Bradley Defrocked?
I don't know how we missed this one but, thanks to David Markland for the heads up; looks like everyone's favorite control freak Neighborhood Council President the uni-named Bradley is no longer President of the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council.
The Council's website lists Business Representative Tony Butka as the President and Bradley has been demoted to a lowly area representative. As best as we can see, the Council website has no current minutes or news to confirm or give details.
Could this indeed be the end of an era?
In other David Markland news (via Will Campbell), no a former WKRP in Cincinatti Star is NOT running for Culver City Council and an interview with Eric Garcetti.
The Council's website lists Business Representative Tony Butka as the President and Bradley has been demoted to a lowly area representative. As best as we can see, the Council website has no current minutes or news to confirm or give details.
Could this indeed be the end of an era?
In other David Markland news (via Will Campbell), no a former WKRP in Cincinatti Star is NOT running for Culver City Council and an interview with Eric Garcetti.
Labels: bradley, david markland, glassell park
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 3/25/2008 08:45:00 PM
12 Comments:
Who has worst farts? Bradley or Jack Hoff?
Mayor Sam,
One day I was driving and driving through Glassell Park. I went up one street and down another. I saw some kids in the park and an old guy named Elmer sitting on a bench.
Later I was walking on the street and saw a Salvadoran woman named Gladys selling hot dogs, they were tasty. I kept walking and saw the sun it was very bright.
When it was 3:30 I saw two old black ladies in a laundrymat watching Oprah. I kept walking and bought a Dr. Pepper.
So I was walking around Glassell Park and then it was 4:00 p.m. and my friend Herman was watching Channel 7 news. I had some pan ducle which was quite good.
When it got to be a little later I looked up in the sky and saw a man flying. Not in an airplane or a helicopter or a blimp but he was just flying around and around on his home.
It was then I realized it was Jack Hoff and he was flying on the power of his own farts.
RIP Art Aragon, one of the east-sides most colorful characters,
when he had his bail bond business his sign (and on his cards, I used him a couple of times, gulp), was typical Aragon, It said Art Aragon Bail Bonds,
"I'll get you out if it takes 10 years"
And by the way, in my opinion Mamie Van Doren was one of the sexiest women that ever lived, I had many fantasies about her when I was a kid, and especially after seeing the movie "The Girl Can't Help it". Wow!
Art Aragon, 80; colorful L.A. boxer
Boxer Art Aragon training in 1949.
In the '40s and '50s, Aragon was known as the 'Golden Boy.' He entered the ring wearing gold robes and trunks, flattened opponents with his sharp left hook -- and dated starlets.
By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 26, 2008
Art Aragon, the charismatic "Golden Boy" boxer who steadily drew standing-room-only crowds at Los Angeles and Hollywood venues in the 1940s and '50s, died Tuesday at Northridge Hospital Medical Center after his family removed him from life support. He was 80.
He suffered a stroke March 15, his son Brad said.
Aragon never won a world title, but he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 with a 90-20-6 record that included several major bouts at the Olympic Auditorium, the old Wrigley Field and Hollywood's Legion Stadium.
Longtime boxing publicist Bill Caplan said Aragon, who memorably entered the ring wearing a gold robe and gold trunks, will be remembered as "the top drawing card in L.A. boxing history.
"He was so colorful, and his fights were so exciting. He was a kill-or-be-killed kind of guy."
His life outside the ring was also unforgettable. A native of Belen, N.M., who grew up in East Los Angeles, Aragon was married four times and engaged for a fifth wedding. He was also romantically linked to actress Mamie Van Doren, and had friendships with starlets Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Sophia Loren and Betty Martin, the ex-wife of Dean Martin, among several others, friends and associates said.
Van Doren, reached at her Newport Beach home, said she first met Aragon when she was 18 and held the title of Miss Palm Springs. She watched him fight at ringside, had dinner with him afterward and said she quickly fell in love.
"The 'Golden Boy' was a perfect title for him," Van Doren said. "His smile turned everyone on. His skin was golden. His floppy hair bounced so perfectly. He was just so sexy."
