ELECTION 2024: Manhattan City Council candidates face off at Rotary Club forum

by Mark McDermott 

The six candidates vying for three seats on the Manhattan Beach City Council in the November 5 election squared off for the first time Monday morning in a forum organized by the Rotary Club. 

The candidate forum, which took place at westdrift Hotel, was moderated by outgoing Councilperson Richard Montgomery and resident Michael Jenkins, the former City Attorney of Hermosa Beach. 

The candidates running for election, all of whom were present, are Steve Charelian, the recently retired City finance director; Mayor Joe Franklin, the race’s only incumbent; Karen Komatinsky, a former Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Education trustee; Joe Marcy, a hospitality executive and City commissioner; Brenda O’Leary, a real estate investment professional and alternate on the City’s outdoor dining task force; and Nina Tarnay, an attorney and civic volunteer with organizations such as the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and the Friendship Walk. 

Each was asked why they are running for council and what they hope to accomplish. 

Charelian said it’s a crucial time for the City, particularly considering the Council is losing two veteran council members, Montgomery and Steve Napolitano, whom, he noted, have a combined 10 terms experience. 

“It’s a really important time, it’s a really important election,” Charelian said. “We have a lot of institutional knowledge that is coming off the council, as well as City Hall. The city manager retired and the city finance director, myself, retired….So I bring a lot of institutional knowledge. I’ve been working behind the scenes in the finance department, and as finance director the last six years. I want to bring that municipal government experience to the City Council, to be your voice and the community’s voice and to make sure we continue the legacy of prudent financial management as well as providing great leadership.” 

Franklin said he wanted to continue the work he’s done. 

“I think I brought consistent and common sense leadership to the city council and work very well with my colleagues,” he said, noting he has the endorsement of 15 current council members, mayors and former mayors, from Manhattan Beach and nearby communities. “That is earned. I mean, they’ve been on the dais, and so they can see who is making an attempt to work with others on council. It’s not just your council, it’s everybody’s council. The main goal is I am running because I owe so much to the city I love, Manhattan Beach. I ask people all the time, what was your Manhattan Beach moment, when you decided to come live here? And I don’t call it MB love, I call it MB live, because we made the decision to live in this great city.” 

Komatinsky said the reason she is running is also her love for the city. 

“I’m also a tried and true public servant. I served the Manhattan Beach school district for over 10 years. In the last year and a half, I’ve also served as a parks and rec commissioner. So I feel like I have a whole lot of insight and knowledge into working with public works. I have shown fiduciary responsibility in my public servancy over the time I spent, and I’m ready to serve again. I feel this though there’s a lot of issues within the city that can be addressed by bringing the level of experience I have, between serving as a school district trustee, but also I have over 25 years human resource experience. Due to the fact that we’re actually getting into the process of hiring a new city manager, my expertise in HR would be beneficial to the city.” 

Marcy emphasized his hometown roots. 

“I am Manhattan Beach born and raised,” he said. “This has been home for me, and I’ve said a lot of times, home is where you feel safe, is where you feel seen, it’s where you feel heard…I’ve served on the Parking and Public Improvement Commission and the Cultural Arts Commission, and if given the opportunity to serve on council, it’s really about shifting the narrative, being more aggressive on our timelines, fiscal responsibility, making sure that safety continues to be our priority.” 

O’Leary said she made Manhattan Beach her home in 1991, after graduating from USC, and that she would bring both her professional experience and community involvement to bear on the council.  

“I spent my career in the investment management industry. I believe that’s taught me a lot of things that help us [in city leadership], such as fiscal responsibility,” she said. “I do have experience in development. I raised my daughter, as a single mother, and she graduated from Costa last year. I’m a big supporter of the schools. There’s many ways that I’ve worked with the community…. I’m currently an alternate on the Outdoor Dining Committee and I do believe we can do a lot with outdoor dining to make our community just a better place to enjoy.” 

Tarnay cited her work as an attorney working with municipalities and her broad array of community volunteer work as experiences that will help her serve the city well. 

“I’m a 25 year resident, I’m a mother of three, I’m an attorney,” she said. “I’ve been a public servant my whole life, basically, and to me, when I think about why I’m running now, it’s about experience, timing and opportunity. I have the experience —  as an attorney, I’ve worked for the City of El Segundo…And then I’ve been a dedicated trustee at the Little Company of Mary Foundation. I’ve also been a small business owner,  and involved with the PTA and every single sports organization around town. I’ve been entrenched in this community. I think that I bring a lot of insight into how we can do business and streamline processes, because I’ve experienced it from both sides. I love this opportunity to serve you now.” 

See more on the forum in next week’s issue. ER