Calexico City Council candidates share reasons for running

Calexico City Council candidates have said there’s a lot at stake on the coming local elections. They have said these elections can make or break the city. That’s why candidate Bill Hodge is employing a small army of young people to help him reach out to the community with his message.
“We have a lot of problems. We’re in a crisis right now,” Hodge said.

Hodge said if he’s elected he would first focus on the city’s budget. “To try to be progressive and to find other ways not to make these drastic thirty percent cuts,” Hodge said.

Candidate Morris Reisin would focus on economic growth. “We have to bring in money. We have a fourteen-million-dollar budget. It used to be eighteen million dollars. We have to work together to bring in more revenue – more revenue – tax revenues. And I believe bringing in more commerce here – we can do that,” Reisin said.

Candidate Joe Bielma said he would focus on helping the council work together more effectively. “I’m really tired of the embarrassment that we’ve gone through. The bickering, the fighting that been taking place in the city council’s meetings. I know people are upset. Citizens are upset,” Bielma said.

Re-election candidate Joong Kim said he’s running to make the city more transparent. “The City of Calexico – is been years – is been lied to the people, lied to the community. And they building the debts years and years, over twenty-five years.”

Candidate Jason Jung said he would work on creating what he calls a realistic budget. “The first thing I would focus on is to see where the numbers are. Where the real numbers are. And the other thing is – I’m sorry to say this – but there’s going to be cuts, whether with employees or with departments or what-not,” Jung said.