Aragon's outstanding left hook made him a top-ranked lightweight. He started boxing in 1944 and his popularity grew in 1950 after he twice scored technical knockout victories over Angeleno favorite Enrique Bolanos of Mexico at the Olympic.
"The crowd loved Bolanos and booed Artie when it was over, but he thumbed his nose at them," Caplan said. "It then became a tradition to boo Aragon."
Reflecting on his career years ago in The Times, Aragon said he craved the treatment.
"Walking into the ring at the Olympic, 10,000 people there, wearing that gold robe, hearing all those boos, yeah I miss that," he told writer Earl Gustkey. "You ever get booed by 10,000 people? It's exciting. I liked it even better when I beat . . . some guy the crowd loved and then I'd look out at 'em, give 'em a big smile, and the boos would be even louder. I loved that."
His problems making the lightweight limit of 135 pounds became legendary, too. He once joked that he was the only fighter that had to be carried into the ring.
In 1951, after he defeated Jimmy Carter in a non-title meeting earlier in the year, then-lightweight champion Carter knocked Aragon down in the sixth and 15th rounds to win a unanimous decision in a bout television broadcasters said was the first fight televised live from coast to coast.
Aragon's career was also boosted by controversy. Tommy Campbell testified he "threw" a 1950 knockout loss to Aragon. Boxing officials claimed Carter sandbagged his first fight against Aragon on a Mafia figure's orders, and the California Athletic Commission investigated judges who awarded Aragon a disputed decision over Chuck Davey in 1954.
Aragon was later convicted of offering opponent Dick Goldstein $500 to fix a 1956 fight, but the verdict was overturned on appeal. Aragon was coy to friends and family about what really happened, his son said.
In fact, when the attorney handling his appeal sent him a telegram telling him, "Justice was served," Aragon answered, "Appeal again," said former Times sportswriter John Hall.
From September 1954 to September 1958, Aragon was 21-1 with two victories over eventual world welterweight champion Don Jordan and a second triumph over Carter. He then fought former middleweight and welterweight champ Carmen Basilio at Wrigley Field and suffered a punishing eighth-round TKO loss.
During the fight, referee Tommy Hart reportedly warned Aragon he was close to stopping the bout, to which Aragon responded, "What are you waiting for?" He also kidded that he should have sold advertising on the soles of his shoes.
Aragon's popularity gained him a role in the Audie Murphy film "To Hell and Back," he counted Bob Hope as a golfing partner, and other friends included singer Sammy Davis Jr. and actors Robert Mitchum and William Holden.
Aragon announced his retirement from the ring after a 1960 TKO loss at the Olympic, and became a successful bail bondsman, with an office near the jail in downtown Los Angeles and, later, one in Van Nuys.
He remained a continual life of the party, once driving Times sports columnist Jim Murray to a strip club for lunch in 1963. Murray complained about the quality of the chicken he was eating, then described the reaction in the newspaper:
" 'Strippers cost three grand a week and you want squab under glass, too?' Aragon screamed. He had me there."
Aragon celebrated his 80th birthday at a Hollywood restaurant in November, entertaining friends and family (including three ex-wives) despite an ongoing struggle with pugilistic dementia, his son said.
"Dad was fulfilled," Brad Aragon said. "He was married four times, had six kids, traveled the world, riding camels around the Egyptian pyramids. . . . I'm sitting here looking at 15 scrapbooks filled with memories."
In addition to Brad, he is survived by four other children: Georgian, Audie, Mindy and Nancy; and four grandchildren. Another son, Art Jr., was killed in a motorcycle accident.
Is Bradley trading votes for favors?
Fortunately, I was sick and couldn't attend GPNC's March 18 meeting, where
Bradley out of the Blue brought in "voters" from Fox's soccer league to vote for
Bradley's favored candidate for Area 4 Rep for board.
Carlos Hernandez beat Brian Frobisher 29-25. Brian had support from mostly local
folks from Area 4 and or Glassell Park. No offense to Carlos, a neighbor around
the corner and a passing acquaintance on the tennis court, but his election
poses many concerns re: Bradley's ethics.
