By KEITH GRANT
Democrats Dan Kearney, Denis Kelly and Leonard Remo held off a strong run by three Republicans in November, keeping all five council seats in Democratically-controlled hands. However, both of the newcomers and incumbent Kelly suggest it will not be business as usual at City Hall.
It's going to be a new era for Long Beach, Kearney said. We're going to be five guys who really speak out. I'm looking forward to it.
Kelly, the top vote-getter after a difficult campaign battle, has also said that things will be different both in and outside of City Hall. After getting clobbered by their Republican opponents in the West End of Long Beach, Kelly wants to reach out to voters in that community to find out what they see as wrong with his party and the way the city has been run.
When the issues align in your favor, the only thing I can point to is a lack of communication with the electorate.
Kelly said one factor his party has to address is the changing demographics of Long Beach. With those changes, I don't think that certain established guarantees for any political party are there anymore, Kelly said. The council has to be attuned to those demographics. We have to become more aggressive talking to people and listening to people. We have a far more intelligent electorate than we give them credit for.
For Kearney, a union leader in New York City, one of his priorities is to meet face to face with employees throughout the city. I want them to know that their job isn't dependent on whether or not they voted for me. It's dependent on how well they do their job.
