DELONG MAKES NO SECRET OF HIS PRIORITIES IN DITCHING COUNCIL MEETING FOR CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN FORUM
By LBReport.com
Tuesday night’s meeting of the Long Beach City Council got off to a late start, and 3rd district representative Gary DeLong took off early to attend a forum related to his campaign for Congress, according to a story at LBReport.com.
DeLong didn’t keep it a secret; in fact, LBReport.com acknowledges learning about his whereabouts from a post on the councilmember’s Congressional campaign Facebook page.
FOR MORE, INCLUDING VIDEO, GO TO LBREPORT.COM
16 Comments
I received the below email from Councilman DeLong inviting me to the Museum of Latin American Art. How is this anything other than using taxpayers money to fund his personal Congressional campaign? This appears illegal according the the below section of the California Code of Regulations:
§ 18530. Use of Public Funds. (a) Government Code section 85300 prohibits the payment of public moneys, in the form of matching funds or cash subsidies, for the public financing of elections.
This is alarming for a couple of reasons. First, to my knowledge, the only time DeLong has coordinated such an event was his hamburger/hot dog cookout (also with public funds) he arranged with the fire department during his re-election campaign. The timing is indeed suspect, considering he hasn’t done anything of a similar nature for his 3rd district constituents during his first 6-years in office.
Second, how is DeLong, the Budget Oversight Committee Chairman paying for this subsidy of tickets? Is it coming out of public funds which he continues to trumpet his tight control over, or is it a MOLAA contribution which then needs to be declared as a campaign contribution?
Third, why isn’t DeLong holding this at the Long Beach Museum of Art which is in his district? Could it be he is using the MOLAA to reach out to voters inside the Congressional district but outside of his Council district.
Hand it to DeLong to utilize TAXPAYERS money to finance his Congressional campaign fundraisers.
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[Original Message]
From: enotify@longbeach.gov
Date: 4/16/2012 3:05:41 PM
Subject: 3rd District News: “En La Noche”
Councilmember DeLong’s office, in collaboration with the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), is proud to present the art function “En La Noche,” to celebrate the museum’s current exhibitions of Spanish/Argentinean artist Esteban Lisa and Venezuelan artist Magdalena Fernandez. 3rd District residents have complimentary entrance to the event!
Event Information
The event will take place on April 19, 2012 from 6:30 to 10:00 pm at the Museum of Latin American Art at 628 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802.
This is an 18 years and older event.
Featured Attractions
6:30 – 8:00 pm: Argentinean Wine Tasting and DJ Cornejo
7:30 – 9:00 pm: DJ Sabat
9:00 pm: SONOCLIP
Prices
MOLAA Members: Free
Non-Members: $10
FREE for 3rd District Residents!
3rd District residents have complimentary entrance! They may R.S.V.P. to rsvp@molaa.org with code MOLAA 3rd District for two FREE tickets. Additional tickets can be purchased on the MOLAA website
Is DeLong the first City Councilperson who has run for higher office and has left a Council meeting early (or arrived late) to attend to campaign needs? Or is DeLong simply the *latest* to have done so?
I suggest that we put a procedural rule in place that prohibits any elected city official who is actively running for higher office from engaging in campaign activites during times, events, or other duties Long Beach taxpayers specifically compensate him or her for, either that or requiring him or her to reimburse city taxpayers for any time spent actively campaigning for higher office during those times.
DeLong is PAID to represent the public at City Council meetings. Does DeLong intend to GIVE back that portion of his PAY for missing the city council meeting to run for Congress?
Ruehle: That would be the part where I said: “…either that or requiring him or her to reimburse city taxpayers for any time spent actively campaigning for higher office during those times.”
Councilmembers are part time employees. As such they have a right to spend their non-city hours as they choose. I don’t think we can reasonably consider those times during which general Council sessions are scheduled as a Councilmember’s non-city time however.
Since I do not believe DeLong to be the first elected city official to have left a Council meeting early, or arrived late, so as to attend a campaign event, I don’t know that it is reasonable to condemn him for doing something we have tolerated from many other elected city officials over the years.
So, going forward, how about we create a procedural rule that prohibits this, or that requires such an official to reimburse the taxpayers for any time spent campaigning when he or she should be fulfilling the responsibilities of his or her existing elected office?
Since DeLong is paid to represent his constituents at City Council meetings and not paid to campaign for Congress, will DeLong be giving back a pro-rated portion of his pay to compensate the public? Considering the financial platform he claims to have and his frequently trumpeted status as Chairman of the Budget Oversight Committee, I think DeLong should walk the talk and reimburse taxpayers for skipping out on his duties.
