BY BROOKE EDWARDS
STAFF WRITER

VICTORVILLE • Though the two incumbents are off to a slow start, City Council challenging candidate Angela Valles has already raised nearly $16,000 to make a run in the Nov. 2 election.

Neither incumbent Councilwoman JoAnn Almond or Councilman Terry Caldwell raised a penny for their campaigns in 2009, according to finance forms filed with the city, and they didn’t spend much either.

“For me it’s pretty early to start fundraising efforts,” said Caldwell, who declined to state whether he’s decided to run in what he said would be his ninth or 10th election.

Caldwell had $9,600 in his campaign fund as of Dec. 31. He did spend more than $1,000 out of campaign funds last year, but it was to endorse fellow politicians such as San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops and District Attorney Mike Ramos.

Almond ended the year with roughly $3,300 in her campaign coffers and confirmed her intentions to run for re-election.

Valles, on the other hand, raised a total of $15,568 in 2009, including cash and donated goods, and spent more than $9,000 on fundraisers and campaign promotion materials.

She had small contributions from wellknown local figures such as Don Ferrarese, Felix Diaz and Joe Brady, plus $250 from Councilman Ryan McEachron’s dad, Ross McEachron, and $125 from Caldwell’s wife, Pat Caldwell.

But a whopping $10,000 of Valles’ 2009 total came from one supporter: local developer Dan Tate.

“I think that she provides a very objective and unbiased approach,” said Tate, who said he’s been frustrated with the direction of the city and hopes to see more transparency.

Watching how Valles has handled herself on the Victor Valley College Board of Trustees and working for the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority, Tate said he feels she’ll be an aggressive but persuasive liaison with other local cities and San Bernardino County, rather than Victorville being “the bully on the block.”

Tate, who spent thousands on “hit pieces” to help take out former Councilman Bob Hunter during the 2008 election, said he has a new target for 2010: Caldwell.

“He’s the ringleader that everybody’s relied upon,” Tate said.

Caldwell, in turn, called Tate an “irresponsible hatchet man,” confident that someone else is ultimately behind the money that’s flowed under the developer’s name.

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