November 21, 2013

LAWT News Service

 

As the Dec. 3 special election nears for the 54th Assembly District, leading candidate Sebastain Ridley-Thomas has increased his support base by adding community faith based leaders this week.

Pastor Xavier L. Thompson, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles and Southern California hailed Ridley-Thomas as, “The new face of leadership for residents of the 54th Assembly District. He has energy, intelligence and brings a wealth of new ideas to politics that he gained at important places such as working for Marian Wright Edelman at the Children Defense Fund and serving as policy director in the State Capitol for former state Senator and current L.A. City Councilmember Curren Price.”

The Rev. Thompson continued, “We know the Ridley-Thomas name. It’s a name we trust and respect for good reason. Avis and Mark Ridley Thomas have done their work well in raising both of their twin sons – Sebastian and Sinclair – but it is Sebastian who has answered the Ridley-Thomas call to public service and performed the foundational work needed to prepare himself for a position of leadership.”

 “My experience working on policy issues at the state level and working on affordable healthcare issues in Washington, D.C. have helped form my commitment to help people striving to get through tough times and simply do better than they did yesterday,” said Sebastian Ridley-Thomas.

“But my parents imbued in me, and my brother, the dedication to our community, an inner strength borne from faith and a willingness to work hard to serve the public good.

“People want someone who will fight for them, be they unskilled workers seeking job training for a career as a tradesperson in construction or a small business owner toiling day-in and day-out to meet the needs of their customers. People want to be successful. They want to see positive results from their efforts. They want the opportunity to succeed. That is why it is so important for our state representatives to create new jobs and contracting opportunities for small businesses in our community.”

Rev. Norman Johnson, pastor of First New Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, also said he will also support the young Ridley-Thomas.

“With high unemployment still staggering residents of our community and foreclosures still threatening our homeowners, this is a time for new leadership that will be in our corner to fight for jobs and economic development that will lift our community and put our residents to work,” he said.

“I believe strongly that the new leader we need is Sebastian Ridley-Thomas.”

Thompson and Johnson join other prominent faith based leaders such as Bishop Charles E. Blake of West Angeles Church of God in Christ; Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, Ph.D., Faithful Central Bible Church; Rev. LeSean Tarkington, St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church; Rev. J. Benjamin Hardwick, president, Western Baptist Church; Rev. Robert Habersham, Hamilton United Methodist Church; and Rev. J. Edgar Boyd, senior pastor at First AME Church in their approval of the candidacy of Sebastian Ridley-Thomas.

Category: Business