In a heated election season, District 1 City Councilwoman Martha Barbee is trying very hard to keep the “civil” in “civil servant.”
On the dais, Barbee speaks with a calm, measured tone. Her words are clear, and her demeanor is reminiscent of a parent attempting to explain a complex process to an impatient child. When Barbee speaks on a topic, she generally speaks last, thanking members of the public for sharing their opinions, stating her reasoning for the Council’s vote and, occasionally, asking clarifying questions to staff or presenters. She rarely opines during meetings.
Off the dais, she’s a ball of energy, a whirling dervish, or a dynamo, as fellow Council member Bill Brand called her prior to her unanimous appointment to the City Council in 2016.
She speaks quickly, and after District 1 community meetings flits from group to group, thanking attendees, making jokes and listening to constituent issues.
Even when she’s tired, as she is on this Sunday morning in the reading library of Catalina Coffee Company, Barbee is grateful for the opportunity to serve her neighbors, particularly those offering their encouragement to her.
“I hear it in emails and phone calls, or from people during a [recess]…someone even commented about my eye contact, when someone is up speaking [during public comment],” Barbee said. “People have appreciated my civility and my respectful attitude.”
She set the tone early in her district meetings, held at the Alta Vista Community Center. One resident began arguing with another, nearly yelling across the room, when Barbee cut in.
The woman apologized, claiming her Italian heritage for her hot-blooded outburst.
“I’m Cuban, so I get it — my kids love to say ‘Don’t let mom go Cuban on you,’” Barbee said, cutting the tension.
Her goal in meetings has been civility and searching for common ground.
“I outline what our goals are, what we’re going to do and a code of conduct that’s expected; the respect we will mutually give others, as well as how we handle topics, without personal attacks,” Barbee said. “I feel that everyone deserves to be heard, and everyone deserves to have their questions answered.”
That policy has extended to the realm of Facebook. On community pages, Barbee frequently offers her phone number to concerned residents to speak to them via phone, one-on-one, rather than addressing them online.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised and humbled by the support I’ve gotten,” Barbee said.”I’ve also been flattered by the comments of one constituent, who disagreed with my votes on major issues, but would still vote for me because they appreciated how I handled myself.”
The key issue for many this election season is Measure C, written by activist group Rescue Our Waterfront to rezone the King Harbor waterfront and effectively halt the construction of CenterCal Properties’s proposed Waterfront: Redondo Beach project. It would also set conditions on Seaside Lagoon and boat ramp development.
“My personal stance is irrelevant — what’s important is for residents to understand the ramifications of both sides and make their choice; their elected officials can then carry out their wishes,” Barbee said.
Urged further, she said that Measure C “may make it economically and environmentally impossible for developers” to establish projects.
“It’s written in a way that’s very pointed,” she said. “And we also have the burden left to taxpayers in order to meet requirements the measure would put on the City.”
During Brand’s mayoral campaign, he’s leveled criticisms against his colleagues, chiding them for their relative inexperience to his eight year tenure. Barbee shrugged them off.
“I don’t have previous experience as a City Councilperson — as does no one else when they’re first elected or appointed. We’re all inexperienced when we first start a job,” she said. “But if inexperience has caused me to behave in a more civil and respectful manner, then it’s done me good.”
