tang, but after Tang’s failure to appear at the candidate’s forum, she was more likely to re-elect Su and Pacheco.
Joe Hahn, Walnut resident and former City Mayor, also said that he had been looking forward to learning more about Tang at the forum, since he was uncertain about her views on the issues Walnut is facing, but he was also disappointed that Tang did not choose to show up.

Walnut residents will have the opportunity to vote for the two available City Council positions on Tuesday, April 8.