CATHEDRAL CITY, October 2, 2012 -- LGBT and LGBT-ally residents of Cathedral City had an opportunity to hear and question candidates for mayor and city Council yesterday evening at the first of a series of pre-election candidate fora.
Mayoral candidates present included incumbent Mayor Kathleen J. DeRosa and challenger Chip Yarborough. The third mayoral candidate, John David Kauffman, failed to appear.
In addition to the mayoral candidates, incumbent council members Charles “Bud” England and Greg Pettis appeared along with challenger Stan Henry and former incumbent Paul Marchand. Candidates “Cowboy” Mueller, Gary Figgins, and Ron Garcia were conspicuous by their absence.
Questions from the audience touched on a whole range of local Cathedral City issues, ranging from Cathedral City’s fiscal challenges to municipal infrastructure and ongoing city support for the Boys and Girls Club.
One of the issues that drew the greatest degree of disagreement among the candidates was that of medical marijuana. Incumbent council member Bud England and challenger (and former police chief) Stan Henry, who are generally understood to be running as a slate with incumbent Mayor DeRosa took positions opposing a marijuana dispensary in Cathedral City, with England taking a hard line, echoing the federal government’s opposition to medical marijuana.
The sharpest contrast to the extreme anti-marijuana views espoused by Councilman England came from Mr. Marchand, who spoke of the untold suffering of AIDS/HIV and cancer patients, and how so many of them have found relief through the use of medical marijuana. The audience, many of whom had lost friends to AIDS or cancer, responded with loud and sustained applause.
A further candidate forum, sponsored by the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for October 15.
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