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Calaycay and Schroeder win easily in a ho-hum council race The campaigning is over, and the unofficial election results are in. Incumbent Corey Calaycay and Community Services Commissioner Larry Schroeder were the top vote getters in the 2009 city council election. The 2 men will be sworn into office at the upcoming city council meeting on Tuesday night. Mr. Calaycay led the pack with 3,195 votes, or 40.2 percent of the vote. "This is a huge victory not just for our group but for the entire city," said John Hart, Mr. Calaycay's Campaign Manager. The election was the fifth for Mr. Calaycay in Claremont. He lost his first 3 attempts and won in 2005 and 2009. "Thank you to the voters of Claremont for affirming that they feel I've served you all well over the past 4 years," Mr. Calaycay said, addressing a crowd of supporters on Tuesday night after the final votes came in. "I appreciate the opportunity to continue working for you, and I'm looking forward to being reinstalled on March 10." Mr. Schroeder came in a solid second place with 2,853 votes, or 35.9 percent of the vote. He also thanked the voters, saying, "I will do the best I can for Claremont." He outright won 2 of the 10 precincts in Claremont, including Precinct 7 at the Joslyn Senior Center and Precinct 8 at Sycamore Elementary School. Trailing behind the pack was third place finisher Bridget Healy with 1,900 votes, or 23.9 percent. Despite raising significant funds for her campaign, the former Assistant City Manager came up 953 votes short of the second place finisher. Ms. Healy raised $13,615 in cash donations from supporters by February 14. Mr. Schroeder only raised $3,673 from supporters and supplemented his campaigned with personal loans in the amount of $4,500. "I sent a congratulations e-mail to Corey and Larry Tuesday night and told them I will be there for their swearing in ceremony," Ms. Healy said. "Throughout the campaign, I told them both that there were 3 good candidates and that was a good thing for the community."
Ms. Healy said she would remain involved in the community, including volunteer work for Karousel Kids, CLASP, the Inland Valley Repertory Theatre, the Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters and serving on the committee to raise funds for the renovation of the theater at Claremont High School. "I am also going to enjoy retirement by traveling, visiting with friends and family and taking care of a few projects around the house. I've never been one to sit around and do nothing," she added. There was a clear lack of interest in this election from the pool of voters. With 4,876 total ballots cast, or 23 percent of registered voters, this election lagged way behind the turnout in previous elections. In 2007, voter turnout was 31 percent. In 2005 and 2003, voter turnout was 33 and 34 percent, respectively. With the economic hardships dominating the news, Mr. Calaycay and Mr. Schroeder both ran on platforms of fiscal responsibility. Mr. Schroeder said his goals over the next 4 years are to balance the budget, promote economic development, implement the sustainability plan, build affordable housing and build a new police station. The polling stations were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Beginning at 8 p.m., city staff began counting the 2,195 votes by mail ballots at city hall. By 10 p.m., all the ballots were counted. The final results of the election will be certified at Tuesday's city council meeting. The council will also vote on who will serve as Claremont's Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem over the next year. The meeting will be the last city council meeting for Mayor Ellen Taylor. —Tony Krickl |
