With all of the controversy surrounding current Pacific
Mayor Cy Sun, many people have encouraged me to run again for Mayor. They remember what we accomplished under my
administration and they know that the allegations of corruption made by Mayor
Sun were exaggerations, twisting of facts or in some cases outright lies. They remember when our city was respected as
a regional partner on many issues and a leader in development of emergency and
preparedness plans. Although I
appreciate their comments and understand their wishes, I really do not have
much interest in running for Mayor again.
I still love this city and will always be willing to do what
is needed to help our city recover from the problems created by the current
Mayor; however I have never believed that I am the only person who can move
this city forward. When asked, I am more
than willing to step forward and help in any way I can, but that does not
require holding elective office. What we
accomplished when I was Mayor was not solely because of me, but was an example
of empowering others to act and an attitude of servant leadership.
I will admit I am somewhat hurt and disappointed that so
many people were fooled by the lies of Mayor Sun. It is unfortunate that Supreme Court
decisions allow a candidate to lie to the voters without the ability to hold
them accountable for their falsehoods.
During the campaign the facts were easily available for anyone to see,
however too many people decided to fall for the claims of corruption and a
smear campaign funded by a local businessman who did not like having to follow
zoning laws. What is amazing is that
some people still believe the lies that were told and that Mayor Sun has
continued lying to the citizens. This
unfortunately is going to cost our city millions of dollars in lawsuits and
other losses.
Another reason I do not plan on running for Mayor again is I
have moved on with my life and do not really have the time. Many people do not realize that I used to put
in 20-30 hours per week in my role as Mayor on top of my regular job as an
electrician. From meeting with staff,
citizens, businesses and regional committees to volunteering, picking up trash
or scrubbing graffiti I dedicated a lot more time to the job than was
expected. This does not include work on
our emergency plan, teaching classes for our citizens or writing disaster
exercises to test our plan and our staff.
In place of the time I dedicated to the city I have gone back to school
and am currently taking 16+ credits a quarter.
With work, school and my volunteer work I already have 80+ hours a week
committed.
Although I do not plan on running for office, I will help
whomever takes over when Mayor Sun resigns or is thrown out of office. I know that little has been done on the
required updates of our emergency plan nor have any of the conditions and requirements
for our EMPG (Emergency Management Preparedness Grants) been completed. As emergency preparedness is a passion, I am
willing to donate my time to get our city back on track.
In closing I want to thank everyone for the support they have given me over these past few years. You are what makes this community work and what makes Pacific a great place to live. We will make it through these troubling times, one way or anouther.
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