©2012 James C. Ledford Jr.                                                                                              Powered by phoenixms.com Endorsments Sheriff of Los Angeles County Leroy D. Baca endorsed Jim Ledford Robert "Bo" Bynum Board member of Palmdale School District endorsed Jim Ledford Dr. Farrukh endorsed James Ledford for Mayor of Palmdale. Kamal Al-Khatib, Executive Director at The Guidance Charter School endorsed James Ledford for Mayor. The mayor has responsibility for more than 225 appointments. I have a long history of identifying, recruiting and bringing people together to work on solutions for the betterment of our community. This skill is important to have high-functioning boards, commissions and committees. The task at hand is to inspire and drive change in how the organization operates and how people do their work. It's a tall task. It means empowering employees, improving processes, flattening management, establishing metrics, cross-training and rewarding good performance and intolerance of poor ones. The mayor is the face of Palmdale and needs to be its chief promoter and communicator. I have success in marketing and promoting Palmdale, recruiting business and customer loyalty during a challenging economic time. I have a record of engagement as a tireless volunteer and professional leader with many organizations in Palmdale (Palmdale Business District, Education Foundation, Neighborhood Association Council, and Historic Preservation). Welcome I have extensive expertise in how the city works over the past administration, including budget oversight. As a former mayor, I've been active in our largest expense area, wages and benefits. One can't just step into an unfamiliar millionaire budget and be effective. I know where the money goes. I won't require training from the people that the mayor needs to push. I spent most of my career in business management, including leadership of an organization similar in size to the city that also required change and improvement. And we did it! I have an optimistic vision for the city, understanding that we need to work on immediate issues within current economic conditions while at that same time setting the stage for future growth.