Simpson is just another politician

Bob Simpson doesn't like being called a politician. The former city manager turned councilman says politics isn't his game because, simply, he's "too blunt, too outspoken" to be one. "Politics isn't my forte," Simpson said in a recent interview. "I wish there were no politicians." Despite his protestations to the contrary, Simpson is playing the political game. His recent talk that he's considering a race for mayor this November is nothing more than politics, pure and simple. And, those statements coupled with his hard-hitting 1990 election campaign hardly give credence to his self-proclaimed hatred of politics, even though it is possible to run for election as an anti-politician if you don't allow yourself to be caught up in politics for politics' sake. Being a politician has gotten a bad rap of late. True, the game-playing that those in office at every level of government resort to simply to be re-elected can be nauseating. But it doesn't have to be that way. Politics can be honorable, if those engaged in it put their integrity above their own selfish interests. At one time, that was Simpson's goal. So when I hear someone decry politics and politicians at the same time he's playing his own Cuomo-esquepolitical game of publicly gauging support for a possible mayor, I consider it nothing more than just another political ploy, especially when there's a record to fall back on. That's certainly true in Simpson's case. Shortly after his election in 1990, after a bare-knuckles, noholds-barred campaign, Simpson said he was only going to be a one-term councilman At the time, he cited his hatred of politics and his desire to retire away from Anaheim. With those retirement plans apparently on hold, at least for the time being, Simpson now finds himself having to cope with those oft-repeated statements as he considers running for mayor. It is interesting, as well, that Simpson's comments focus solely on the mayor's seat a remarkable feat of linguistic legerde main. If he runs this year, he said, he won't seek re-election to the CityCouncil. His only interest, he said, is running for mayor. But let's examine the realities. First, the mayor in this town is but one member of the City Council. While the mayor's job is the council's most visible and carries with it some cerl duties, the mayor carries no more pull on the council than any other council member. If the mayor doesn't have two other votes on any proposed action or appointment, it goes down in flames. All Simpson need do is ask council ally Fred Hunter about that. Second, running for mayor really is no different than running for City Council. According to changes in the City Charter voters approved in 1990, this will be the first time any eligible Anaheim resident can run for mayor without being a sitting City Council member first. Throughout the 1980s, the mayor had been chosen every two years at the ballot box. But, the charter the document that spells out the city's powers and those of its leaders restricted mayoral candidates to sitting council members. That led to instances during which some mayoral hopefuls had to run two campaigns at once one for re-election to the council, the other for election, or re-election, as mayor. The charter revisions changed all that by setting aside one seat for the mayor. Even though someone is a declared candidate for mayor, that candidate really is running for the City Council.