Mayor may be forced to abstain from Crossings vote Monday

Kenneth Ma

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Mayor Dave Garofalo may be forced to abstain from

voting on the Huntington Beach mall redevelopment project -- the

Crossings at Huntington -- on Monday because of potential conflicts of

interest.

Last week, Garofalo excused himself from voting on the project --

along with four other matters -- on the advice of City Atty. Gail Hutton,

who has identified several projects as potential conflicts of interest

for the mayor.

On Monday, the Crossings will appear before the council again for

final approval, said David Biggs, the city’s economic development

director. It was unknown whether other projects identified by Hutton are

scheduled to appear before the council Monday because the meeting agenda

was not complete by press time.

However, the issue of Garofalo’s limited participation in votes is

likely to arise in the near future.

The Waterfront Hilton’s Ocean Grand Coast Resort expansion, another

project Hutton labeled as a potential conflict, could come before the

council for a vote in August, Biggs said.

That concerns some of Garofalo’s council colleagues. The mayor’s

limitations could make conducting city business difficult, some said.

Councilman Tom Harman said he is concerned about deadlocked decisions

on matters Garofalo excuses himself from.

It “may have a detrimental effect on major planning issues, such as

the Waterfront Hilton, the Crossings and CIM [a Downtown developer], if

those items [resurface] for votes,” Harman said. “When you have [six

council members], the potential for a tie vote could result in no action

being taken by the council.”

Councilman Peter Green echoed Harman’s concern.

“We certainly are at a disadvantage, and the mayor often has insights

that we appreciate listening to, and now he is silent,” Green said. “The

seven of us on any given issue will bring seven different viewpoints, and

it is better to have seven than to have six.”

If a deadlock results on items approved by the Planning Commission,

the commission’s ruling will stand, he said.