EDITORIAL

Accountability and leadership are two of the qualities the residents

of Huntington Beach have come to expect from their elected officials,

especially the city clerk and city treasurer.

And we guess that’s why these positions -- held by Connie Brockway and

Shari Freidenrich respectively -- are going uncontested this election.

We expect these things too.

Brockway and Freidenrich have proven for years that they are trusted

officials who have done nothing but improve their city departments.

Brockway is seeking her fourth term as city clerk and has been a city

employee for about three decades. Her goals over the next four years are

to streamline -- even more -- the process for the public receiving City

Council agendas.

Anyone who has the pleasure of knowing Brockway knows she breaks the

stereotype of government employees. She cares about the public and that

residents get good government.

For example, while some Orange County cities charge the public for

these extensive meeting reports, Brockway has always managed to have some

available -- free of charge -- to various entities.

And she does so because she believes it’s important for members of the

public to have open access to their government and not be charged

exorbitant fees in the process.

It’s an admirable trait in an admirable city official, and we commend

her for the work she does.

Now to the job of city treasurer.

During her last term, Freidenrich saved Huntington Beach more than $6

million -- $4.5 million by restructuring the city’s investments. She also

created a Certified Investment Policy, which is reviewed annually by an

oversight committee to ensure the safety of Huntington Beach’s investment

portfolio.

Besides her department’s $1-million budget and 20 staff members,

Freidenrich is also responsible for overseeing $1 million in city

investments. She also has returned $1.4 million to taxpayers from water

overpayments and changes made in the deposit policy, and reduced taxpayer

funding of city debt by restructuring bond reserve investments.

Fulfilling the cash needs of the city and maintaining internal control

of her department are two of the biggest issues facing the city’s

treasurer this next term.

Her experience in the field of finance -- more than 14 years -- has

proven Freidenrich is a winner.

We strongly urge voters to punch the ballot for Brockway and

Freidenrich on Nov. 7.