No matter what task he is tackling, Carson City Clerk Jim Dear, as savvy as any politician in the South Bay, always makes sure one hand is free.
To defend himself.
Since moving out of the mayor’s office last March, when he was elected to the clerk’s chair, which carries a much heftier salary, Mr. Dear has been playing defense.
The other day, a clutch of aroused citizens announced they would try to collect enough names to launch a recall of Mr. Dear, well liked in neighborhoods of Carson after 11 years as its leader.
At last night’s City Council meeting, chef Basil Kimbrew, a Gardena High School classmate of Mr. Dear’s four decades ago, turned up in colorful regalia to make a demand:
Calling his former friend a racist, Mr. Kimbrew, now based in the Moreno Valley, insisted that the City Council remove the city clerk’s name from Jim Dear Boulevard.
Led by Mayor Albert Robles, the Carson Council members concurred.
Mr. Dear was not surprised since he and Mr. Robles have been rivals since Mr. Robles was appointed to Mr. Dear’s former chair.
