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Both candidates qualified for the runoff by finishing in the top two of last month’s mayoral primary. Tabor, who finished with 26.38 percent of the vote, and Butts, who finished with 23.71 percent of the vote, beat out a field of six other candidates.
The tightly contested primary was not without controversy. Some Inglewood residents believed Butts, who has a house in Ladera Heights and brought a residence in Inglewood back in January, was not qualified to run for office since he lived outside the city limits. Butts, who angrily defended his qualifications when pressed about the issue during a debate this spring, contends his actions were legitimate.
“I did everything I was supposed to do and did timely file the necessary documents that qualified me as a certified candidate on the ballot to become the next mayor of Inglewood.”
The controversy did little to hurt Butt’s performance in June. In fact, he is encouraged by his showing in a crowded primary field.
“I’m extremely pleased with my performance and pleased that people responded to a fresh alternative to politics as usual in Inglewood,” Butts said. “We worked very hard to let people know there was an alternative.”
Tabor believes the runoff gives him an opportunity to win over supporters from the six other primary candidates.
“There were eight different messages being broadcast to the voting population. That number being brought down to two gives me the opportunity to identify not just what I want to do in the city but what I’ve done in the city.”
Tabor, a longtime Inglewood resident, will emphasize his deep roots within the community during the runoff campaign.
“I grew up in Inglewood and went to elementary, middle, and high school here. I came back and taught for four years in the school system as a career counselor. I worked most of my life somewhere in Inglewood, whether it was an employee of a nonprofit organization or as a volunteer with community organizations and now more than 15 years served on the city council working with the residents of the city.”
Butts, who served as Santa Monica police chief for fifteen years and recently completed a stint as Los Angeles World Airports’ director of public safety, will focus on his three decades of municipal experience and his own roots in the city. He began his career in public office as a police cadet within the Inglewood Police Department in 1972 and would work in the department for 19 years before leaving for the head job in Santa Monica.
“I am the best combination of an outsider and insider. I have almost two decades of service to the city in the Inglewood Police Department. I was part of the team of city staff that helped us become an All-American city back in 1989. I know the city. I know the people. I have history here. But at the same time, I have experience working in other cities and seeing problems solved from different perspectives and I think all that is going to benefit Inglewood.”
Perhaps the most significant issue both candidates will tackle within the coming weeks will be the city’s projected $13.4 million budget deficit. Balancing the budget is top priority for both Tabor and Butts.
Tabor says he is currently working with his fellow council members on drafting a plan to decrease the budget gap and raise revenue.
“The council is looking at recommendations from staff and the community and we will begin to make some decisions about how we reduce our operating costs and funding revenue streams in the coming weeks.”
If elected, Butts’ first priority would be attacking the budget deficit, something he feels the current city leadership has not done.
“We have to get the budget in balance and from what I can see, it doesn’t appear that we’ve taken affirmative steps to close that $13.4 million deficit that’s going to result if we continue with the current spending plan. The first thing is to get our fiscal house in order.
Both candidates also have plans to develop projects that would provide a stable source of revenue to the city’s coffers for decades to come.
Tabor’s plan would center round the purposed Hollywood Park Tomorrow development, which would transform the racetrack into residential and retail space, and the new Crenshaw Corridor light rail line.
“The station is a key catalyst to economic development on Market Street, which is the key component to the revitalization of Downtown Inglewood and the creation of commercial, residential, and entertainment venues that would generate revenue and create jobs for Inglewood residents.”
Butts’ vision includes building a shopping center that would contain a movie theatre, a bookstore, specialty retailers, and a high-end grocery store such as a Trader Joe’s or Pavilions. He wants the new complex to be a destination that would bring new visitors to the city.
“We need to create a venue that is safe, inviting to drive to, and has a variety of entertainment and retail venues that will attract not only our residents but residents from outside the city to help pay for city services.”
Another major issue during the runoff will be the state of the Inglewood Police Department. The department has been plagued by accusations of police brutality and was subjected to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation after a series of officer-involved shootings.
Butts believes improvements must be made to the city’s community policing strategy.
“We have to ensure that we continue to build a community friendly police department. We have a great police department with some great officers, but we have to make sure that we continue to constantly improve our service delivery.”
He also believes changes must be made in how the department conducts internal affairs and how it trains its officers.
“The biggest issue is not in terms of relations between police officers and the community. I think the bigger issue is transparency in how we investigate ourselves and how we train, manage, and supervise our police department.”
Tabor says he has been active in efforts to improve service delivery within the police department.
“Shortly after the officer involved shootings, we took aggressive action to add to the length of training of law officers so that they would understand what our expectation was with them in the field and that they were better prepared to provide police services around the city. We supported the chief’s commitment to disciplining and firing those officers who deserved it. Some 20 officers were dismissed from the Inglewood police department during that time period.”
Tabor is encouraged by the progress the department has made since the reforms.
“Since a year ago when we had the last of the shootings, there have been over 1100 police contacts and no loss of life. I think that’s a testament to the department, the training they received and to the community.“
On the issue of education, both Butts and Tabor have vowed to work closely with the Inglewood Unified School District and help to provide the resources the district needs to thrive.
“It’s the responsibility of the municipal government to support the school district in all ways possible,” Butts said. “If that means being an advocate with the federal and state governments to steer grant funding Inglewood’s way for innovative teaching programs, we should do that. We should have a more symbiotic relationship with the school district, because as school districts go, so goes your community.”
Tabor will shoot to improve the performance of Inglewood’s secondary schools. Half of the district’s elementary schools were named California Distinguished Schools because of their high test scores. However, most of the district’s middle and high schools fall well below the statewide Academic Performance Index Score of 800.
He will try to build from the successful programs at City Honors High School and other secondary schools while also increasing community involvement in the school district.
“The district has a great program in City Honors, but it also has some great programs in Morningside, Inglewood, Monroe and the question is if those programs are effective how can that knowledge and experience be shared in other parts of the district to improve classroom instruction, to improve student performance, and to improve parental involvement. So my role as councilmember and mayor is to support what the district is doing great and to bring people into that process and make the community aware of what they can do to improve what their role can be to help improve education.”
With their campaigns, Butts and Tabor will both look to energize a city that has become apathetic to local politics. Last month’s primary election only attracted a little over 9,000 of the city’s 49,000 registered voters. Butts will look to attract disillusioned voters by distancing himself from Inglewood’s political establishment.
“I think that in Inglewood, we have such low expectations of our politicians that a number of people have just become discouraged with the election process and they don’t come out to vote. I’ve had that told to me as I walked door to door and talk to people. And so one of the things I hope is an outcome of this election is that people become energized with the fact that there is someone who is not a politician but a public servant, that has the background, experience, and vision to help lead the city back to prosperity, and I hope that that will bring more people out to vote.”
Tabor will try to maintain the support he received last month and attract new voters by promising to engage them within his decision making as mayor.
“There is a legacy in our community that says people died for the right to vote and so the vote is a precious responsibility. That’s got to be communicated. But voting is only one part of the process. You have a responsibility to protect that right to vote and that means you have a responsibility to get involved in that local government process to make sure people who are elected are accountable.”
Butts heads into the August election with endorsements from a number of law enforcement groups, including the Inglewood Police Association and the Inglewood Police Management Association. He also picked up the endorsement of Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. Among those endorsing Tabor include United States Congresswoman Diane Watson, State Senators Rod Wright and Curren Price, and State Assemblymen Isadore Hall and Steve Bradford.
Article courtesy of L.A. Focus. For more stories, visit L.A. Focus online.
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