Davis right choice for city attorney

In the race to replace outgoing Huntington Beach City Atty. Gail

Hutton, one name rises to the top: Ron Davis.

The reasons go far beyond Davis’ writing a column for the

Independent for many years and have everything to do with the state

of the city attorney’s office and the qualifications of those

running.

Change is needed in the city attorney’s office, clear and simple.

Under Hutton, the office has spent too much money on outside

counsel and, judging by the city’s track record in lawsuits, not

gotten nearly enough in return. There are too many reports of wasted

time and wasted efforts among the city’s attorneys. Oversight and

management, even a degree of pointed discipline, are needed to right

the ship.

Above all else, accountability should be the watch word for the

office following the Nov. 5 election. We believe Davis will bring

that leadership to City Hall.

Because change is so needed, Deputy City Atty. Jennifer McGrath is

not the right choice for the job. Though she has ideas on how to

improve the office, she is too tied into the present system to bring

the dynamic new direction demanded by the office’s lax, fiscally

troubled state. There is also the lingering concern, discussed in

these pages last week, about her taking 10 checks from fellow city

employees, a direct violation of the city’s municipal codes. McGrath

and the other attorneys in the office who wrote those checks

suggested by their actions that they do not know city law well

enough.

The election is not just about the state of the city attorney’s

office, of course.

It also is about the qualifications and experience of the

candidates. Again, Davis, who has done legal work for the city and

has been a significant voice in city politics for years, is the

correct choice to make.

The other two candidates, Alan Leigh Armstrong and Benjamin Pugh,

do not have the same municipal experience at this point, though both

seem to be highly qualified lawyers. Both do appear to have a solid

grasp on changes needed to the office and the status of lawsuits

involving the city.

They might be good resources upon which the next city attorney can

draw.