Leaderless Torrance
We are leaderless.
The Torrance Chamber of Commerce sponsors a program called Leadership Torrance. Applications will be open for the next class in November 2016. Some of our current elected officials might want to apply.
Torrance is in the midst of a political storm. It’s flailing and floundering. We are being tossed to and fro by the waves. Someone needs to steady the ship and get us back on course. We need a captain. A leader.
Who will take the helm?
We are leaderless Torrance.
The news first hit the front page of the Daily Breeze over a month ago. The mayor’s campaign broke the law. He was fined. Previously, he had scoffed at even the notion there was a perception of impropriety. “This was no impropriety,” he said. “I had nothing to do with it,” he exclaimed. He misled the public. He lied to us. It wasn’t the first time.
There was a Town Hall after the last big crisis shortly after Exxon exploded in February 2015. People were scared. People were concerned. What had happened? To what had we been exposed? People wanted answers. We needed leadership. Mayor Furey wasn’t there. He said he was in Sacramento. He wasn’t. He lied then too.
With the pressure mounting at the last Council meeting, Mayor Furey unloaded. He blamed the Daily Breeze for inaccurate reporting. He told us to read the Torrance Tribune to get the facts. We did. The facts did not change.
He called local reporter Nick Green a “mullet” and a “hate monger.” It wasn’t the first time he’s tried to intimidate the press. It was just the latest episode. At one point he even tried to get Nick Green removed from his position. He has labeled all those that oppose him as “Ambassadors of Negativity,” and claimed that “you can’t see the negative side from me because I’ve done a great job.”
That’s not leadership. That’s called arrogance and bullying behavior. He hasn’t done a great job. He can’t be trusted. He is a leader, but not the type of leader we need.
We are leaderless Torrance.
If not Mayor Furey, then who?
For the last month since the scandal broke, we have waited and wondered who will rise to the occasion? Who will lead us?
Councilwoman Ashcraft has tried. At the first Council meeting after the news hit, she requested concurrence from her colleagues to discuss removing Patrick Furey Jr. from the Traffic Commission. Her request was met with silence.
Two weeks later, a majority of the Council agreed to discuss sending Patrick Furey Jr. a letter requesting his resignation, but as of yet nothing has actually happened.
Why has it taken so long?
Councilman Griffiths offered a clue. They don’t have the votes. Not enough are willing to put their political neck on the line. Griffiths responded to an e-mail on the subject stating:
“doing what we can…appear to be a minority on the Council. Strong public outcry could change the minority to a majority! Silence from credible public lends itself to strengthening the arrogance.”
Silence from elected officials also lends itself to strengthening the arrogance. Silence is not leadership. Silence is cowardice. Silence is weak.
Yet, silence seems to be the order of the day. Not one member of the School Board has said anything publicly despite Patrick Furey Jr. remaining on the TUSD payroll as a Personnel Commissioner. That’s not leadership.
The issue also seems to have the current group of City Council candidates running for the hills instead of running for office. We have had two forums and not one of the candidates has even dared mention the issue, let alone take a position on it. That’s not leadership.
Candidate Leilani Kimmel-Dagastino, in particular, seems intent on avoiding the issue. After just missing out on a Council seat in the prior election, she hired Patrick Furey Jr. to work on her campaign. She was recently asked via her campaign Facebook page on at least two separate occasions by two separate voters if Furey Jr. was still her campaign manager. The questions were deleted. Leaders do not avoid tough questions.
We are leaderless Torrance.
Leadership is about making the tough calls, the hard choices. A leader offers vision for the community and asks others to follow. A leader helps shape public opinion, instead of just trying to follow it.
The Daily Breeze Editorial Board and dozens of residents have called into question the mayor’s fitness to serve and asked for his son to be removed from office. What will the Council do?
Torrance is in the midst of a political crisis, but its problems go deeper.
The crisis before Exxon was Toyota leaving. Our City officials side-stepped that issue as well. Nothing we could do they said. It’s all Sacramento’s fault. Our hands are tied. They have largely taken the same stance with Exxon. Let’s leave it up to state regulators they say.
Is there nothing we could have done or should be doing to confront these major issues facing our community?
With Toyota leaving, Exxon exploding, and the Council imploding we need a leader.
But unless someone steps up to take the helm…
We are leaderless Torrance.
