On the night of his first meeting as a member of Redondo Beach’s City Council, new District 3 Councilman Christian Anthony Horvath proved that he’s not afraid to ask questions, no matter how long it takes for him to be satisfied.
Horvath, who succeeded termed-out Pat Aust, took the audience with him on a thirty-minute series of budget-related questions, all with the aim of easing his “enormous learning curve” going into Redondo’s new budget year.
Horvath’s election to the Council was finalized just minutes into the meeting, when City Clerk Eleanor Manzano announced the results of the Recount to May 12’s Special Runoff Election, 1,424 to 1,411, giving Horvath the victory over Candace Allen Nafissi. The recount, which began on Monday, June 1, ended at 12:30 p.m. that day.
Throughout the recount, Horvath said that he was combing through the lengthy council agenda packet, with a concentration on budget proposals. At its June 16 meeting, the Council must decide upon a combination of budget packages to select for the 2015-2016 Fiscal Year.
“I have an enormous learning curve,” Horvath said on Monday. A veteran of Redondo Beach’s city commissions, Horvath is no stranger to sitting at the dais in a meeting situation. “It’s going to be part of the learning process. I’m excited to get up there and I’m going to continue to do my best as time goes on.”
With his wife, Dr. Michelle Charfen, and their three children by his side, Horvath was sworn in by City Clerk Eleanor Manzano.
He dove into the deep end immediately, inquiring with the city’s legislative lobbyists regarding state and federal funding for sustainable technology and open spaces. He learned that there is “very little” in the way of direct federal funding for open space initiatives.
He also offered questions during a mid-Council meeting of the city’s housing authority, intended to ensure that Redondo’s seniors and low-income earners obtain fair and equal treatment during the reopening of the city’s Section 8 housing list later this year.
Horvath ran his 30-minute marathon during the Council’s public hearing to discuss the Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget. There, he offered a series of questions to city staff, ranging from the importance of police department requests for ballistic helmets, to plans to update the city’s website. He ended his set with a thanks to his fellow citizens of Redondo for allowing him to “monopolize all that time.”
As Horvath ended, Mayor Steve Aspel sat for a beat with a blank look on his face. He then said to Horvath, “You just succeeded John Parsons,” referring to the beloved longtime councilman who was famous for lengthy inquiries from the dais, earning a quick laugh from the room.
Final budget decisions will be made June 16.
Tuesday’s meeting also featured an emotional farewell to longtime public servant and District 3 representative Pat Aust, who was given the key to the city by Mayor Aspel.
Aust began his career with the city on February 27, 1969, as an electrician. He worked at that job for a year before being recommended to join the city’s Fire Department. From there, he rose up the ranks to become the city’s Fire Chief before retiring from the department in 2002.
An avid historian, Aust was elected to City Council in 2007 and is well-regarded for his ability to provide historical background on nearly every civic matter that ran across the Council agendas.
“Upstairs, I read three pages of the things he’s done, and I figured it’d be shorter to say what he hasn’t done in this city,” Aspel said before turning to Aust directly, his voice cracking. “You’ve been a mentor and a friend, and I’m going to miss you tremendously up here. I think everybody in the city will.”
“A lot of opportunities came to me because I never did it for the money,” Aust said. “When I started to work for the city I was making 25 percent of what I made as a construction electrician. But giving back to the community was my life.”
“Thank you for this opportunity — but I’m not done,” Aust said.
