Uh-oh, Antonio! - Villaraigosa Targeted for Recall
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One of the strongest mayoral candidates on the 2005 ballot may get his head handed to him for breaking a promise to his constituents:
Five of Antonio Villaraigosa's constituents want him recalled because he swore up and down after winning the bitter 2003 battle for his 14th district council seat that he would finish his term - then made the mistake in August of announcing he'd rather be mayor.
You have to admit, much as Villaraigosa (and any number of other candidates) would be a good replacement for our apathetic/manipulative sock puppet of a mayor, it is rather tinhorn behavior to lie right to your district's face about your loyalty to it ...
The Times reports:
"We believe Mr. Villaraigosa must be held accountable for reneging on his promise to serve a full four-year term," Eliseo Villanueva said.
Villaraigosa unseated Councilman Nick Pacheco in a bitterly fought 2003 campaign in the 14th District. During the campaign, to allay concerns that he would run for mayor again in 2005, Villaraigosa told voters he would finish out his term.
When Villaraigosa announced plans earlier this year to challenge Hahn to a rematch of their 2001 race, he went to great lengths to show that many of his constituents supported his decision.
If elected mayor, Villaraigosa would have to give up his council seat.
It'll be fun to handicap the political damage done to his campaign if he's simultaneously campaigning for mayor and flailing against a tide of pissed-off constituents. On the plus side, maybe he'll have plenty of time for donuts and coffee with Gray Davis.
