Earlier this week, Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait was corralled yet again by a familiar foursome as the council supermajority moved to curb the agenda-setting authorities of his office during a special morning meeting. As the November 2014 elections loom, though, will he face a challenge coming from an unexpected direction?
Sources tell the Weekly that former two-time Anaheim councilwoman Lorri Galloway, a Democrat, will run for mayor next year. Tait, a Republican, has already raised funds for his reelection bid and has shown no public sign nor given any indication that he'll back down despite the degenerative downward spiral Anaheim politics has become.
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The potential contest would pair two former allies on the dais against one another. When together on council, Mayor Tait and Galloway formed a voting block on key issues last year including opposing the $158 million GardenWalk hotel project subsidy before it was ultimately ruled void on the grounds of a Brown Act violation.
After the summer's unrest of 2012, the two were in lockstep against the thwarting of a proposed charter amendment which would have allowed residents to vote on the creation of six single-member districts potentially remedying ongoing litigation that alleges the city's at-large system is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.
As of recent, Mayor Tait and Galloway have been seen together at local civic events such as the procession for peace last month that started at St. Anthony Claret Catholic Church near Anna Drive, the site of the fatal officer-involved shooting of Manuel Angel Diaz. The two were also present during Wednesday night's launch of the Anaheim Small Business Organization (ASBO) at the Phoenix Club near the Honda Center.
On the other hand, though, Tait bailed on a a 'Take Back Anaheim' rally in front of city hall critical of a proposed framework for a future deal with Angels Baseball, leaving Galloway to be the senior voice. And Galloway did not voice her support of Tait during last Monday's anti-Tait meeting even though she had been stripped of her Mayor Pro Tem title by the then-council majority of Kris Murray, Harry Sidhu and Gail Eastman in 2012.
Given their past history of cooperation, how would a potential electoral contest between Galloway and Tait play out?
“I understand that she is considering a run for mayor,” Tait tells the Weekly. “Anyone can run for mayor who wants to.” The incumbent didn't have much to say beyond that save for adding the resigned-to-reality refrain. “It is what it is.”
Short of any filings or public announcement making it official, the Weekly recently asked Galloway if she had committed plans to run for mayor of Anaheim in 2014.
“I have no comment at this time,” she replied.
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Gabriel San Román is from Anacrime. He’s a journalist, subversive historian and the tallest Mexican in OC. He also once stood falsely accused of writing articles on Turkish politics in exchange for free food from DönerG’s!