Elk Grove City Council Candidate's Closing Statements

District 2

George Murphey

To the citizens of Elk Grove I want to say thank you for your support, confidence and trust. In return,  I have run an issues driven campaign. You have engaged me when you disagreed, allowing me to explain my positions. There were times we agreed to disagree, parting ways with a deeper respect for differing opinions.  In these last hours of the campaign the ugly underbelly of dirty politics has reared its head.  For that I’m deeply disappointed.

The incumbent, Mr. Hume, has chosen a path I prayed would not be taken. In an effort to gain political advantage, his campaign has injected lies, half truths and religion in an attempt to smear my name and tenure on the Planning Commission. A mailer was received by members of the Catholic church saying I voted against the St. Maria Goretti church.  I DID NOT vote against a church or religion.  I and four other commissioners, one appointed my Mr. Hume, voted to NOT recommend a project we believed did not meet the vision of the General Plan. 

This mailer was addressed, not to adult members of the church, but to their minor children.  The members of this parish and citizens of Elk Grove should be outraged and disappointed. The point is; no matter the source, children should not be used for political gain.  There are many questions needing answers: How were the names of minors accessed?  Who authorized their use?  Does this cross the line of a non profit organization’s mission?  Did the parish Fathers know of this breach of trust and confidentiality?  Who will be held accountable?  Mr. Hume certainly should.  His campaign’s name, address and Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) ID number are on the mailer.  This act may not have crossed a legal boundary but certainly crossed an ethical boundary.  In this case, it can't be said he didn’t know about this mailer.

It had been suggested I attack Mr. Hume during this campaign, I chose not to do so.  Will it cost me a victory in this campaign?   I don’t know.  However, I’ll be able to look in the mirror on Wednesday morning knowing I didn’t cross a line I wasn’t comfortable crossing.  You, the citizens of Elk Grove, deserve something better than what has occurred.  I waged an ethical campaign, focusing on issues important to Elk Grovians.   In return, many citizens put their personal lives on hold to walk precincts, hold meetings and give generously.  In fact, 85-90% of monies raised came from people, like yourselves, living in Elk Grove.

This election will soon be in your hands and hearts.  Before casting your ballots on Tuesday ask what  you expect in a representative.  If  you expect honesty, integrity and morality, I believe that choice has been made for you.

Be sure to vote on Tuesday, every vote counts.  Thank you and God bless.

Respectfully,
George Murphey

District 2 candidates Pat Hume and Davies Ononiwu did not accept the invitation to post their closing statements.

District 4

Gary Davis

I love Elk Grove. My wife and I are proud to be raising our three young children here in a great community with hard working families and strong neighborhoods.

Ten years ago, Elk Grove incorporated and became a City. Though, it got off to a rocky and adversarial start. Which is why I ran for the City Council four short years ago. I was elected because Elk Grove demanded change.

In the past four years, we have taken important steps to move our city in the right direction. We’ve stopped runaway growth and started building a community with good jobs, safer streets, and reduced traffic. As the Mayor of Elk Grove, I established the Neighborhood Leader Summits, ensuring the city listens to residents before it makes decisions.

As the economy struggles our challenges as a city continue to grow. But I am committed to creating a stronger Elk Grove by balancing the city budget while continuing to provide vital city services that make Elk Grove a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

If elected to serve a second term, I will continue to be your voice at city hall and work collaboratively to create positive change and move our city forward.

Here are my priorities to move Elk Grove forward

1.     Aggressively working to bring new jobs to Elk Grove to strengthen our local economy.

2.     Continuing to be your voice at City Hall; keeping the doors open to residents and ensuring the city listens to neighborhoods before making decisions.

3.     Helping our neighborhood stores and businesses stay open, saving local jobs and ensuring strong and safe neighborhoods.

For these reasons, I am proud to be endorsed by the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce PAC, Elk Grove Police Officers Association, and the Elk Grove Fire Fighters and dozens of neighborhood leaders all over Elk Grove.

My leadership is results-oriented, inclusive, accountable and neighborhood centered.  I would be honored to have your vote as I continue the fight for positive change and a better Elk Grove.

James White

I would like to thank Jason Lindgren, the interim City Clerk, for making it easy and understandable for someone that just threw his or her hat into the political arena. I also would like to thank the City of Elk Grove for the opportunity to run. 

I made my decision to run for this office on the hopes Elk Grove could become a stronger and more of an economic power in the county. Gary Davis is campaigning for your vote to get Elk Grove “back on track.” Another four years? How long will Elk Grove citizens need to wait? Jimmie Johnson is scaring the citizens into believing that crime is out of control and we need to spend a few dozen million to get more cops on the streets. 

As a citizen of Elk Grove, I do not want a cop on every corner handing out tickets for “j” walking. We need our police department protecting the families. Our community needs to energize jobs by adopting or creating energy programs for the community and businesses. We can create jobs through rebates and offering incentives to businesses to improve energy efficiency in their buildings. Our community should also create more local events to draw patrons into these businesses. The council members need to open his or her arms to new business by fostering a business friendly community. Reduce fees, access to microloans, and lowering taxes for business is a start. These economic times tend to draw elements of crime; it is the nature of the beast. Of course adding a handful of experienced officers to patrol would not hurt; adding 200 would put a great strain on an already strained community. We can take a look at individual districts and offer incentives to start neighborhood watch programs that are tried and true. Spending money is not always the best policy, in these situations we need more eyes on the streets looking out for each other during high crime times. There is so much we can get accomplished in a short period of time if we work together by letting the community into the government, and holding the politicians accountable for what they say they are going to do.  I can’t wait another four years to get Elk Grove “back on track”, and I don’t think we can afford to have another politician that wants to spend, spend, and spend to get us out of trouble.

Your Candidate for Elk Grove City Council,

James White

District 4 candidate Jimmie Johnson not accept the invitation to post hisr closing statement.