El Cajon mayor

ECM INTERVIEWS ARNIE LEVINE, CANDIDATE FOR EL CAJON MAJOR

By Miriam Raftery

September 2, 2022 (El Cajon) – Arnie Levine is a realtor running for the El Cajon mayoral seat.  He wants to  revitalize El Cajon as a "new city."   His priorities include reducing homelessness and lack of housing affordability, protecting public health, supporting the arts, and according to his website, "restoring hope" to all El Cajon residents.

ECM’s editor, Miriam Raftery, interviewed Levine for the East County Magazine Radio Show on KNSJ.   Hear audio, view video, or read highlights from our interview below.  You can also learn more at his website: https://arnielevine4elcajoncamayor.com/.

Audio: 


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EL CAJON MAYOR WELLS AND COUNCILMAN KENDRICK THUMP CHALLENGERS

 

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

Photo by Jesse Kendrick: Mayor  Wells and Councilman Kendrick savor Election Night victories

November 7, 2018 (El Cajon)--El Cajon voters returned Mayor Bill Wells and Councilma/Mayor Pro Tem Gary Kendrick to their positions on the El Cajon City Council on Tuesday night with veritable knockout punches against their challengers.

With 86 percent of precincts reporting, incumbent Mayor Bill Wells maintained his lead all evening with 66% (7799 votes) while his challenger, East County businessman Joel A. Scalzitti garnered only 26% (3064 votes). Robert M. Weaver, Jr., in spite of dropping out of the race early and not mounting a campaign because of federal Hatch Act conflicts with his position with the federal government, garnered 8% of the vote with 905 votes.

With nearly 88% precincts reporting, Councilman Kendrick was successful in staving off a challenge from fellow Councilman Ben Kalasho by a landslide. Kendrick got a whopping 85% (3408 votes) with Kalasho only getting 15% (621 votes). 


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HEAR OUR INTERVIEW WITH MAYOR BILL WELLS ON HIS REELECTION CAMPAIGN





Listen to our interview by clicking this link



East County News Service

October 26, 2018 (El Cajon)—Mayor Bill Wells sat down for an in-depth interview with East County Magazine Show’s producer Miriam Raftery.

You can hear the full interviewed aired on KNSJ Radio at the audio link, or scroll down for highlights as he discusses his achievements as Mayor and his goals for the city if reelected.

Audio: 


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COMMUNITY MEMBERS URGE KALASHO TO RESIGN OVER SEXUAL HARASSMENT FINDINGS AND ALLEGED THREATS

 

 

A group of people in a roomDescription generated with very high confidence

 

 

 

By Briana Ghaffery

View video of Council meeting: https://elcajonca.swagit.com/play/07112018-1233

 

July 11, 2018 (El Cajon) – Eleven speakers called on Councilman Ben Kalasho to resign during public comments at Tuesday’s El Cajon City Council meeting, where the audience included protesters who held signs reading “hands off our daughters” and “sex predator Kalasho belongs in jail” complete with a photoshopped picture of Kalasho as an inmate.

Kalasho has also announced his intention to run for Mayor, challenging incumbent Bill Wells.


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MAYOR WELLS, COUNCILMAN KENDRICK SCORE STRONG WINS IN EL CAJON

 

 

Photo: Mayor Bill Wells celebrates victory with suporters; photo by Randy Jordan, R. Jordan Photgraphy

By Miriam Raftery and Janis Russell

November 5, 2014 (El Cajon) -- Mayor Bill Wells thumped two opponents to win 81.6% of the vote, winning reelection handily over Allen Theweny and Jonathan Wright.  Councilman Gary Kendrick took over two-thirds of the vote (64.14%) over his opponent, Elwood Alexander.

The incumbents had the benefit of an improving economy and new policies such as the city's outreach to car dealers to bring more revenues to El Cajon, a city with the county's highest poverty rate.  El Cajon's leaders have also had success in healing relations with the city's large Iraqi Chaldean population, with Mayor Wells speaking out publicly in support of bringing persecuted Christian Chaldean refugees to El Cajon.


