League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Contra Costa County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
	Measure M Change Elected Mayor to Appointed City of Antioch Majority Approval Required Fail: 2023 / 15.98% Yes votes ...... 10635 / 84.02% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Arguments For Measure M

Arguments Against Measure M

Your "YES" vote on Measure M will eliminate the directly elected mayor position and allow voters to elect five equal council members, who will adopt a process for choosing a mayor from among the council members. This is the process that the city followed for over one hundred years and is the process that nearly 70% of all cities in California currently follow. Eliminating the directly elected mayor position will foster collegiality among the council members and bring new energy and ideas each year as a new mayor is chosen. In addition, it allows all five council members a greater role in making key appointments to various boards and commissions. Finally, eliminating the directly elected mayor position avoids the possibility of the mayor receiving a greater salary, something that Antioch cannot afford. During these challenging economic times, Antioch needs to think of new and creative approaches to revitalize the city we know and love. We urge you to vote "YES" on Measure M to eliminate the directly elected mayor position and create a City Council of five equal members. Antioch City Council James D. Davis, Mayor City of Antioch

Measure M presents a very basic question to the voters - Do you want politicians selecting your mayor, or do you want the residents of Antioch to decide who will lead our city? We think the voters do a good job of electing the Mayor. Your NO vote ensures citizens are in charge. Exactly why are we voting on Measure M? It isn't complicated. The politicians want to choose Antioch's Mayor amongst themselves, so they are asking voters to change existing law. Whose interest are they looking out for? Taking the right away from voters is not in your interest. Your NO vote is in your interest. A directly elected Mayor can lead Antioch with consistency and a clear mandate. When working with other cities on regional issues a directly elected Mayor has a strategic advantage because s/he is at the table for four years and knows the ends and outs of the debate. For example, widening Highway 4 depended on a strong Mayor pushing our projects past other regions of the county and state for funding. When voters choose the Mayor, s/he is accountable to you. You can vote them out of office if crime isn't controlled or job opportunities aren't increased. The power to choose the Mayor should stay with the voters. When a problem arises in your neighborhood, the first person anyone thinks to call is the Mayor. If the Mayor rotates each year, do you want to try and figure out whose turn it is? Or do you want to pick up the phone and know the person at the other end is the one the voters elected? Keep voters in charge. Vote NO on Measure M. Joel Keller, Former Elected Antioch Mayor Nancy E. Fernandez, Community Activist Jack Roddy, Rancher/Antioch Citizen of the Year Arne Simonsen, Former City Councilmember Barbara Zivica, Political Commentator