Jim Lomako
for Pasadena City Council, District 2
March 6, 2007
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Jim Discusses
Controlling Growth with the Bungalow Heaven Neighborhood Association
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The Smear Campaign On Monday, January 29, The Pasadena Star News published a hoax letter smearing me. The purported author does not exist, the return address does not exist, and the letter is a complete lie. Click here for the full story.
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What About Paul Little?
The Pasadena Star News printed a letter to the editor from District 2 incumbent Paul Little on Friday, February 16, 2007, that included some misleading and false accusations about me. On Sunday, February 18, they printed some of my response on the front page. Read the Star News Story.
Paul Little, is not supporting me although we have been friends and have been political allies in the past. Last October, Paul replaced me as his appointee to the Community Development Committee while I was prominently opposing the scheme, which he backed, to allow the NFL to replace the historic Rose Bowl and shut Pasadena residents out of the Arroyo for 50 weekend days a year.
The path of our friendship had earlier came to a fork, when Paul began to favor developers and other wealthy interests over the residents who elected him. I wouldn’t follow him down that route and we have been adversaries on a number of issues in addition to development such as the demolition of historic properties and vacating Madia Street. I did not seek Paul’s support in this election. For one thing, Paul shares responsibility for the city’s failure to control growth and for dropping the ball on historical preservation issues - significant problems that I am running to fix. Many District 2 voters are so turned off by the type of politician that Paul has become that I think that his endorsement would be a liability.
It was not part of my campaign strategy to publicize Paul's failures. Paul's attack on me in his letter to the editor left me no choice.
Why is Paul Little saying those mean things about me?
The Pasadena Star News printed a letter to the editor from District 2 incumbent Paul Little on Friday, February 16, 2007, that said: "Someone is misleading potential voters in District 2 by implying or stating that Paul Little is supporting the candidacy of James Lomako." Paul's letter then went on to make a number of misleading and false accusations about me. On Sunday, February 18, they printed some of my response on the front page.
Paul says that two constituents told Paul that someone working for my campaign "left the impression" that Paul was in some way helping me. I have been running against Paul's record and have opposed him very publicly on some important issues like Measure A. Paul did appoint me to official positions and we have been friends since 1995. I have occasionally mentioned that. Many people are well aware of our long standing political and personal relationship. I have talked with my volunteers and have not been able to confirm that of them made any statements to voters that could be interpreted as saying that Paul endorses me.
If Paul was really concerned about the possibility that one or two of my volunteers "left the impression" that Paul was supporting me, why hasn’t he disclosed more information? Paul doesn’t need to reveal the identity of his anonymous tipster but he could have contacted me personally and given me enough information so that I could have followed up on his charges. Was the volunteer a man or woman? When did this happen? What street did this occur on?
It looks like Paul's accusation about the alleged volunteer miscommunication is a really a pretext to launch an attack on me. One needn't look far for the motive. My campaign as well as a number of my past public actions have put me at odds with Paul. Some of those issues cast a negative shadow over his public record.
Paul says that he replaced me on the Community Development Committee (CDC) when my behavior "became intolerable." My second term on the CDC expired in July 2004 and I was not eligible to be re-appointed because there is a two term limit. Paul let me stay on after the expiration of my term for more than two years - until October 2006 - before he appointed someone to replace me. At the time that Paul replaced me I was working hard to defeat Measure A, the initiative to have the NFL take over the Rose Bowl, and publicly criticizing Paul for backing the initiative.
Paul says that I sat on the Design Commission "during the time when it approved so many of those downtown developments that he's so strenuously objecting to now." The truth is that while I was on the Design Commission we turned down projects such as Charlie Munger's Montana project across from the Paseo and the city council repeatedly overturned our decisions when they were appealed or called up to the City Council. Paul even told me: "tell your friends on the Design Commission that if you keep on denying projects, we'll keep on overturning your decisions."
Paul says that the city council "at least in part" restructured the Design Commission to remove the CDC seat in order to get me off the Design Commission. It is flattering, but far fetched, to believe that the city council went to the effort to restructure an advisory body to get me off it. Paul and some other city council members were unhappy with me because I opposed the over-development of Pasadena and took a leading role in trying to save our architectural heritage on the Design Commission just as I am doing in my election campaign.
Paul says that I led a divisive effort to become chair of the CDC just when affordable housing issues were coming to the forefront. I did lead a successful effort to change the direction of the CDC and I did become chair. What Paul does not say is that my reason was to bring greater transparency and fairness into the allocation of city housing funds and end a tradition of rubber-stamping staff decisions. We succeeded, and the days of the city giving out most of its housing money through back room deals may be coming to an end. Paul also doesn't say that he supported me behind the scenes. I am proud of what I accomplished on the CDC.
The final break came when Paul sold out the residents of Linda Vista, and the rest of Pasadena to benefit a wealthy property owner with insider connections to city hall. I came to the city council meeting and spoke against giving ("vacating") the last 150 feet of Madia Street to John Quinn. The giveaway was defeated at the city council by one vote on October 23, 2006. On November 10, Quinn contributed $500.00 to Paul's campaign fund to help Paul repay a campaign debt to himself.
Late on the night of October 23, Paul sent me an email implying that he would not help me and some of my neighbors challenge the demolition of a historic home in our landmark district because I had publicly opposed him on the Madia street issue.
I had no intention to tarnish Paul's reputation. After 12 years on the city council it was time for him to go. I hope that Paul will get back his balance and perspective once he recovers from the intoxication of power.
This website is paid for by Friends of Jim Lomako, 1500 Whitefield Rd, Pasadena, CA 91104