Fighting Irishman Sullivan back in the fray

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

People either love him or they hate him. Either way, former Mayor

Dave Suillivan is back for another go at the dais.

The feisty Irishman from Boston has pulled papers and announced

his intent to run for one of the four council seats up for grabs in

November. He quietly announced his intent last week when he stepped

down as president of the community watchdog group, Huntington Beach

Tomorrow, handing the reigns over to Ed Kerins.

As president of Huntington Beach Tomorrow in the early 1990s, he

was the author of Measure C, which protects Surf City’s parks and

beaches from development -- a project he worked on back then with a

fairly new political activist by the name of Debbie Cook, now the

current mayor.

First elected in 1992, Sullivan served two back-to-back terms,

stepping down in 2000. Although he was an outspoken City Hall critic

prior to taking office, it was during his reign on the council that

Sullivan really rocked the boat.

But he made most of his friends, and enemies, when he loudly and

effectively opposed government employees practice of salary spiking,

in which employees would jack up salaries prior to a retirement so

that employees stepping down would draw a fatter pension check.

Sullivan railed about the practice, taking on, among others, former

Councilman and Police Chief Earl Robitaille at council meetings.

Because of many similar views, he was often paired politically

with Assemblyman and former City Councilman Tom Harman during their

coinciding eight years on the dais.

When election time came around in 1996, the Police Officers Assn.

plastered the city with anti-Sullivan and Harman signs. Sullivan

joked that those signs may have helped him get reelected on name

recognition alone.

He said he expects opposition from the group again this time

around.

In 1998 he ran against Jim Silva for county supervisor -- a race

that reportedly got a little messy.

More recently, Sullivan unsuccessfully joined resident Chuck Sheid

in asking the City Council to reconsider paying workers prevailing

wage.

So why, after a release from a tumultuous eight years in public

service, would Sullivan jump back into the fray?

“I didn’t miss it at all,” he said, “but I really feel that there

needs to be a strong voice for fiscal responsibility on the council

and I just don’t feel it’s there right now.”

While on the council Sullivan was known to approach his job with a

conservative flair for fiscal accountability and an eye for

preserving residents’ quality of life. He was also among the many to

battle to save the Bolsa Chica from development.

His other main reason for returning, he said: “I strongly feel

that the public should have input and that may have fallen off a

little too.”

That view may not endear him to the council members he hopes to

sit next to, frankly, he doesn’t care.

“I think as council person you’re elected not because they think

you’re a genius, probably the opposite. They don’t have the time to

study the budget and all that stuff, they trust that you will,” he

said. “Part of that, is that you get out in the community and find

out what the people desire and you don’t do that by spending all you

time at Seacliff Country Club.”

Now, to be fair, I tried to call some of Dave’s many opponents to

get their views on his return to the political scene, but as of yet,

none have returned my calls. I am sure they will be coming out of the

woodwork soon.

If nothing else, the addition of Sullivan to the race should make

it an interesting one. Welcome back to the fracas Dave.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at danette.goulet@latimes.com.