Thursday, February 24, 2005

My Personal Endorsement for Mayor of Los Angeles

February 24, 2005
Dear Interested Voter,

MY PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT OF WALTER MOORE FOR MAYOR OF L.A.

This letter constitutes my endorsement of Walter Moore for the office of Mayor of Los Angeles. In this letter, I'll try to explain why I do this and why I urge you to join me. It is a personal endorsement only.

On Tuesday March 8, the voters of the City of Los Angeles will decide, among other issues, who will be in the running to be the next Mayor. There are twelve candidates for that office on the ballot, so no one figures to make it with 50% plus one to be elected outright in this Primary. The top two finishers "past the post" will go on to compete in a General Election run-off in May.

Because of the large field of candidates, a relatively small number of votes can make a difference in who gets to the run-off. Each candidate will be doing his or her best to put together a coalition of voter blocs. Even a small group of voters could be important in any coalition.

While the race is for a non-partisan office, in big city politics, party is a factor. The so-called "big five" candidates, Mayor Jim Hahn, Tony Villaraigosa, Bob Hertzberg, Richard Alarcón and Bernie Parks are all Democrats.

This time out they are splitting some important Democrat endorsements among them and canceling one another out of others. Dynamics among the candidates have also split or shifted voting blocs previously taken for granted. This scenario presents an opportunity to have a tactical impact on the outcome.

Thus, while there is no registered/dues paid Libertarian Party candidate running, Libertarians can still participate effectively in this contest. If our support coalesces around a single candidate, we could help move the political orientation of the city in our direction.

After examining all the candidates, I have decided to support and endorse Moore, who is the leading candidate of the two Republicans in the race. Moore is an attorney residing in Westchester.

Moore is my choice based on his platform and on his campaign thus far. What particularly impressed me, though, was that he specifically asked for votes from Libertarians. He indicates an affinity for us and supports positions that are in concert with our own. He is a natural ally.

There are 7000 persons in the County registered to vote as Libertarian. Of these, many will be eligible to vote in the municipal election as residents of Los Angeles. If you are one, please keep reading.

I've met and spoken to Moore at length and I believe he'd be a good Mayor for L.A. He is a serious candidate with a campaign that is significantly funded and organized. He is worthy of your support.

Look at all the candidates' platforms, records and endorsements and if you think Moore is the right individual for this job, please vote for him as part of a winning coalition on March 8 to get him into the run-off.

Even though I am a libertarian who is a member of the Party, my endorsement is personal and is in no way an official Libertarian Party endorsement. Precluded by its bylaws, the LP cannot endorse candidates of another political party. [Also, it does not in any way represent an official view of the Karl Hess Club, of which I am a facilitator.]

Your vote is your own, but I urge you to join me in voting for Moore because of his principled stand on issues such as "Pay-to-Play" corruption, and elimination of business tax, rent control and excessive regulations. Here are some more points:

*Moore opposes Mayor Hahn's proposed estimated $11.5 Billion remodeling of LAX.

*He favors strict enforcement of immigration laws, and is the only candidate to seriously address the local impact of unregulated immigration and to propose meaningful solutions.

*A key plank is his pledge of "No New Taxes, No New Bonds, No Exceptions."

*Moore's strong advocacy of "No-Kill" animal shelters won him the endorsement of a major animal activist organization (Citizens for a Humane L.A.), representing 30,000 supporters.

*He has also been running an intensive, active campaign with press conferences, interviews and news coverage. It is anticipated that Moore will be included in major televised "debate" events in the next thirteen days before the election.

The campaign can use workers to help get the word out. Although well self-financed by Moore, the campaign welcomes additional contributions (For financial information on all the campaigns this election, go to: http://ethics.lacity.org/efs/public_election.cfm). Opportunities for involvement are available.

Learn about Moore and his campaign at http://www.mayor4u.com/ You can check out the competition by going to http://www.smartvoter.org/2005/03/08/ca/la/race/181/ If you will, please consider sharing this information with others.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this letter, and don't forget to vote on March 8!

Mike Everling
Los Angeles

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