Candidates speak out in forum

Barbara Diamond

About 50 residents attended the candidates forum sponsored Monday

in the City Council Chamber by the Top of the World Neighborhood and

Temple Hills Community assns.

“The room was about half full,” TOWNA President John Robinson

said.

City Council candidates Steven Dicterow, Toni Ismen, Melissa

O’Neal and Elizabeth Pearson and School Board candidates Betsy

Jenkins, K Turner, Robert Whalen and Tom Wilson participated.

“The best question to the council candidates was Karen Schwager’s,

which boiled down to ‘Are your going to be bullied by the attorney

for the developer of the lot nearest the park in Tract 10054 at Alta

Laguna?’” Robinson said. “Steve and Toni both said no.

“I think the best question asked of the school board candidates

was mine: ‘What are the possibilities of TOW kids being sent to El

Morro Elementary School?’” Robinson said.

The response was a unanimous “none” from board candidates

“That was the answer I was looking for,” said Robinson, father of

three.

The TOWNA board is scheduled to hold a meeting Oct. 22 to decide

whether and whom to endorse in the Nov. 5 election.

Carolyn Wood of the Temple Hills Assn. said she didn’t expect that

group to make an endorsement.

The Laguna Beach Taxpayers Association Board of Directors has

endorsed Elizabeth Pearson and incumbent Steven Dicterow for the City

Council and incumbents Robert Whalen and K Turner for the School

Board.

“Elizabeth’s, Whalen’s and K’s endorsements were unanimous,” board

member Frank Ricchiazzi said.

The association sponsored a City Council Candidates Forum with the

Chamber of Commerce and the North Laguna Community Association and a

School Board Candidates Forum with the chamber and the Laguna Beach

Woman’s Club.

“Our endorsements were based on the forums and on discussions by

the board.” Ricchiazzi said.

The chamber, the community association and the club will not make

endorsements.

Pearson’s name will appear first on the ballot, followed by

Dicterow, Melissa O’Neal and incumbent Toni Iseman. The Secretary of

State determines the order at random.

“Being first on the ballot is an advantage for Elizabeth, but

being last is not the disadvantage it would be if there were more

candidates,” Ricchiazzi said.

Ricchiazzi also predicted that absentee ballots will have a major

effect on the election.

“There are about 2,800 permanent absentee ballots in this town,”

Ricchizzi said. “With additional requests for absentee ballots, these

votes could make up as much as half of the total if the turnout is as

low as anticipated, say less than 7,000, or at least one-third of a

larger turnout.”

Absentee ballot forms are included in the sample ballots, which

have been mailed to registered voters. Ballots may be cast by mail

starting Oct. 7, but must be received by the Registrar of Voters by

Nov. 5. Requests for the ballots must include the name, address and

signature of the voter and the address to which the ballot is to be

mailed.

Absentee voters must be registered. Oct. 21 is the last day to

register for this election.

Councilman Dicterow collected $850 in financial contributions and

loaned himself $700, according to his campaign statement. The

statement was filed Oct. 7, the correct deadline, contrary to

information from the city’s election consultants. Council candidates

who filed by Sept. 26 have been asked to file amended statements.

The Board of Realtors was scheduled to get together with Board of

Education candidates at a marketing meeting held Wednesday at Wells

Fargo Bank. City Council candidates spoke at the Sept. 18 meeting.

The meetings were not open to the public.

FORUMS

Monday: Laguna Beach Seniors Inc. will present a City Council

Candidates Forum at the general meeting, set for 12:30 p.m. at the

Veterans Memorial Building, 384 Legion St.

Candidates will mingle and questions will be taken from the

audience. Light refreshments will be served and information on the

proposed Senior Center will be available.

The public is welcome. Reservations are not required. For more

information, call 499-3013.