Lawndale Tribune AND lAwNDAle News The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - July 2, 2015 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................6 Classifieds............................2 Community Briefs...............3 Film Review..........................2 Finance..................................3 Food.......................................8 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals............................4, 6-7 Looking Up...........................2 People...................................2 Police Reports.....................3 Seniors..................................5 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy 72˚/63˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 72˚/63˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 72˚/63˚ Transport Meets with Residential in the South Bay Rail lines run along the backyards in Lawndale. Photo by Peter Thornton, jp.thornton58@gmail.com. A Day in the Life of Mayor Pullen-Miles By Nancy Peters spectrum--local, state, federal--are to the Several years ago when Robert Pullen- people. Pullen-Miles immediately noticed that Miles decided on a path for his life in his constituents in Lawndale expected him local politics, he ran for a City Council to possess a deeper level of understanding position in the city of Lawndale. He won their issues, or at least know where to get that election and then the second term four the answer, or give direction to the correct years later. His day job for then-Senator Ted entity. Since the election and swearing Lieu afforded him time behind the scenes in between April and May 2014, Mayor of a political lifestyle. Pullen-Miles experiences a higher volume of In 2013, the path he was traveling suddenly constituent calls about any subject, allowing put him on a much faster speedway when the residents to cut through the bureaucracy then-Mayor of Lawndale Harold E. Hofmann and hopefully go to head of the class. died in his sleep. With his initial thoughts “It is most important for me to be available much farther in the future it had crossed to the residents, to make them feel that I Pullen-Miles’s mind that someday he would run for mayor when Hofmann (whom he strongly supported) would choose not to run or retire from the position of mayor of Lawndale. “Harold’s death was a complete shock to everyone—his family, the community, the City Council---because it was sudden,” Robert stated. “Now the city had to cope with the shock of losing a beloved member of the community, the mayor, the consummate representative of Lawndale, a legacy. “But it was important that the community have a leader to continue the day-to-day and govern the city. Pat Kearney was the Mayor Pro-Tem at the time and he stepped up and did a great job. But he didn’t want to be the mayor. So, I sped up my goals and threw my hat in the ring and ran for mayor. “Now, a year later, here we are and I have been Mayor since the election in April 2014. How has it affected my daily life?” He chuckles as he answers the question, “Not as much as one would think, but, of course, it is not the same to be mayor versus being a Council member.” The responsibilities associated with any elected office, no matter what level of the am their representative on city matters, of course, but also for questions they might have on the state or federal level. I will usually walk a person through the process and either get their answer or refer to the department where they can get some satisfaction. “Since taking office, people quickly realized that I am completely transparent. I am a husband and father first, the mayor of Lawndale, and an employee of the California Assembly (currently serving on Assemblywoman Amber Burke’s staff), so my days are filled with answering inquiries for a lot of people,” he said. “I always need to have answers or know how to solve issues and provide direction(s), which I enjoy very much. “My youngest daughter, who is six years old, she is impressed that I am the mayor,” he laughed. “In fact, she says very often, ‘Daddy, you should know, you’re the mayor!’ That about says it all!” As the mayor, Pullen-Miles makes more appearances at meetings, local and county events, school district events, and spends as much time as needed at Lawndale City Hall, meeting with the City Manager (Steve Mandoki) and other department heads to keep in touch with how things are going on projects. Presence at events for other cities is imperative so surrounding communities know that the Mayor of Lawndale is an effective leader who cares about his city, but also about the entire South Bay and how his city can be more effective. “My days are never the same, two days in a row. It is a priority for me to know what issues are before the City Manager, the City Attorney, Public Works, Planning, and other departments before each meeting so that the City Council is not blind-sided on the dais. “Our Council meetings are well-organized. We don’t really put up with any shenanigans, so to speak. At first, my days in office as mayor were a proving ground for me. However, I believe that I have earned the respect of my colleagues. During the first few meetings, I admit that I was a little nervous on the dais; when you are in a position that affects people’s livelihood, that is not be taken lightly. I want the people to know that I am sincere about assuring their quality of life in Lawndale, which is my top priority,” Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles concluded. A Day in the Life of being a new Mayor is not the easiest job, especially following a legacy mayor such as Pullen-Miles has accomplished. His job is time-consuming, but by a miracle of recognizing priorities, Robert Pullen-Miles looks forward to many more days as mayor, husband, father, and the best representative for Lawndale day-to-day. • “I want the people to know that I am sincere about assuring their quality of life in Lawndale, which is my top priority.”
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