![\"Dagastino\"](\"http:\/\/torrancecitycouncil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Dagastino.jpg\")
<\/a>Twelve individuals submitted applications to receive appointment to the council position.\u00a0 The one that would probably engender the most support in the community is Leilani Kimmel-Dagastino.\u00a0 Many would consider her the people\u2019s choice after she finished 5th<\/sup> in the recent election.\u00a0 As a women and a minority she would also bring needed diversity to the Council.\u00a0 Perhaps in an attempt to curry favor with the Council, she stressed in her application that during the recent election she \u201cdid not say anything bad about the current council or any of my fellow candidates.\u201d<\/p>\nThe 6th<\/sup> and 7th<\/sup> place finishers in the election would also bring diversity to the Council.\u00a0 Restaurant owner and former rocket scientist Alex See could be a voice for the Asian business community.\u00a0 The Council could also choose to make history by appointing Milton Herring who would be the first member of the black community to serve on the Council.<\/p>\n All of the above choices, however, were heavily backed by the Republican Party in the recent election.\u00a0 Mayor Furey, as well as recently elected Councilmembers Weideman and Goodrich, are democrats.\u00a0 Mayor Furey, and the other democrats, will almost certainly want to appoint someone that adheres to their same political ideology to ensure they have the votes on the Council to fulfill their agenda.\u00a0 This may be the reason why other names have surfaced as possible appointees.<\/p>\n Jimmy Gow also offered himself as an appointee.\u00a0 As the current President of the Torrance Democratic Club he campaigned hard on behalf of Furey, Goodrich and Weideman and was instrumental to their success.\u00a0 He claims he would bring a commitment to \u201cuniting the members of the Council in a non-partisan partnership.\u201d\u00a0 That assertion, however, is hard to believe given his current role in the Democratic Party and the list of references he provided that includes such names as Maxine Waters, Janice Hahn, Al Muratsuchi, Betsy Butler, and Sandra Fluke.<\/p>\n<\/a>An appointee that will likely be more acceptable to the democrats and that will also bring the needed diversity to the Council is Ray Uchima<\/a>.\u00a0 His selection, however, may now be tainted by rumors in the community that a back door deal was cut several weeks ago in a \u201cpay for play\u201d scheme to make him the appointee.\u00a0 In his application, Uchima touted his ability to \u201cattract High Technology and Solar Electric Industries to Torrance\u201d that will provide high paying jobs in the community and replace those jobs that will be lost with Toyota\u2019s departure.<\/p>\n<\/a>To avoid the controversy surrounding Uchima, the Council may opt for one of several intriguing compromise candidates.\u00a0 The most well known of these is probably recently retired City Clerk Sue Herbers.\u00a0 Sue reiterated several times in her application that she \u201cwill not under any circumstances seek a seat in the 2016 election\u201d and that her decisions on the Council would be based \u201con the best interests of the City and not for any future political gain.\u201d<\/p>\n