9:50pm | Complete text of Mayor Foster’s speech this evening: Four years ago I campaigned on a promise to improve our city; To make it safer, cleaner, stronger, and more responsive. I said I would not fall victim to the all too familiar and enticing trap of putting off till tomorrow that which should be done today.  Rather, I would attempt to face issues squarely and not hand our problems off to our successors.  
 
I said I would govern with common sense and always with a view toward what is good for our city. I would use my business and public experience to provide fiscal discipline, balance our budgets, fund essential services, and provide for a sustainable future; in short, I ran for Mayor to make government work again.
 
I believe I have been good to my word.  I have tried to fulfill every promise I have made and I believe the results are evident in our City.  

It is a safer, stronger, and cleaner City today than four years ago.  Challenges have arisen and we’ve met them. We’ve dealt with problems now, not at some future time.  We have laid the foundation for a better future.  And we have trained our young people for careers, not simply jobs.
 
Tonight, our City has responded to the leadership promised – and delivered. I am humbled not simply by the confidence of my constituents, but by the trust they have placed in me.  

It is not often in elected life that such trust is given so overwhelmingly and in every corner of the City, and I renew my pledge to again do what is right for our City:
 
To bring us all together in a greater whole, making us so much better than we are individually.  To take more care with the public’s funds than I would with my own.  To always face and resolve issues squarely. To quite simply give my best efforts on behalf of the City I love. The road ahead will be filled with obstacles and challenges but I believe we will be an even better City four years from now.
 
To all those who have helped bring this day to success, I thank you.  To all those who have placed your trust in me, I thank you. 
 
9:45pm | Mayor Bob Foster has claimed victory in his second term race for the city’s highest elected office. Foster said during a speech at his election night headquarters at the Renaissance Hotel that city is in better shape after his first four years and will be even better in another four. “So, tonight I renew my pledge to do what is right for the city,” Foster told the cheering audience. Foster went on to thanks his staff, supporters, and family, saying he could not have done it without them.
 
9:35pm |
Bob Foster is on track to serve another four years as the Mayor of Long Beach, earning a commanding lead over challenger Stevie Merino in early results with 84.4% of the returns.

Foster was heavily favored over Merino, a 21-year old Cerritos College student running for office under the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Foster’s first four years were dampened by the soured economy that severely hampered his most ambitious attempts. First, a promise to increase Police staffing by 100 officers fell short when General Fund budget dollars consistently met a deficit. Second, the mayor’s plan to institute a parcel tax on homeowners that would fund a massive infrastructure improvement strategy was widely criticized – though was also certainly affected by the economy – and failed in voters’ booths in 2008.

But the Mayor also made friends by leading the charge to bring Stimulus money to Long Beach, and increasing the city’s image as bicycle-friendly. He also benefited from a City Council approval during his term to increase the power of the Mayoral position, a decision that many believe was a long overdue move to make the Mayor more than a ceremonial figurehead.

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