Gomez picks off Dale for mayor

“My goal is, I’m going to be the people’s mayor.”Mayor-elect Joe Gomez BARSTOW • For most of the day Tuesday, voters across Barstow faced strong winds as they made their way to the polls. The National Weather Service clocked winds as high as 44 miles per hour at the Barstow-Daggett Airport. Not the strongest ever in Barstow but strong enough to blow in a new mayor and a new complexion to the City Council in City Hall. With 16 out of 16 precincts counted, Joe Gomez defeated incumbent Lawrence Dale for mayor. Tim Saenz and Willie Hailey edged out Carmen Hernandez and field of four other candidates for two open spots on the City Council. Hailey bettered Hernandez by only four votes. “I feel great,” Gomez said Wednesday after the final vote counts were released just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Dale said he was surprised by the results. He was not sure what swung voters in Barstow to vote for Gomez but mentioned that it might have been the number of first-time voters. “You win some and you lose some,” Dale said. “The people who came out to vote voted their conscience and did what they felt was right.” Dale said he plans to stay involved in the Shriners organization in Barstow as he has for many years to make sure local children receive the medical care they deserve. The race for City Council flipped during the late night and early morning hours but remained close. After early returns, Hernandez and Hailey held a slim lead over Saenz. Final results, however, put Saenz on top by 35 votes. Saenz said he thinks people in Barstow supported the issues he campaigned on, economic growth, public safety, opportunities for the youth and protection for Barstow’s seniors. He admitted he had a lot to learn and study. “I’m looking forward to jumping right into this,” he said. “Roads and the grade separation will have to be key for me. ... Those are two things that could help Barstow’s economic growth.” Hailey agreed that streets would be a primary issue for him too. He said people supported him based on his record and legacy in Barstow — after years as a California Highway Patrolman, a school board member and a coach — and he wants to return the governing of Barstow back to the people of Barstow. “I just want to the people of Barstow to know that I really thank them for this,” Hailey said. “It’s overwhelming. ... It’s a compliment when people trust you with power.” Hernandez said she will not challenge the vote. “That’s not my style,” she said. “What happens, happens.” After staying up all night watching results, Gomez said he felt confident after a 6 a.m. update put him ahead of Dale. Dale led in early returns. Gomez was at the Desert Sky League cross-country finals at Victor Valley Community College when he found out the final results. He had made running a central part of campaign, literally running for mayor by trying to run on every street in Barstow. “I just talked to enough people, and I have a lot of support from my family and friends,” Gomez said. “I just had a good feeling the last couple of months.” Gomez stuck to what he called a grassroots campaign. He said he utilized the Internet, creating a community of supporters through a www.myspace.com account and keeping people updated on his campaign on his blog. He modeled some of his campaign tactics after President-elect Barack Obama. “What worked for him, worked for me,” Gomez said Tuesday night. Workers at polling stations all over Barstow reported many first-time voters, both young and old. Gomez said the new voters were his base, and he depended on their support Tuesday night. Dolores Lazcano, who voted for the first time Tuesday, said she supported Gomez. “He’s a person of the city,” she said Tuesday night. Regardless of who else sits on the City Council with Gomez, he said he is going to work with them from scratch to build consensus and chart a path for the city. Gomez campaigned on increasing public safety and fixing the roads but would not say where he would start. He said he wanted to meet with the Council first. “I’m really confident that we’ll all work together,” he said. Gomez, Hailey and Saenz are scheduled to be sworn in on Dec. 1. They will join Tim Silva and Julie Hackbarth-McIntyre, whose seats are up in 2010. Mayor

Joe Gomez 45.97%

Lawrence Dale 36.16%

Nathaniel H. Pickett 17.86%

16 of 16 precincts counted