Voters explain why they support Rick Caruso for L.A. mayor (and why they think he should win)
There is no question that there is a special bond between Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his constituents.
In a city as big as Los Angeles — with as many as 9.4 million residents — the Mayor has to run the city, and he’s always had a close relationship with his constituents. For many of them, he’s known as “Mayor Villagers.”
His reelection campaign was launched on June 25th with a television ad calling City Hall “a place of service.” In his ad announcing his candidacy for reelection, and in his daily appearances on the city’s major talk shows, Mayor Villaraigosa has been very vocal about the good decisions he’s made in his 10 years in office.
So why did voters choose Villaraigosa, a private attorney and former mayor of San Diego and former California Lieutenant Governor, to be their Mayor?
Here are a few of the reasons L.A. voters gave:
— “Villaraigosa is the best public servant this city has ever had,” said one of five mayoral candidates in an op-ed distributed to 200,000 people. The article included this quote from Villaraigosa: “When it comes to serving this city, Los Angeles has never had a mayor like this.”
“He is the most honest and sincere public servant this city has every seen,” said another candidate.
“Villaraigosa is a gentleman,” said a third candidate.
Then there’s this gem from Villaraigosa’s blog:
“I’ve been at city hall for 10 years and I’ve been watching the city change,” he said. “The good is, every day, I