Leading up to the November elections, SWRNN.com will run a series of candidate profiles describing each potential contender for this year’s open City Council seats. Stay tuned for continued Election 2012 coverage.
Allen Baldwin
In Lake Elsinore, four seats, including three city council and one city treasurer are up for election.
Of the nine candidates campaigning for the seats, three are incumbents.
Allen Baldwin, current Lake Elsinore City Treasurer, has also served as councilman and Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) Director and Treasurer.
“I can attest that the role of treasurer is, by far, the easiest and least stressful,” Baldwin said. “We have had great management with our former city manager and it was a pleasure for me as well as for our city employees to work with and for Bob.”
Baldwin feels the most stressful time served in office came about when city council members decided to fire City Manager Bob Brady.
Read: Lake Elsinore fires city manager, over objections from residents and business owners
Brady was terminated in March during a council meeting when council members Daryl Hickman, Melissa Melendez and Peter Weber voted to let him go.
“He was a great city manager and some lucky city out there will benefit from his service soon,” Baldwin said. “Choosing the right city manager now is our biggest challenge. Hopefully we’ll elect some great council members in November.”
Baldwin is running unopposed for the position of City Treasurer.
He moved to Lake Elsinore in 1968 to enjoy the “open space created by the lake and the wonderful mountain vistas,” he said. “There was great freedom of mobility at that time with housing and jobs plentiful –- ah, what a time!”
Today, Baldwin has four children, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Two children and a grandchild are also raising their families in Lake Elsinore.
Baldwin feels the city’s biggest struggle in today’s environment is managing the city budget without further impacting the reserves.
“We’ve done pretty well, but I see spending increases and it worries me,” he said. “I hope to be able to work with the Budget/Audit Committee in such a way as to improve decision making, and to assure the city’s future fiscal integrity.”
Jennifer Dean is a local writer and regular contributor to SWRNN.
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The problem I see with budget is those who ousted Bob Brady put their own interest before the City of Lake Elsinore. It was done in the middle of his contract when Peter Weber was APPOINTED to finish Any Bhutta’s term. Before this, Malicious Melendez and Hickman could not muster the votes needed to fire the City Manager. We all must now pay for for this power play. Remember to vote “Paule” for assembly and not melendez. We need fiscal responsibility, Paule is endorsed by the Jarvis tax group.