A school board member, two planning commissioners and a resident known for his public criticism of city officials met last Thursday to each demonstrate why she or he should be elected by residents to lead Manhattan Beach.
Less than a month before a March 8 City Council election, candidates Amy Howorth, David Lesser, Viet Ngo and Kathleen Paralusz faced residents in a half-filled City Council chambers at a candidates forum put on by the Manhattan Beach Residents Association. Candidates fielded questions moderated by Planning Commissioner Sandra Seville-Jones, ranging from personal experience to the city’s fiscal sustainability to Open Carry gun advocacy to the individual challenges that could stand in the way of each being elected.
Planning Commissioners Lesser and Paralusz pointed to seven and six respective years of experience being involved in city government on commissions. Ngo stressed his 14 years serving the city as a self-proclaimed watchdog, investigating what he called Brown Act violations and mismanagement of public funds by the current and past City Councils. (The City Council has repeatedly denied such claims made by Ngo.) Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board Member Howorth emphasized her eight years making tough budget decisions in a time of fiscal crisis for schools.
In the wake of the City of Bell scandal and Manhattan Beach’s own lawsuit over its handling of former city manager Geoff Dolan’s separation, Seville-Jones asked each candidate to discuss the importance of transparent government.
Howorth said that residents were angry and distrustful of the school board by the time she was elected in 2003 and that building back trust with the community has been a key in her experience, through which she said she learned to undergo tough scrutiny.
“I’m better if I’m criticized,” Howorth said. “I don’t take things personally unless you talk about my cooking.”
Ngo called for city officials to “honor the civil rights of citizens, liberty and free speech,” repeatedly accusing city officials of intimidating him and other residents who spoke out against what they perceive to be violations of the law. He said that a city official is a public servant and sworn to uphold the law and serve citizens.
Paralusz said she encouraged public input and involvement as much as possible in decision-making said that her experience as a planning commissioner has allowed her to witness democracy at its finest. She pointed to her involvement in resolving a controversy between Shade Hotel and surrounding neighbors through the mediation of staff and the Planning Commission.
Lesser stressed the importance of council members being open and available to the public.
“I regret certain leaders in our city have referred to residents as gadflies,” he said. “That’s part of our job. It’s part of what informs us to know what’s going on.”
When asked how he would meet the challenge of Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to shift the responsibility for major services to local municipalities, Lesser called for more first-line responsibility in managing the city’s budget and better efficiency in handling expenses. He said the city must prepare for multiple alternatives to fulfill fiscal obligations and capital improvements.
Paralusz said that the city needs to continue to find cost-savings through energy efficiencies and sustainable practices, but also said it’s incumbent upon the City Council to continue to manage the budget efficiently and responsibly.
Ngo called Brown’s plan practical and then alleged that the city has fraudulently used public money for personal use, an allegation city officials have repeatedly denied.
Howorth said that measures, such as recently-passed Proposition 22, offer false hopes of protection against the state raiding city coffers and that the city needs to scrub its budget hard. She also said she is open to all options in managing the city’s budget, including a zero-based budgeting process, in which the prior year’s budget would not be used as a starting point for the following year and all expenditures would have to be examined and justified. Ngo said he had never heard of zero-based budgeting. Paralusz said she was not in favor of such a budgeting process, while Lesser said he would be cautious of it.
With a newly-hired city manager and soon-to-be-hired Fire and Police chiefs, Paralusz, an attorney with Northrop Grumman, pointed to the legal advice she gives affecting thousands of employees, as experience in leading city employees.
“I would do the same thing [on the City Council],” Paralusz said. “I would provide direction and encourage debate with entire staff.”
Ngo did not point to any experience in managing employees, but said that he was willing to work together with staff. He also said that the fire and police positions should be promoted from within.
Lesser noted his experience as general legal counsel for GE Capital, a legal advisor to 700 employees and years working with city staff as a commissioner.
As a school board member, Howorth stressed her experience overseeing superintendents, principals and other district employees.
“It’s a delicate balance of building relationships and getting information,” she said.
All four candidates were enthusiastic about plans underway for the county to build a new library in the city, however all were concerned about the city incurring operational costs.
Howorth supports the city’s green efforts, saying the environment should be of the utmost importance for a beach community. Lesser and Paralusz both supported continuing the city’s mission to be green, while paying attention to the bottom line.
“We’d all like to be green, but does it make economical sense?” Lesser said.
Ngo said the city’s Environmental Task Force was impractical and needs to be reconsidered with the participation of the whole community.
Paralusz, Howorth and Ngo said they do not encourage furthering utility undergrounding in new districts. Lesser said that those undergrounding districts that have already been formed should be given the opportunity to self-assess and move forward.
When asked their opinions on recent City Council decisions, the candidates gave mixed reviews.
Lesser said that the city should have had a larger bid process before recently approving the use of public property near the pier by a private company that plans to install automated bike rental stations.
“I’m very much supportive of greater cycling, but concerned that it put local bike shops in a role that seems disadvantage,” Lesser said.
Howorth was concerned that the bikes would be used more by tourists than by residents for transportation.
Paralusz noted that she suggested requiring more competitive rates at the council meeting at which the topic was discussed.
Ngo said the city did not have the authority to grant use of the land and accused staff of unfair practices based on favoritism.
On the issue of the open carrying of firearms in the city – recently brought to light by demonstrations by the group South Bay Open Carry – Howorth, Lesser and Paralusz all said they were open to the banning of open carry in public parks. Ngo said that SBOC’s attendance at last summer’s Hometown Fair “played out peacefully.”
When Ngo was asked why he wanted to join a council he continually criticizes, he said that has spent years collecting documentation that shows city violations.
“I continue to pursue it and will ask the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene to bring all of you to justice,” he said. “That’s my main goal and I haven’t reached it yet.”
Paralusz said that though Mayor Richard Montgomery is her brother-in-law, their relationship would not affect her ability to approach issues with integrity, honesty and impartiality as a City Council member. She said she became a planning commissioner before the mayor and her sister went on their first date and that she and Montgomery have disagreed many times at the dinner table.
When asked whether he would stand up to staff on difficult issues if elected to the council, Lesser said that he likes challenging staff, asking lots of questions and serving as a check. He said that while unanimity is important, it is not always achievable.
Howorth was adamant that, were she elected, she would not be partial to school issues.
“I’m very clear on what my role would be,” she said. “Just as on the school board, I look beyond my children…I am able to see above my own lens.”
Over the next decade, Howorth would like to see city traditions maintained; Lesser would like to preserve the community’s nature and get it on a strong fiscal platform; Ngo would like the city to recover its lost revenues; and Paralusz would like to see $20 million in reserves, along with greater transparency in city government.
The City Council election is March 8. For more information, visit www.citymb.info. ER
