Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews had a fundraiser for his reelection tonight at the law offices of Keesal, Young & Logan, high above Ocean Boulevard–and the news was that less than two hours earlier, Andrews had secured a campaign endorsement from the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.

You’re thinking: of course. He’s an incumbent.

And the Chamber’s Political Action Committee Chairman Dave Neary tried to make it sound as if the dog were indeed wagging its tail–as if the Chamber had interviewed Andrews, liked his answers (and a campaign focus on jobs for the Sixth District) and made the endorsement.

“Dee’s been kind of an enigma,” Neary said, noting that the Chamber had asked Andrews to address it during four previous elections. “He’s so committed to the community, I think he didn’t want to be associated with anyone outside. It’s nice to see that winning an election hasn’t gone to his head.”

But was that really what happened–or had the tail wagged the dog? Ten months–and a reported $40,000–ago, the Chamber had lined up behind Ahmed Saafir in last spring’s three-way Sixth District contest, which also featured Al Austin.

Consultant Carl Kemp, who helped engineer the event, seemed to support the latter theory.

“There’s something to be said about somebody who nobody counted on before and who everybody’s counting on now,” Kemp said, moments after Andrews addressed the crowd, which included Harbor Commissioner Jim Hankla, Mayor Bob Foster–another Andrews endorser–Sachi club owner Josh Lowenthal, and representatives of several city and state elected officials.

“You have the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, who put substantial money behind his opponent just 10 months ago, endorsing him just an hour ago–deciding he was the man for the job,” Kemp said.

Andrews, though, didn’t dwell on his endorsements–a list which also includes former Mayor Beverly O’Neill and Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe–either in his prepared remarks or during a pre-speech moment at Smooth’s Sports Grille.

“Endorsements can’t vote,” Andrews said at Smooth’s. “Signs don’t vote. People vote.” He said as much later on the 14th floor, as distant Sixth District streetlights twinkled.

“When I came into this, [Chief of Staff John Edmond] and I weren’t politicians. Politicians lie,” Andrews said, to considerable mirth. “And I don’t have time for that. I have to see my people every day. I have to walk my streets every day.”

What he hears out there, Andrews said–in addition to “Clean my alley,” and “Paint my house”–is “Where are the jobs?” Which, he said, explains his desire to bring jobs to the Sixth District.

“Mr. Keesal gave me the slogan ‘A job will stop a bullet,’ ” Andrews said, referring to the attorney whose offices his fundraiser occupied–and to the recent spate of gang violence in Long Beach. “And it will in my district.”

Tags: Ahmed Saafir, Al Austin, California, Carl Kemp, Dave Neary, Dee Andrews, former Mayor Beverly O'Neill, Harbor Commissioner Jim Hankla, John Edmond, Josh Lowenthal, Keesal Young & Logan, Long Beach, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, Long Beach City Council, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, Los Angeles County Supervisor, sachi, Sixth District election, Skip Keesal, SMOOTH'S SPORTS GRILLE, Southern California, The District Weekly, Theo Douglas, Union Bank