EDITORIAL

With the votes counted and the election done, there’s some matters

that we think need to be addressed as city and school officials move

ahead with the people’s business.

First and foremost is the aftermath of the Huntington Beach City

Council race and the victories of Pam Julien, Debbie Cook and Connie

Boardman over 17 other candidates.

We credit the voters for sifting through the phalanx of names on the

ballot and coming up with a trio that we believe will be a nice

complement to the current council.

Still, it’s important to note that both Boardman and Cook are

replacing incumbents Dave Sullivan and Tom Harman, and will most likely

continue along the same path of these outspoken and respected councilmen.

But we’re also hoping for a long honeymoon and an even longer and

blissful union, in which we can see less squabbling on the council dais

and more attention to such critical issues as the city’s crumbling

infrastructure, the beach pollution and the fate of Huntington Center.

Speaking of squabbling on the dais, we fear that the reelection of

Councilman Chuck Conlosh in Fountain Valley will bring more of the same

to the town city leaders are so fond of calling “a nice place to live.”

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been such a nice place to attend council

meetings of late as Conlosh, a Huntington Beach policeman, has been

criticized for setting his service revolver, enclosed in a fanny pack,

atop the council dais during meetings.

In addition, Conlosh took potshots at his colleagues by accusing city

leaders of malfeasance in connection with a civil case filed by a demoted

firefighter and taking aim at the contract salary of City Atty. Alan

Burns. The charges and allegations were groundless, and council leaders

told Conlosh as much with a public condemnation of his antics.

Certainly this is not the decorum expected of the Fountain Valley

council -- or any other elected board for that matter. We urge Conlosh

and his council colleagues to set aside their differences and work

together to tackle some of the pressing issues in Fountain Valley, such

as RV parking, underground water rights and the creation of a senior

center.

Finally, we’re confident that with Michael Simons and Susan Henry at

the helm at the Huntington Beach high school district and the two

incumbents, Armando Ruiz and Paul Berger, at the Coast College district,

the students and educators will be in good hands.

But at Ocean View School District, we have some cause for concern.

We hope the ouster of incumbent Peg Edey and the victory by

anti-Wal-Mart activist Barbara Boskovich, who was elected along with Pam

Ogdon, is not the precursor to bickering and acrimony between the school

board members and Supt. Jim Tarwater.

Our hope is that Boskovich and Ogdon will instead spend their time

working on the major issues facing Ocean View, such as teachers’ salaries

and raising test scores.

We acknowledge that how the district chooses to lease or sell its

closed school properties is equally important, but dredging up the old

wounds of the Crestview/Wal-Mart fight would not be the best way to

address that.

In closing, our hope is that the spirit of compromise and sense of

purpose will prevail in all of our elected officials. So let’s roll up

our sleeves and get working.