Following Long's DUI, The New Murrieta City Council Election Picture Takes Shape

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Following Alan Long's incredibly stupid car accident, and DUI, it is safe to say that his candidacy for reelection to the Murrieta City Council is in trouble.  Rick Gibbs' seat is suddenly no longer safe, as well, just by mere association with Long.  Ruthanne Taylor-Berger, the WRCOG plant that wants to continue to dice Murrieta up into a United Nations Sustainable Development Zone, and wants to seek federal funding for the Murrieta Flood-Control Project so that Washington can stick its nose more into our business as a city, has been closely connected to Long and Gibbs, so her candidacy may be in serious trouble, as well.

Which leaves us six remaining candidates, led by a local CRA VP, and a local conservative activist.

The best of the rest begins with Jonathan Ingram, President of the Greer Ranch Home Owner's Association, Vice President of the California Republican Assembly and President of the Murrieta-Temecula Republican Assembly.  Jon is a conservative with experience in the business world, as well as being a person that has been closely following local politics.  He wants to see Murrieta drop their sleepy little city act and begin to move forward.  He wants to get The Triangle developed, and do the things necessary to get commerce moving through Murrieta in ways that Temecula has achieved over the past couple decades.  "Murrieta needs more restaurants, more movie theaters, more entertainment centers and more hotels."  Economic development is also among Ingram's chief concerns, and it's time Murrieta grabbed a hold of growth.

Diana Serafin has lived in the region longer than Murrieta has been a city.  A long time activist, she was instrumental in getting Measures C,D, and E passed in 2010 (term limits, compensation limitations for council members and city administrative officials), and Measure N passed in 2012 (Red Light Camera ban).  She has worked tirelessly for her city to make it a better place, and now she is ready to move from activist to member of the city council, not because she wants a political career, but because her cause to improve the city she loves has simply progressed to running for city council.  A staunch conservative often considered to be a loose cannon, but always one to fight her hardest for what is right, what is responsible, and what is beneficial to the City of Murrieta.  Like Ingram, Serafin is bothered by the lack of progress at the Triangle, but told the Press Enterprise she is particularly bothered by the council telling landowner Andy Domenigoni he could not build fast-food restaurants and gas stations on the property when it is developed.  She says we need development, and Murrieta is seen as hostile against development, and new business.  She also wants to eliminate the "progressive tax rate" of the Business License, which has a Marxist-style sliding scale regarding the price of the license based on how much business a company does.  The progressive rate style may be common in Los Angeles County, but not in the Inland Empire. . . for good reason.

Brian Barton has been conducting a quiet campaign, with no website, no Facebook Page, and little exposure through signs and flyers.  However, once you learn what he is about, the honor the man portrays is comforting.  A retired United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, and a veteran with over 27 years of service, he has lived in Murrieta since 2002.  He recognizes Murrieta's incredible growth over the last couple decades, but the growth has not been properly managed to support quality of life.  Improvements to infrastructure, business development, and placing public safety as the city's highest priority are among his campaign's considerations.  He also says he believes in strong property owner rights.  A Christian, family man, and former Marine Officer, he believes in service to one's country and community.

I am unfamiliar with C. Kent Leeper as a candidate, but he has been a regular attendee of my Constitution Class in Temecula.  Politically, I can only go by what an article in the Press Enterprise says.  I located no website.  Personally, I can comment upon his constitutional beliefs, based on my interaction with him in my Constitution Class in Temecula.  Like myself, he participated as a protester in July when citizens of Murrieta turned around busloads of diseased illegal aliens.  Like myself, he is concerned about our decision as a nation to distance ourselves from the United States Constitution, and he believes the principles in the document to be the source of the greatness of our nation, and principles we need to return to as a nation.  Participating in the protests inspired him to run for council, once he recognized what a small group of people can accomplish.  Leeper says he's against DUI checkpoints, saying about them, “People shouldn’t be subjected to that without probable cause.”  Leeper also says he is concerned about the early release of inmates from Riverside County’s Southwest Detention Center in French Valley, questioning if they wander into nearby Murrieta neighborhoods, once released.

I met Matthew Alvernaz a couple weeks ago.  He comes across as a very intelligent, well-rounded 30-year old.  As a San Diego Police Officer, Alvernaz says he understands the importance of keeping Murrieta safe, and the need to prevent the proliferation of multifamily housing in Murrieta.  Economic growth, public safety, and quality of life also sit high on Alvernaz's list.  He says he spent four years in the U.S. Army, is a former Ranger, and finished his time with some recruiting duty.  As a military veteran myself, I wonder about that, since special forces when I was in the military needed to be an NCO before they could apply for such programs.  Rangers, like Navy SEALS, tend to be gung-ho, and spend more than four years in military service.  To my knowledge, recruiting duty is not a normal duty for special forces.  I have not seen his DD214, so I cannot substantiate my doubts regarding his military service, but his claims, in my opinion, just do not add up.  Alvernaz's attack against Jonathan Ingram at the Bear Creek Candidate Forum questioned Ingram's past with unsubstantiated evidence, and false accusations, as well as Ingram's participation in Murrieta's veteran's memorial.  News of the attack surprised me when I recalled meeting him.  He comes across level-headed and reasonable, but the attacks he launched exhibited neither.

James Richardson has failed to attend candidate forums and debates, and has no website.  His statements are general in nature, and reveals nothing about the 37-year-old real estate professional's stances on specific issues.  When the Press Enterprise requested an interview, Richardson declined to be interviewed.  That kind of inaccessibility loses elections.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary