Editorial

Disturbing. That’s the best word to describe how we view Huntington

Beach Mayor Dave Garofalo’s paralysis on the council.

We are disturbed that he’s been rendered practically useless in

deciding the fate of several major projects before the city because of

potential conflicts of interest involving more than a dozen advertisers

in his various publications.

We are disturbed that City Atty. Gail Hutton has yet to complete her

investigation into Garofalo’s tangled business dealings.

We are disturbed that Hutton has yet to forward any information to the

Fair Political Practices Commission -- something she promised Huntington

Beach residents she’d do a month ago -- and that part of the delay is

because Garofalo’s attorney asked Hutton’s office to hold off until he

could go through the materials.

We are disturbed that despite being warned of these potential

conflicts of interest, at Monday night’s council meeting Garofalo still

participated in a public hearing regarding one of his advertisers, the

developer of the Crossings at Huntington Beach, though he stopped short

of voting on the matter.

And we are disturbed that Hutton sat by while Garofalo did this.

Among the projects tagged off-limits to Garofalo are:

* the Huntington Beach mall redevelopment, now called the Crossings at

Huntington Beach;

* Commercial Investment Management Group’s $46-million hotel, retail

and restaurant project for Downtown;

* Hearthside Homes’ development on the Bolsa Chica mesa.

That’s just to name a few.

Garofalo has been advised against voting on nearly every major project

before the city.

This is no way to run a city. The mayor has been handcuffed and gagged

while the investigations into his business dealings are completed. In

addition to losing one of its seven voices, the council is in danger of

becoming deadlocked on important issues -- with the swing vote sitting on

the sidelines.

Garofalo was elected to the City Council to represent the people of

Huntington Beach on issues that will shape the future of our community,

affect our quality of life and influence the value of our property. If he

can’t vote, what good does he serve as the mayor?

Instead of dragging her feet and waiting for Garofalo’s attorney to

give her the OK to proceed, Hutton needs to make her investigations a top

priority. And once the information is in the hands of the Fair Political

Practices Commission, Hutton, the City Council and the residents of

Huntington Beach should press for a quick resolution.

Whether Garofalo is cleared or not, it’s in the best interest of a

healthy city government to get a final ruling on the issues as soon as

possible.