DeLong is good at telling other people how to conduct their selves and cut costs. Yet he seldom, if ever, exhibits the behavior he extols in others.
I would agree that Councilman DeLong reimbursing city taxpayers in this case would be the right thing to do. The dollar amount, to my mind would be relatively minor, but it could have considerable significance in the arena of principled leadership.
The right thing to do would be to do the job that he committed to doing on the Long Beach City Council. Do you really think it’s enough for our City to simply say pay us back for the time he missed last night? I don’t want the money back – I want councilmembers to do their jobs by being present, by being engaged, and by focusing energy on the very important matters at hand. That is the way real leaders collect votes.
Hi Marshall. No, I I do not really think it’s enough for DeLong to pay us back for the time he missed during a recent Council meeting. That’s why I proposed the passage of a new procedural rule that would prohibit such an occurrence.
Still, as I mentioned, the reimbursal in this case would be largely symbolic, and, in my opinion, could help DeLong communicate to us that he understands what he did was not appropriate, that he desired to make it right, and would not be doing such things for the balance of his congressional campaign.
It is reasonable to be upset and complain, but unless we take steps to prevent future occurrences of this sort, we really don;t have anyone to blame but ourselves.
Hi Marshall. No, I do not really think it’s enough for DeLong to pay us back for the time he spent campaigning while a recent Council meeting was in session. That’s why I proposed the passage of a new procedural rule that could prohibit a future occurrence.
As I mentioned, though, the reimbursal in this case would be largely symbolic, and, in my opinion, could help DeLong communicate to us that he understands what he did was not appropriate, that he desired to make it right, and would not be doing such things for the balance of his congressional campaign.
It is reasonable to be upset and complain, but unless we take steps to prevent future occurrences of this sort, we really don;t have anyone to blame but ourselves.
Ya’ll are just haters trying to steal some steam from the Tater Train!!
Gary DeLong for Congress!!
http://www.topix.com/album/detail/long-beach-ca/FIKRIV2RKSEH674S
“It is reasonable to be upset and complain, but unless we take steps to prevent future occurrences of this sort, we really don;t have anyone to blame but ourselves.”
I thought tea partiers were for less government intrusion?
Heaven forbid that we would count on the character of our elected officials to do the right thing.
How in the world could anyone vote for this phony?
I’m not a member of the Tea Party Patriots, wrong. Never have been. As I understand their platform, however, they seek, among other things, less government intrusion into our private lives. I hope you will agree that we are not discussing anyone’s private life here.
While I disagree with your characterization of DeLong, I think a lot of people will be voting for him. A lot of those who bother to actually turn out and vote at all, that is.
As have stated before;the seasoned,highly respected ,former United States
Marine STEVE KUYENDALL would be a far,far,far,better choice for Congress–than the best of a bad lot,11th hour choice who has proven himself to be the WORST COUNCIL PERSON the Third Distict has seen in
over 40 + years!!!
My sense is,many of his current supporters–good people all–upon re gaining their self rerspect, will come to understand what a disaster Gary
De Long has been==and would be in Congress.
Note again—the Chair of the Budget Oversite Coimmitee=skipped out
Tuesday night instead of trying to defend his GIVE AWAY OF A PARCEL
OF LAND IN DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH—for ZERO DOLLARS….
though it was in Suja’s distrtrict(no suprise there).As one who holds
himself up to be astude with $$ managment—–he should have been there
pushing for getting some cash -in this time of hemoraging City Revenues.
My God— even the LADIES OF CARTAGENA could hold off the
United States Secret Service for $45..00—-surely Gary De Long/Mayor
Foster and Suja–could have AT LEAST obatened that amout for a parcel
of land in downtown Long Beach!!!!
Imagine what De Long would give away were he in Congress!!!!!!
MORE TO THE POINT:
Gary’s skipping out last Tuesday portends what can be expected when he
is 3000 miles away!!!!!!!
All of the above does toll to the imparatives of electing one who understands
the import of not abandoning one’s post.It is called,duty,honor.It is in the DNA.
It is what make a United States Marine.
Who do you want watching your back–and that of your family?
More to the point:
De Long’s skipping out Tuesday night portends what he would do when
3000 miles away.
What we need to send to Congress is one who has a record of not
abandoning his post and understands the import of duty and honor.
Who better than one who has served his country as a United States Marine.
Who would you rather have guard your back and that of your family?
One who abandon’s his post-to pursue personal agenda-or one who
understands duty,honor,and the import of not abandoning one’s post!!
Delong is joke of a council member, please don’t vote for this clown for Congress…