Compton, CA (The Bulletin) – Saturday was a hot day for politics in the city of Compton. There were dueling candidate forums taking place on March 28.
For a couple of hours, the Compton Chamber of Commerce held its mayoral candidate forum at Compton College in the school’s multi-purpose room.
Shortly after, the Compton NAACP in conjunction with the Concerned Citizens of Compton, held their own candidate debate at the Saint Philip Lutheran Church. Both venues offered a wide selection of candidates and their platforms.
At Compton College, six candidates made their oral presentations on why they think they are the best mayoral candidate to lead the city into the future, including current Mayor Emma Sharif, who is seeking reelection.
The competition list for Sharif that appeared at the Compton College forum included Omar Bradley Jr., the son of the mayor, current City Councilman Andre Spicer (District 2), Bishop Leroy Guillory, Marlow Wilkerson, and Inez “Tootie” Adkins.
The debate showcased a lot of public relations spinning and one upmanship with candidates not quite giving direct answers to the questions presented to them. There was confusion in regards to protocol and decorum.
For example, candidates were asked to remain seated to give their responses to the questions asked.
Yet, several candidates defied that request. These individuals decided to stand up and stand in front of the dias and walked around the tables where they were seated to give their answers, giving off defiant tones and not following the script of what was asked of them or what they agreed to do.
Another interesting observance of the Compton Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Candidates Forum was the lack of preparedness of some candidates. That was evident from the very first question of the event when one candidate had to read a scripted version of their answer off their cellphone.
There also appeared to be a lot of political posturing among the candidates. But outside of these hiccups, the moderator, Bishop Byron Smith, didn’t allow things to get too far out of hand. Bradley appeared to be more animated among the candidates.
Despite a strong presence, Bradley also looked like he was the most annoyed and more frustrated than anyone else with his perceived lack of time to fully get his answers across. Spicer was content with a steady, by-the-book approach in his responses.
Guillory appeared to have command of his answers to the questions posed as did Wilkerson.
Sharif, who is hoping to continue her legacy as mayor of the city, lacked definitive authority in her answers, whereas Adkins sounded like she was reading off a teleprompter as she continued to look down at the phone she was holding in her hands.
The theme of the forum was Compton Mayoral Leadership, Governance & Public Accountability. In regards to the leadership part, the candidates’ answers varied.
“What shaped my leadership values?” Adkins asked. “Is how I was raised,” she replied. “I was taught to lead with respect, to be fair and to listen, and to hold everyone to the same standard.”
Guillory credits his leadership abilities to former Lynwood Mayor Robert Henning, the city’s first African American mayor.
“Though I finished my school here in Compton, Mayor Henning took me as a deputy mayor at sixteen-years-old. He then started to assist me and other young Black men to understand politics,” Guillory said.
For Bradley, a man who lived under the shadows of an infamous elected official, charged with governing the city, he threw his name into the mayoral race because he wanted to see change in the current leadership.
“A lot of people love to run so that they’re in the newspaper. A lot of people love to run because they can have the title. A lot of people love to run for notoriety…I didn’t do that,” Bradley remarked. “I took my time and studied because I needed to know what was going on in Compton.”
Sharif pointed to her leadership values to her upbringing.
“My leadership and values came from when I was a child in Arkansas, sitting in a classroom and not understanding that the teachers that were teaching me really did not want me there,” Sharif said. “So, it caused insecurities. It also caused me to question my ownself. But by the grace of God, I’m here.”
Spicer cites his longtime background as an entrepreneur as the main catalyst that has shaped his leadership skills, which he believes makes him the perfect candidate for mayor.
“This has helped me to understand budgets…understand temperaments, body language, just different types of personalities and managing those personalities,” commented Spicer.
Wilkerson was not really clear on the leadership question, going from marker to another to another to speak on his multifaceted approach lead others.
“When morale is low, conflict resolution. This is something that I am very well-skilled in. It’s all about communication, touching each individual, finding out what makes them move. It’s the same thing when it comes to our city,” Wilkerson said.
Cover Art/Lead photo: Marlow Wilkerson (left) and Andre Spicer. are both running for mayor in the city of Compton. Photo credit: Dennis J. Freeman / The Bulletin
