By Kermit Franklin
I am proud to call the Antelope Valley my home and I look forward to having the opportunity to serve our district in the State Assembly. I am fully committed and ready to fight for the poor and middle class in ensuring a livable job wage while fighting for access to quality education.
Like all of you, I have faced challenges and unfortunate circumstances but that’s not a reason to accept the status quo of high unemployment and raising our children in poverty.
I believe the people of the 36th Assembly District are more important than the politics and their citizenship more pivotal than partisanship. That’s why I believe in people over politics and citizenship over partisanship.
My passion in serving our country as a U.S. Marine and serving in the State Assembly as a staffer for the 36th Assembly District makes this a natural progression for me.
As the Vice Chair of Organizational Development for the State Veterans Caucus, I have formed relationships in the state legislature in the lower house, upper house and in the third house.
I look forward to serving as your Assembly member and appreciate your support. Thank you.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The AV Times.
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Registered Republican says
Did someone bother to tell this Franklin guy that running with an Obama logo isn’t going to do you any favors?
It seems like this guy’s got a big ego and is out for himself.
Steve Fox has done a great job for the Antelope Valley and I will continue to vote for him. Why? Because, even though I am a Republican, I want someone who has a proven track record of getting things done and putting the needs of Antelope Valley people first.
Joseph says
Boy, I smell a lot of the same rotting fish in the basket type posting on this board. Steve Fox needs to be challenged, if not to only clean house. Fox seem to pick and choice safe issues that have low impact on the population of the Antelope Valley. Fox is a, don’t rock the boat and skirting by type of politician. Retirement with California legislature benefits must be grand to hold on this position as long as he can.
William says
Obvioulsy, you haven’t been paying close attention, Joseph. Steve Fox has done more in his short time in the Assembly than Steven Knight has does in all his years in Sacramento and that includes the Runners would rode the gravy train longer than any one.
Registered Republican says
Here! Here!
Scott Pelka says
Kermit has no business trying to run for office. Steve Fox has done an outstanding job.
Registered Republican says
Amen!
democrata says
I concur. Something smells fishy. Are you trying to split the vote so that another republicans is elected? I’ll take my chances with Fox. Oh yeah, and voting independent is also splitting the vote.
Steve Fox Republican says
I must say that last election, I held my nose and voted for Steve Fox because I couldn’t stand Ron Smith. I know lots of my friends who are Republican just sat the election out. A year and a half later, I have to say that I am seriously considering voting for Steve Fox again. He has done an outstanding job representing the District. I daresay that he got more done in his year and a half than anyone from the Runner machine did in all the years before. I haven’t totally decided if I’ll vote for him again this time around, especially with the Republican choices, but I definitely think he deserves consideration.
Richard says
I agree. Some people will vote for whatever letter (“R” or “D”) comes after the name and since politicians can change parties as Fox did, does the letter really mean anything anyways? Guess not since a lot of voters are changing to “Independent”.
Ed says
Franklin, why are you really running for this office?
Tim W. says
Isn’t it usually about ego? What else?
sjgranai says
But nice way to split the Dem vote and make sure a Rep gets elected. I’m sure that was figured in.
Tim Barkas says
When someone applies for a new job, the person doing the hiring will typically contact the applicant’s previous employer for a reference. Well, in this case, voters are doing the hiring, and I wonder what sort of review Mr. Franklin’s previous employer might provide?
Clearly this guy has no sense of loyalty to the Assemblyman he served. And an absence of loyalty in a former U.S. Marine is deeply troubling. By all accounts, his former boss (Assemblyman Fox) is an honorable man doing a good job representing his district. There is no compelling reason to unseat him in order to put this inexperienced political rookie in his seat – and several compelling reason’s NOT to.
Chief among those is the need to at least understand how politics works, if you expect to be effective. It’s fine to proclaim that you put “people over politics.” Statements like that might impress the uninformed. But if you were to actually become an Assemblyman, Mr. Franklin, you damn well better know how the political game is played, and be prepared to engage in it, if you expect to get anything done in Sacramento.
Running for office while proclaiming that you’re not interested in politics is like a drowning man saying he’s not interested in water. Our elected officials need to know how to swim the political waters.
Mr. Franklin, it would appear, lacks an understanding of some political fundamentals. One wonders if he’d even be able to tread water in Sacramento?
His candidacy is not likely to succeed, but it might very well, as Ms. Granai correctly pointed out above, swing crucial support toward a Republican candidate. Most Democratic voters will not switch horses now, especially for a smaller, weaker pony.
Either candidate Franklin knows this, and simply wants to weaken his former boss for unknown reasons, or he DOESN’T know this, which suggests that he really doesn’t understand politics very well, and would therefore make for a very poor elected official.
sjgranai says
Fox rocked his freshman term…
Registered Republican says
Yes he did!
Aaron P says
Steve Fox has done a GREAT JOB so far and does not need someone that has supposedly worked for him giving him the knife in the back. And second of all Steve Fox has more credentials. VOTE FOR STEVE FOX!!!
Yakkity yak says
Amen to that!
Letlow says
Didn’t this man work for assemblyman Steve Fox? if so, why is he running against him now? Seems like a traitor move. Not sounding like a very trustworthy fellow.
Richard says
Oh great more Hope and Change. No thanks!
Tom F. says
Advertising your campaign with an Obama logo colored by markers isn’t very smart anymore, or hasn’t this guy figured it out yet? It might have worked 4 years ago, but most people have Obama fatigue at this point.
Especially when you’re running in a district that is 50/50 Democrat and Republican. Most AV Democrats, like myself, are moderates. It is only the Democratic Club activists who are far-left wingers in this town. I will not vote for anyone on the far-left. I voted for Steve Fox precisely because he was a longtime Republican who was capable of being fiscally conservative. I will not vote for anyone who betrayed Steve Fox. He gets my vote again!