LEDFORD FACING 3 FOR POST RIVALS HOPE TO UNSEAT MAYOR.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Palmdale's mayoral campaign features a four-term incumbent, a councilman making his second bid to unseat the mayor, and two new faces in municipal politics.

Running in the Nov. 6 election are Mayor Jim Ledford, Councilman Rick Norris, Desmond Kester and Drew Angel.

Ledford is running a stay-the-course campaign, arguing that long-term planning efforts are now bearing fruit.

Ledford, the city's mayor since 1992, points to the development of the Palmdale Marketplace shopping center and the arrival of light fixture manufacturer U.S. Pole as evidence the city's economic plan is working.

Among the projects Ledford wants to continue to work on include the east- side improvement program, the completion of the widening of the Avenue S corridor, the transit center, and the construction of a new sheriff's station and four fire stations.

The city also needs to continue to make land marketable by finding ways to put in streets and water and sewer lines, he said.

``We need more infrastructure in the ground to recruit companies to our city,'' Ledford said.

Norris, who owns a company that manufactures water filters, made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Ledford in November 1999, then won a seat on the council in November 2000.

During his tenure on the council, Norris has opposed Ledford on a number of major issues, including the city's green lawn ordinance, which passed over Norris' objection, and the rejection of a contract extension for City Manager Bob Toone - an extension that Norris also opposed.

Norris is also the author of the term limit measure before Palmdale voters Nov. 6.

In his campaign thus far, Norris said he has and will continue to push for more sheriff's deputies on the streets, services for senior citizens, and for improvements to the city's east side.

``We need to devote more of our resources on the east side,'' Norris said.

Norris' campaign includes calls for expediting the development of a hospital on Palmdale's east side.

Kester, a Los Angeles County deputy assessor is an active member of the Democratic Club of the High Desert.

In his campaign thus far, Kester has focused on what he believes is the underserved east side of Palmdale. Kester has noted a number of vacant and underutilized buildings on that side of the community, including the former Smith's supermarket, the Staples, and PetsMart buildings.

``I want to strengthen the services that the city of Palmdale will deliver to the east side of the city,'' Kester said in his candidate statement. ``There are too many commercial buildings vacant or underused on the east side while the west side is having a tremendous growth.''

Drew Angel, who lists his occupation as theoretician, is running on the most unusual campaign platform in the mayoral race.

Angel said the city should go into the electricity-generating business using solar power. The city should generate so much electricity that power could be sold back to the state grid, he said.

Angel also believes the city should encourage expeditions to the moon, which would create jobs for the Antelope Valley's aerospace industry.

Angel has also suggested replacing the ``his or her'' in city documents with ``their'' and that white people should be called ``blancos.''