Candidates vying for an open seat in the U.S. Congress and the State Assembly squared off last Wednesday night in a public forum hosted by Leadership Hermosa at the Kiwanis Club in Hermosa Beach.

Daily Breeze publisher Art Wible moderated the discussion and asked the candidates a series of questions drafted by members of Leadership Hermosa.

Four candidates running for state Assembly participated in the first of two debates with the second one designed for the three candidates running for Congress against Democratic incumbent Jane Harman who was unable to attend the event.

El Segundo Mayor and businessman Mike Gordon (Democrat), Redondo Beach Mayor and business owner Greg Hill (Republican), rocket scientist Ethan Boivie (Libertarian) and Venice Neighborhood Council treasurer James Smith (Peace and Freedom) are all hoping to win the open seat in the 53rd District of the state Assembly. Democrat George Nakano has fulfilled his term in the Assembly. The district comprises 12 cities, incorporating all four beach cities, and encompasses an area as far north as Venice and as far south as Palos Verdes.

Both debates spanned about an hour and each candidate was asked several questions they had a chance to review a week beforehand.

One question posed to the candidates was what they considered to be their strongest leadership trait and were asked to give an example of how they have put it to use.

Hill answered first and said that it was a good question. Hill, 46, is serving his second four-year term as Redondo’s mayor and prior to that served as a City Councilman and preceding that, a Parks and Recreation Commissioner.

“To describe leadership, Eisenhower once said that it’s sort of like a string; you can pull it and it will follow you, but if you push on it, it won’t go anywhere,” he said. “What I try to do and what I’ve always tried to do is to build a collaborative environment where people all have an opportunity to voice their opinion. Nobody has the corner on inside intelligence or ideas. Frankly, it’s the collective body of this nation that has made it so great.”

After a 13-year career with the Southern California Gas Company subsequent to a college career, Hill established the trade brokerage firm, Hill & Associates, in 1994. He now owns an insurance and financial planning business in Torrance. Hill cited the Heart of the City plan as an example where his best leadership trait has been used in recent times.

“It’s very controversial for a lot of people and a lot of folks were very concerned that it was going to move forward. So I recommended that we pull that off the table, sit down and start some dialogue with it again – and we are still talking – until we find the best solution that everyone feels comfortable with and move forward from there.”

Gordon was the second candidate to address a roomful of audience members. In 1996, voters elected Gordon to a four-year term on the El Segundo City Council, and in 1998 he was elected as its mayor. In 2000, Gordon was re-elected to a second term and re-elected as mayor that same year and in 2002.

“What I have done as mayor of El Segundo is in the work of building coalitions, coalitions to fight the expansion of Los Angeles International Airport, coalitions to fight to save the Los Angeles Air Force Base, coalitions to improve our schools in El Segundo, coalitions to fight the 310 area code battle here in the South Bay.”

Gordon is a partner in his company, Gordon and Schwenkmeyer Inc., which is a researching, polling and fund-raising firm. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University Fullerton in 1979.

“It is building coalitions and bringing bodies of people together to come behind a common vision for the betterment of our community, and then to have the courage to follow through on that vision and support that coalition so that the broader public recognizes the significance and importance of those decisions. I have done that successfully. We built a coalition of more than 125 cities throughout Southern California on the airport fight. I’ll build those coalitions for all of us in Sacramento.”

In the opening comments, Boivie talked about the three biggest issues affecting the state as it relates to this open seat and his political views as a Libertarian.

“What is a Libertarian? Republicans want to limit your personal freedoms and Democrats want to limit your economic rights. Libertarians such as myself believe you should be free both economically and in your personal life,” he stated. “Each issue here can be reduced to one simple question: Who knows best how to run your life? You or the government? I believe you know how to best run your life and from that I think you can figure out my position on any issue. I fully support equal rights for all people so I support gay marriage … It’s an equal rights issue and there is no compromise for equality.”

Boivie, a Redondo Beach resident, also supports the legalization of marijuana, claiming that the government “wastes” billions of dollars each year on banning the drug and locking up people for possession only of drugs, “when in reality, anybody who wants drugs can get them.”

“I personally have never smoked marijuana, but if you believe in your right to smoke a cigarette, drink a beer or a woman’s right to choose, then we should acknowledge that you, not the government, own your own body,” he stated.

Thirdly, Boivie also believes that ensuring education to the population is “vital to the stability of the country.”

Smith, drafted into the Army in 1966, served in the Vietnam War even though he was opposed to it. Following his discharge, he settled in Venice and became an active member in the organization called the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in sociology from Cal State Northridge. Smith talked about what he believes to be the three biggest issues.

“My goals are to, one, address the human environment which is degrading our area, our coastal living environment is full of traffic, it’s overcrowded, it’s full of private developments that are made just for profit. The natural environment is going downhill, global warming is a definite possibility. Lastly, closing the gap between the rich and the poor.”

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees offered Smith a job as a union organizer while working on a Ph.D. in economics at UC Riverside. Smith has also written for Z Magazine, L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles View and is a regular contributing writer to Free Venice Beachhead.

Congress

The second debate featured the beliefs, views and goals of three candidates who were present and running for U.S. Congress. Incumbent Harman was not present at the debate. Harman, a Democrat, was re-elected to her fifth term in office in 2002. She is a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. In 1999, Harman became a regents’ professor at UCLA where she instructed students in the areas of public policy and international relations. Harman graduated from Smith College and earned a law degree from Harvard. She currently resides in Venice.

One question posed to the candidates was the issue of the war in Iraq, if it’s the right or wrong war, and what are the U.S.’s best next steps?

Libertarian, software manager and Torrance resident Mike Binkley is against the war.

“This is an issue that has dominated the 2004 presidential campaign. We should have learned our lesson from the Vietnam War, and in fact, America’s bipartisan foreign policy establishment, including President Bush and Sen. Kerry, has failed to learn that lesson which is, it’s the nationalism, stupid.”

Binkley earned a bachelor’s degree in math from UCLA and has run for Congress in the past, in 1994 and 1998. He is the editor of the Los Angeles Libertarian, a 1,000-subscriber newsletter. Binkley is also the founder and CEO of US Systems, a California real estate research and reporting service firm.

Republican Paul Whitehead is in favor of the war and agrees that the country needs a good exit strategy.

“We have to stay the course, it’s imperative,” he said. “I feel safer, I know you feel safer, we have to feel safe that George Bush is doing what he needs to do to make sure our country is safer. We are not talking about a war that’s going to come and go in a few weeks; we are talking about a war that lasts for years and years. It will take many years to rebuild Iraq and the Middle East. This is the right war and the right time.”

It was while working on Capitol Hill in 1987 that Whitehead, who is a teacher, met a group of people helping to garner a bid for then-Vice President George H. W. Bush’s bid for the presidency the following year. Whitehead began working for Bush as a paid campaign employee in June of that year. Whitehead talked about his three goals that he hopes to accomplish if elected to Congress, which are to stop illegal immigration, stay the course in regard to the war in Iraq and to create more jobs.

A physician and member of the Peace and Freedom party, Alice Stek resides in Venice. She is also against the war and claims Harman is just as responsible for the war as Bush.

“Iraq is not responsible for the terrorist attacks on the United States and we know that,” said Stek. “What we need to do about this is to withdraw immediately and turn it over to the international community. In the meantime, we need to become part of the world community.”

Stek works as an obstetrician/gynecologist, with a subspecialty in maternal-fetal medicine. She focuses on HIV in pregnancy and providing medical care, as well as conducting research and teaching in this area. She is the vice president of the Venice Neighborhood Council.