LOCAL ELECTIONS / CYPRESS : Public Safety, Card Clubs Top Issues

CYPRESS — Public safety and opposition to card clubs are among the top issues as this 45,000-population city prepares to fill three council seats Nov. 8.

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Crime rates are relatively low in the community. Nonetheless, all of the council candidates, including incumbent Walter K. Bowman, emphasize their support for a strong police force.

Similarly, candidates Steven D. Bradley, Tom Carroll, Reynold Elkin, Chuck Hicks, Mary Ann Jones and Alice Kotloff Spatz all said public safety is among their key concerns.

The card club issue lingers in the city after residents last year overwhelmingly voted down a proposal that would have allowed them to operate. In this year’s election, Cypress Citizens Against Card Clubs, the organization that spearheaded the 1993 opposition, is backing Carroll and Jones, two founding members of the group. Tim Keenan, a spokesman for the organization, said residents need two unwavering card-club opponents elected to the council.

Bowman is the only incumbent on the ballot. Mayor Richard Partin is barred by the city’s term limits from running again, and Councilwoman Joyce C. Nicholson chose not to seek reelection.

Bowman, 56, a businessman, is a former mayor and a past president of the Cypress College Patrons of the Arts. He said that if reelected, he intends to continue to increase the number of patrol officers on the streets “by cutting unnecessary spending rather than (imposing) an unwarranted utility tax.”

Bradley, 39, is a certified public accountant and has served as an officer of the Cypress Little League. He is a member of a countywide organization opposed to card clubs. His campaign issues include support for a strong police force, and parks and public amenities to maintain the city as a family-oriented community.

Carroll, 62, is a retired business executive and served on the city’s Fiscal Advisory Committee. He said his major concerns include citizen participation in government, and maintaining a good quality of life and financial stability in the city. He said the anti-card club vote last year was “a voters’ mandate” of which he would be ever mindful.

Elkin, 68, is a retired business owner who has served on the Fiscal Advisory Committee and the board of directors of the Friends of Cypress Recreation and Parks. He said that in addition to public safety, his concerns include expanding the city’s business base and studying and fulfilling needs of the senior citizens.

Hicks, 43, is a safety program manager and was a school board member of the Anaheim Union High School District in 1989-90. He described himself as “an active member of the community who understands the needs of the city.” He said the future of the city lies in three key areas: business development, community safety and budget management.

Jones, 46, is a bank vice president who has served on the Fiscal Advisory Committee and the Women’s Roundtable of Orange County. She lists crime and financial responsibility as major campaign issues. She said she would push for more police on the street and would oppose a utility tax.

Spatz, 52, a licensed vocational nurse, has served on the School Closure Committee, Chamber of Commerce and Boys & Girls Club. She listed city financial independence and city safety as key campaign issues. She said a city “grows by utilizing the talents of its people.”