Marchese (center) debates with fellow 3rd District candidates Terry Jensen and incumbent Gary DeLong. Photo by Ryan ZumMallen.
1:30pm | You can tell that we’re nearing Election Day by the intense political tension in the air. Take, for instance, recent developments in the race for the 3rd District City Council seat.
The battle between incumbent Gary DeLong and challengers Tom Marchese and Terry Jensen has been a bitter one since the beginning, with sharp barbs traded at public debates and through press interviews. But recent reports surrounding Marchese have added a little more spice to the election stew.
Earlier this week Marchese failed to be re-elected to his boardmember position at the Los Cerritos Land Trust, a position that Marchese had made a central part of his campaign as an environmentalist. The non-profit elected five candidates and Marchese was not competitive among them, although brochures were passed around just minutes before the vote encouraging members to vote against Marchese which obviously may have played a large part in the election. Former District Weekly senior writier Dave Wielenga blogged next that some LCLT figures were put off by Marchese’s alleged attempt to gain access to the non-profit’s mailing list to use for his campaign.
All this just a few days after the Press-Telegram reported that Marchese, who commonly refers to his backgrounds in Law and Real Estate, never took the bar exam and is not a licensed broker. The article attempted to clear up questions about Marchese’s current profession, though the candidate says he has dedicated most of his time to environmental and charitable work over the last few years.
Through his campaign, Marchese has taken DeLong to task for his positions on environmental vs. business issues such as the City’s proposed land swap to acquire part of the Los Cerritos Wetlands and the ongoing development of a proposed 2nd+PCH residential/retail project. Marchese supporters loudly declared victory after a recent debate between the three candidates.
So is it all a lot of last-minute jockeying to hurt Marchese’s campaign or are these legitimate concerns of a possible City Councilman?