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Politics & Government

Home Stretch: L.N. City Hall and Candidates Ready for Tuesday's Election

On Monday, last minute preparations were under way at Laguna Niguel City Hall for election day; polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. at polling stations throughout the city.

Volunteers were out in full force at Laguna Niguel City Hall on Monday making sure the community room would be ready for the election.  

They installed official election equipment including polls, tables and signage; the polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at City Hall, 30111 Crown Valley Pkwy., as well as at other polling locations throughout the city. 

You can click here to find your location. 

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There are three open City Council seats, five candidates are runnng. Those seats belonging to Councilman Gary Capata and Mayor Paul Glaab are up for grabs this election cycle. Both have termed out and cannot run again until 2014. Councilwoman Linda Lindholm and Councilman Robert Ming's terms are up in 2014. Councilman Joe Brown opted not to run again.

Each candidate had a few last words to say to voters. 

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Tony English

Two days left for the election and even though this is said every election, it really is true this time; the results of this election will shape the future of the country forever. I have my candidate in mind and if he wins, I will be so ecstatic!

Regarding the City Council for which I am running, the results are not that crucial. All the candidates are fine and capable business people with good intentions and fiscal responsibility. Frankly, the other candidates want the position more then I do. This is evidenced in the amount of money they have spent on the campaign. They are in the several tens of thousands of dollars.

I spent under $2,000 and even that seems ridicules to me. The position is a labor of service, an honor and a responsibility that will take time away from my family and business. I am happy to serve our community and represent the citizens but as far as being desperate for the win, I am not.

I am more qualified as the only candidate to have held public office prior on the MNWD board of directors. And I have experience with the critical unfunded liabilities issues and real estate issues facing the city.

If you want a levelheaded member of our community with common sense, please consider voting for me on Tuesday. I promise to represent your interests.

Laguna Niguel is very lucky because it has all fine candidates running for the three open positions so there really is no losing scenario. However, out of all the candidates, I am the only one who has held public office and I have more experience overall.

I am impressed with how diligent the voters are in making a good decision and I am so excited at the prospect of serving, and giving back to this great community. I will be watching the results very closely. Good luck to everybody.   

Jerry Slusiewicz

I was on soccer fields over the weekend from 8 a.m. until 5:10 p.m. introducing myself to Laguna Niguel residents with some promotional materials about my candidacy. The campaign has been like running a marathon, which I did once when I was much younger. Fortunately, with the finish line just ahead, I am starting my sprint. There is no doubt that campaigning is a challenge. However, meeting such a wide variety of residents with such a diverse view of the city and its future has been a blessing. 

I feel I ran a well-rounded and positive campaign. I know for sure that not all five of the candidates can say that. I have done my best to spread my message that if voters feel that the city of Laguna Niguel is generally heading in the right direction with our safe environment, beautiful parks, and great public works facilities that my 12 years of volunteerism on three different committees is worthy of one of their three votes.  

I am not done campaigning and will continue to charge ahead until 8 p.m. Tuesday. I do know that when I look back at this experience, I will be comforted in the fact that I gave it my best effort. As I teach my children, in life that is all we can do. We cannot control the outcome, we can only do our best and let fate take its course. I would hope that voters do their research and view candidates’ actions over words, but that is not in my control. 

I spoke at every event that requested my participation. I put out many, many signs. I did a series of telephone calls (and yes, I hate unsolicited calls, too) so that residents that don’t know me and see my difficult last name (phonetically pronounced Slew – sa – wits) know that I am a born and raised, red-blooded American just like the other candidates that have more traditional Anglo sounding names. In addition, I walked neighborhoods (a lot of neighborhoods) and soccer fields introducing myself to residents and leaving door hangers, offering to speak with each and every person on any city issue they may have. 

Honestly, I hope I win. I love the city of Laguna Niguel and have loved being on the Planning Commission, Investment Committee, and Public Safety Committee bringing in great projects like Whole Foods Market and Hobby Lobby amongst others that make our city a better place to live. With no incumbents running, I feel that I have the most experience to serve as a Council Member. However, I feel like a gymnast at the Olympics where the decision is now almost in the judges hands. In my situation, the outcome relies on the voters. Hopefully, I have made my case.  I feel I put my heart into this effort. 

Tomorrow is another day. I will be out on the campaign trail again, doing all I can to win, so that when the decision is known, I can feel good about my efforts and that is what matters most in life.  

Laurie Davies  

I'm very really excited for Tuesday to come; I will be at a variety of polling locations throughout the day. I am overwhelmed by the incredible support I have received during this election year. I hope I will have the opportunity to serve the citizens of Laguna Niguel as one of their new City Council Members. 

Brad Barber

Running for City Council has been a great experience for my family and me. We have met so many new wonderful people who love Laguna Niguel as much as we do. This election is a time for the residents of this wonderful town to elect candidates who reflect their values and vision for this city.  

I am proud of the fact that I did not accept any political donations and that all of my campaign costs were well under $1,000. I have a lifetime of friends in this town, yet I have no friends in local government, nor do I owe any favors to the vendors in which the city contracts with. When the Orange County Register endorsed me they said I would provide a "fresh perspective on issues facing the city" by not being a longtime political insider.   

Regardless of the results, I will still be proud to call Laguna Niguel home and enjoy skating in our skatepark, coaching soccer on our fields or surfing our local beaches with my family.  

Everyone, please get out and vote Tuesday Nov. 6.

Jerry McCloskey

I am happy that the campaign is about over. I am cautiously optimistic about my chances on Tuesday, but win or lose, I have been honored to be in the race with some fine candidates.

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