3,010 / 32.20% Yes votes ...... 6,339 / 67.80% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Before Measures D and E were approved by the voters, the City Council was composed of five City Council members, each with staggered four-year terms. These five City Council members would then appoint the Mayor from among themselves.

Since the passage of Measures D and E in 1981, the EI Monte City Council has been composed of four City Council members who serve staggered four-year terms and one Mayor who is directly elected by the voters every two years.

Government Code Section 34902(b) authorizes the City Council to subm(t a new ballot measure that eliminates the office of Mayor as a directly elected office. On July 19, 2005, the EI Monte City Council voted to submit such a measure (Measure M) on the ballot for the consolidated general municipal election to be held in the City of EI Monte on Tuesday, November 8,2005.

If approved by EI Monte voters, this new Measure M will eliminate the office of Mayor as a directly elected office and re-transform the City Council into a body composed office City Council members, each serving staggered four-year terms. The office of Mayor would then become a rotating position to be shared by each of the five City Council members. Each City Council member would serve as Mayor for a period of approximately nine months before relinquishing the position to the City Council member serving as Vice-Mayor. The person serving as Vice-Mayor would, in turn, relinquish that title to the next City Council member in line with preference given in terms of City Council seniority first and alphabetical order second. This process would then repeat itself approximately every nine months. This will allow each of the five City Council members to act as Mayor at least once during the course of their four-year term.

It is important to note that this new ballot measure, if approved by the voters, would not take effect until the date of the general municipal election to be held in November 2007. Accordingly, voters are advised that they may still vote to directly elect a Mayor at the upcoming consolidated general municipal election to be held Tuesday, November 8, 2005 in the City of EI Monte. The person elected to serve as Mayor by the voters at the November 8, 2005 election will hold office until the general municipal election of November 2007.

City of El Monte

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

• Will council act as mayor? El Monte weighs Measure M - 11/2/05

With the cost of running for Mayor approaching $30,000 and the need to raise those funds every two years, the opportunities, pressures and possibilities for inf1uence peddling are obvious.

In addition, with three members of the City Council up for election every two years, City stability and .tong term planning are very difficult.

Measure M eliminates the elected Mayor position, restoring it to the traditional. four-year Council position. Measure M also provides for the rotation of the Mayor position amongst all five Council members eliminating the possibility of petty squabbling.

Take the Politics out of the Mayor's Office!

Vote Yes on MeasureM.

ART BARRIOS
Councilman

DONNA CRIPPEN

RICHARD GARNER

EMILY ISHIGAKI
Councilwoman

SUSAN WELDON

I believe in the democratic process and the direct election of our Mayor by the city's voters.

I urge the voters of EI Monte to vote No on Measure "M".

Currently, you the voters of EI Monte select our city's Mayor. Measure "M" would change that by having our city council appoint the Mayor - removing voters from the process.

I believe that the voters of our city know best about who should be our city's Mayor. Moreover, allowing the council to appoint the Mayor may result in political infighting and backroom deals.

As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Please vote No on Measure "M" on November 8 and preserve our right to choose our Mayor.

ERNEST "ERNIE" GUTIERREZ
Mayor 2003 - Present

ROBERT BAUTISTA

CHARLES CASTANEDA

DOLORES HARO

CHARLES ZAPATA

The opponents of measure M are correct on one thing: "If it ain't broke don't fix it." However, they have the wrong century and millennium. It had not been broken for over half a century in the 70's when someone tried to "fix" it.

Measure M eliminates the elected mayor position and takes the Politics out of the Mayor's Office.

VOTE YES ON M.

JOHN M. WOLSDORF

WAYNE M. HITTINGER

ART BARRIOS
Councilman

MICHAEL REYES

KRISTIE ANDRECHT