The following letter to the editor was published in the El Segundo Herald newspaper (HeraldPublications.com) on Thursday, March 20, 2014 in the Letters section on page 2. The El Segundo Herald has a strict 250-word limit, including the title.
No on Measure A
Mayor Fisher and his sidekicks, David Atkinson and Marie Fellhauer, want us to believe they may voluntarily reduce our taxes in the future if we approve Measure A and give them four permanent new taxes on residents, permanently increase five existing business taxes, and create a new permanent parking tax.
How can we trust them? They back-stabbed their colleague Mayor Carl Jacobson in a coup they staged at the 5/21/13 City Council meeting. They voted to remove Jacobson from the office of Mayor in the middle of his two-year term, without any legitimate justification!
This break with tradition and decency is unprecedented since at least 1940, and probably in El Segundo history. Jacobson won re-election in 2012 with by far the most votes, despite the sleazy and dishonest campaign against him by fired city manager Doug Willmore, KCET television and the Los Angeles Times.
The Fisher Majority staged their coup so Fisher could run for re-election as Mayor rather than Council Member. This also gives Fisher more clout in negotiating new long-term City employee union contracts and raises later this year after the April election.
I urge everyone to vote “No” on the permanent Measure A Tax Hikes, and for Mike Dugan and Suzanne Fuentes. Dugan and Fuentes will help give us greater transparency in government, fiscal responsibility, and respect the residents and taxpayers deserve. Fisher will give us more of his arrogance, bluster and irresponsible tax-and-spend policies. Vote for the workhorses, not the show pony.
– Helen Armstrong
El Segundo Police Officers' Association (ESPOA) Exposed