1) Due to Bradley's unethical behavior there has been a call for his resignation
and or removal from the GPNC board.
2) Since Bradley didn't know Carlos, he obviously just didn't want Brian
Frobisher on the board, because Brian would speak his mind and has questioned
much of Bradley's and GPNC's antics.
3) The voters from the Fox soccer league haven't been to a GPNC meeting and may
never again.
4) Some of these voters may not even be stakeholders. While Fox soccer players
do use Glassell Park Rec Center fields, they also use Cypress Park and Rio Park.
Does playing an occasional game at a GP rec facility constitute stakeholdership?
and thus a valid vote?
5) Lastly, and of most concern is that Bradley offered Fox a room in the
community center for their meetings.
Is this votes for favors, or favors for votes in this and other elections, where
Bradley needs a block of votes and or support?
Add this to Bradley's unethical missives. C'mon GPNC board do the right thing,
remove Bradley from the board.
Let's hope that Carlos is more than a Yes man to Bradley, and speaks his mind
and represents our Area 4 in GPNC.
All you guys dogging Bradley are a bunch of sissies. Get a life or do something for your community.
Tony also sits on the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council with "GALAVIZ"
There are a number of NCs that have what might be characterized as 'control freaks' similar to Bradley in long-term control. I can think of one in particular.
Well, I for one am tired of hearing about this clown, so let's hope GPNC has happier, more effective days ahead.
If Brian Frobisher only got 25 votes and lost by 4 votes, he obviously wasn't trying. How much effort would it have taken him to find 5 other people to vote for him? I'm not a Bradley fan, and am glad he's not the president, but come on! et's be honest about who's to blame for Brian's loss. Only 25 votes!
25 votes to win a board position in a community with 25 THOUSAND stakeholders.
What is that - 1 percent?
No wait - that's 1/10th of 1 percent.
No wait - that NC lets everyone who goes to church there, etc., etc., yada, yada, be a stakeholder, too. So its even LESS than one-tenth; less than 1 out of every thousand people involved.
No one deserves a seat on this NC board, until they can generate some actual community participation. Why would any elected official waste time listening to their unpopulated advice?
They were one of the first 5 councils certified by the city six years ago and both sides in this nasty civil war can't get much more than two dozen people involved in something as important as selecting representatives to be their "voice" downtown.
Nuke that council, ban everyone that's ever been on the board from being part of the next organizing group (on the basis of gross negligence and "malpractice" as community organizers), and start over from scratch.
Cut out the cancer to save the patient!
Six comments after Don Quicksand's touching copy/paste eulogy for Art Aragon and no one even mentioned it. They all stayed ON TOPIC. It could very well be that no one read it, that they scrolled through what was a pretty informative column, albeit tainted with DQ's typical refs to himself, the bon vivant man about town.. I do appreciate when he uses his handle or any of the aliases we've come to know because it alerts one to simply use the scroll wheel to drive right around that pothole..
Anonymous said...
Six comments after Don Quicksand's touching copy/paste eulogy for Art Aragon and no one even mentioned it. They all stayed ON TOPIC. It could very well be that no one read it, that they scrolled through what was a pretty informative column, albeit tainted with DQ's typical refs to himself, the bon vivant man about town.. I do appreciate when he uses his handle or any of the aliases we've come to know because it alerts one to simply use the scroll wheel to drive right around that pothole..
My thoughts exactly, i am sick of this copy and paste fool.
I know Alicia Smith and my interaction with her has proven her to be intelligent, probing and fair.
Why did Bradley go stand behind her?
I used to like him a lot. However, the more of these YouTube videos I see, I start to like him less and less.
Has the Citywide Alliance of Neighborhood Councils gotten rid of him yet? He used to be a major part of them and now I'm thinking if they're smart at all ... and they are... they would disassociate with him immediately if they haven't already. Sorry Bradley. You've been a dick just too many times now. On video.
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