Some call for mayor’s resignation

Theresa Moreau

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Mayor Dave Garofalo’s harshest critics are calling

for his resignation, while one of his closest allies is advising him to

reveal all after new revelations surfaced about his potential conflicts

of interest.

The criticism gained momentum this week after the Los Angeles Times

reported that Garofalo has voted more than 87 times over the last five

years on projects involving advertisers in the Huntington Beach

Conference & Visitor’s Bureau visitors guide, which he has published

since 1993.

Garofalo has denied any wrongdoing and said he has acted on the advice of

the city attorney.

City Atty. Gail Hutton has asked Garofalo to abstain from voting on

matters involving past advertisers in the guide or the Local News, which

he published until recently, and to wait for clearance from the state’s

Fair Political Practices Commission.

The city attorney’s move bars Garofalo from voting on any business

involving such Huntington Beach icons as the Waterfront Hilton; the

Crossings, formerly the Huntington Beach Mall; CIM’s $46-million Downtown

project; Seacliff Village; and Hearthside Homes.

Garofalo is also under fire for:

* winning the no-bid contract from the city-funded visitors bureau to

publish the city’s official visitors guide. For the past five years,

Garofalo said his company -- David P. Garofalo & Associates -- has

published the magazine in exchange for any profits it produces.

* receiving a $2,995 advertising check from developer CIM and four months

later voting to push forward the company’s Downtown project. Garofalo

said the check -- written to David P. Garofalo & Associates -- was

immediately deposited into an account of a company he doesn’t own.

* securing one of the most coveted homes in the new St. Augustine tract

after voting dozens of times to approve various stages of the

development. Garofalo has refused to say whether he competed in a lottery

like other residents. Officials from the home builder have declined to

comment. Garofalo said he bought the home with a friend’s cash and sold

it three days later to that friend for a $1 profit after upgrades. The

initial value of the home was $565,000; it sold for $625,596.

* failing to clarify the tangled relationship between David P. Garofalo &

Associates and the Local News. Garofalo has said he sold the Local News

in 1997 to local businessman Ed Laird. Laird has told the Independent

that he doesn’t own the Local News. County records show Garofalo has

owned the Local News since 1993, with the exception of a 15-month period

when it was owned by Air Quality Consultants, a business run by Ed

Laird’s son, Jeff Laird.

Other than failing to properly record the change of ownership of the

Local News, Garofalo has said he’s followed the law. He also recently

promised to step away from his publishing interests until the conflict of

interest matters were settled.

Eileen Murphy, an environmental advocate and active City Hall watchdog

who has publicly criticized the mayor, said Garofalo should not be a

member of the City Council.

“I think he should step down.... He shouldn’t be mayor. I don’t think

he’s qualified,” Murphy said. “He doesn’t know what democracy is all

about.”

Jacque Geier-Lahti, a vocal critic of Garofalo’s, said the mayor should

step down, and all of the votes that he has cast since joining the

council in January 1995 should be null and void.

However, the Huntington Beach resident added that she believes it is

unlikely Garofalo will vacate his seat in the future.

“I don’t think he ever will because he’s such a narcissist,” Geier-Lahti

said. “It means so much to him, being mayor, that he’d rather face

everything than give up being mayor.”

Ed Laird, a longtime Garofalo supporter, stands up in the mayor’s

defense.

“I think he’s a very dedicated and sincere person, and it means a lot for

him to serve as mayor of Huntington Beach,” said Laird, who met Garofalo

37 years ago when the mayor was fresh out of the Marine Corps and

working as a salesman for Union Carbide Corp.

Laird was a chemist at Andrew Brown Co., and Garofalo was selling vinyl

resin when the two met.

“He’s a good guy,” Laird emphasized, “and I think what people are saying

about him is a bit unfair and all overdone. The only advice I have for

him is to let the officials see what is in his files and go from there.”

Councilman Dave Sullivan said the mayor’s many potential conflicts of

interest will place a greater burden on the other council members.

“It is my understanding that he cannot only not vote, but he can’t take

part in the discussions,” Sullivan said. “The reason why bodies have an

odd number is to prevent tie votes, so there’s the potential for not

resolving things if he has to recuse himself from votes and there’s only

six people.”

Councilman Tom Harman has publicly and consistently urged Garofalo to

open his books to the public and show proof of any contracts that may

pose or even appear to pose conflicts of interest.

“Disclosure is the thing I’ve been advocating all along to untangle this

web of interlocking companies and the sale of advertising,” Harman said.

“There’s an overall distrust that the public has of politicians in

general. Then this comes along, and it confirms distrust of politicians

and the distrust of the system.”

Councilman Ralph Bauer agrees public officials are always under a

microscope and need to police themselves for any dealings that may

potentially appear as conflicts of interest. But at this point, the

future of Garofalo is uncertain.

“What Mr. Garofalo has to do is between him and his conscience and his

constituency,” Bauer said.

But will that constituency be served if Garofalo can’t vote on key

issues?

Harman said he is concerned that the answer is no.

“It may take as much as a year [for the Fair Political Practices

Commission] to come back with an answer,” he said. “So what are we

supposed to do for a year?”

Council members Shirley Dettloff, Peter Green and Pam Julien could not be

reached for comment.