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EL CAJON CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE JONATHAN WRIGHT HOPES TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY

 

 

By Janis Russell

October 24, 2014 (El Cajon)- Jonathan Wright is running against incumbent Mayor Bill Wells and challenger Allen Theweny  for Mayor of El Cajon.

Wright participated in an exclusive interview with East County Magazine. Wright discusses his values, what his main priorities will be once elected, and his views about the East County Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) among other topics.  He  has a background in business management, marketing and IT support. He decided to run for Mayor to serve the people and lead the city into the future, helping get the people and the city back on track to prosperity by working to alleviate poverty for the elderly and to get people off the streets.


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EL CAJON COUNCIL TO INTERVIEW CANDIDATES FOR VACANCY ON DECEMBER 10

 

December 5, 2013 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon City Council received 27 applications for the currently vacant councilmember position. The application period closed yesterday 

The City Council is scheduled to interview applicants in Council chambers at the 7:00 p.m. Council meeting on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.

A list of applicants is below.


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WELLS APPOINTED MAYOR IN EL CAJON, OPENING COUNCIL VACANCY

 

By Miriam Raftery

November 13, 2013 (El Cajon )--El Cajon’s City Council voted unanimously yesetrday to appoint Councilman Bill Wells to fill the vacancy left by Mayor Mark Lewis’s resignation.  Council also voted to have an application and list of qualifications drawn up within a week for residents interested in seeking appointment to fill the vacancy on the City Council  left by Wells’ ascension to mayor.

A crowd filled the Council Chambers, with many community members came to voice their views on how the city should fill its leadership positions.


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ONE-STOP SHOP FOR EL CAJON VOTERS

East County News Service

 

October 28, 2010 (El Cajon) -- With the election a few days away, ECM offers El Cajon voters this collection of interviews, video clips, and debate coverage for candidates on their ballots.

 


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KPBS RADIO INTERVIEWS ECM'S EDITOR ON EAST COUNTY'S HOTTEST POLITICAL RACES


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SPOTLIGHT EL CAJON: WOUNDED VETERAN JOHN "MIKE" GARCIA AIMS TO LEAD CITY AS MAYOR

By Miriam Raftery


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SPOTLIGHT EL CAJON: JOHNNEY MINARICK, MINISTRY STUDENT BRINGS RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE TO MAYORAL RACE

By Miriam Raftery
 

September 30, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Johnney P. Minarick prays perserverance will pay off. He ran for Grossmont Health Care district board in 1998, getting just 4.92% of the vote, and for Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College District’s board in 2000, drawing 18.5%.  Now he’s running for Mayor of El Cajon against four other candidates (incumbent Mayor Mark Lewis and challengers John “Mike” Garcia, Todd Moore, and Darris Mroz.)
 

Minarick says his biggest concern is that “nonbelievers took the Bible out of schools” and belives that kids "need the Bible to learn right from wrong.” As Mayor, he would seek to “bring reading the Bible back into schools again like we used to do when we were kids in Pennsylvania.”


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SPOTLIGHT EL CAJON: RETIRED POLICEMAN TODD MOORE SEEKS NEW BEAT... AS MAYOR OF EL CAJON

September 27, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Retired after 19 years as an El Cajon police officer, Todd Moore now says he has a new vision for El Cajon.  “We need leadership that we can count on to do what is right, to serve the residents of El Cajon," he said, "and to move this community to a place where it thrives…not just survives.”

 


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POLITICAL WRANGLING: EAST COUNTY MAYOR & COUNCIL RACES: HERE'S THE LINEUP

 

By Buck Shott

August 19, 2010 (San Diego's East County) – The races are on for mayor and council positions in East Couny. Two local mayors’ seats are up for reelection in November. Both face challengers vying for the leadership spots in El Cajon and La Mesa. In addition, a pack of contenders is vying to run for council seats in East County’s cities of El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, and Santee. Here's the lineup: 


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