Barstow owes an estimated $2.9 million in deferred pay related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which amounts to nearly 40% of they city s general fund, and the number is growing.
Victorville Daily Press
On Nov. 3, 2020, as much of America watched the presidential election play out, I focused on a local race that piqued my interest due to its potential to dramatically alter the makeup of one High Desert council and the direction of a city.
In the end, voters did dramatically alter the makeup of the Barstow City Council, ousting two-term Mayor Julie Hackbarth-McIntyre and two-term District 4 Councilwoman Carmen Hernandez in favor of Paul Courtney and Marilyn Dyer-Kruse, respectively.
District 3 voters, meanwhile, elected Barbara Rose, who filled the seat vacated by Rich Harpole in December 2019.
The results equaled what journalists like to call a “seismic shift” on the dais. Courtney, Dyer-Kruse and Rose each backed by the Barstow Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2325 suddenly comprised the City Council majority. Their colleagues, Tim Silva and James Noble, were all but relegated to the sidelines.