Manlove vs. Lampson, Pasadena race opens up

I have been told that Pasadena's Mayor Manlove has decided he will run for Tom DeLay's old seat. Manlove has a large picture of himself and DeLay in his office and they are BFF. Manlove is term limited in Pasadena and this explains what he will do with the money he raised last year in Houston. He has over $332,000 in his political campaign war chest. It appears this will be a crowded Republican field with Robert Talton, Sekula Gibbs and others competing to face Democratic incumbent Nick Lampson. The official announcement may be delayed as he must step down as mayor if he is seeking another office.

Manlove is Latino on his mother's side and may have received minority set aside contracts for his publishing business. He has used some of his recent contributions to finally learn to speak Spanish through a Berlitz course.

It is unclear how strong Lampson's support is in District 22 although Democratic activists are less enthusiastic due to some of his recent votes on the Iraq War and civil liberties. Has this gained him some independent votes to make up for fewer activists campaigning for him or donating to him?

Manlove seeking Lampson's seat will also open up a race in Pasadena for mayor. The likely players are Don Harrison, Dana Philibert, and former Pasadena mayor Johnny Isbell or current council member J.J. Isbell. By coincidence ;-), brief bios of all can be found here except for former mayor Johnny, J.J.'s father.

My Take on the Pasadena Mayoral candidates

Normally, I would be supportive of Don Harrison, who at least is good for seniors, but there have been many ethical issues in his past including pleading guilty to libel and lying about it, shutting down citizen speech in council chambers, and refusing to give up his council seat after losing it. My previous posts on Harrison are here. Dana is personally pleasant but participated in the free speech shut down and has been a reliable supporter of Manlove. J.J. has shown some independence but has not distinguished himself yet in politics and seems more interested in the Pasadena rodeo. Johnny Isbell's time appears to be past and he had switched to the Republican party in 2001 in a case of political opportunism. On the other hand, he deserves credit for helping develop Pasadena's neighborhood network association. Maybe former council woman Nona Phillips will get my support if she tries again for mayor.

Gary Permalink on 9/22/2007