A soothing effect

Jose Paul Corona

Councilman-elect Gil Coerper gets excited talking about city

business.

The retired Huntington Beach police officer, 68, is passionate

about the city and says he only wants the best for it.

He has the ability to help irate people relax, said Councilman

Peter Green, who will leave the dais next week after serving two

consecutive four-year terms, just as Coerper takes a seat there.

“He’s a very calming person,” Green said. “He comes in contact

with people who are very angry at times. He has the ability to calm

them down.”

It’s a trait that served him well when he was a fixture at the

front desk of the Police Department. Coerper shows his commitment to

the community by being involved with a large number of groups, Green

said.

“[He’s] more than a police officer, he’s an active member of the

community,” Green said.

Coerper is a West Point Military Academy admissions officer, an

area D Boy Scouts of America military advisor and a logistics officer

for the California Peace Officers Memorial Foundation.

Whether it’s the budget, public safety or the city’s

infrastructure, Coerper has an opinion. And if he doesn’t have an

opinion on a particular subject, he isn’t afraid to admit that he has

a lot to learn.

“I don’t know everything. I’ll stumble,” Coerper said. “But I will

learn.”

Learning is something that he takes seriously, because it comes

with the job.

“I have a responsibility to work on the issues,” Coerper said.

Coerper hasn’t even been sworn into office yet and his date book

is already overflowing with appointments.

He pulls a shiny Palm Pilot out of his briefcase and checks it to

see what meeting he has next.

He counts public safety as one his top priorities.

“If you don’t have public safety, there’s nothing left,” he

states.

Without a good public safety program, Surf City wouldn’t be able

to call itself one of the safest city’s in the country, he contends.

But for the city to remain on that list, city officials must be

willing to pay to get top cops, Coerper said.

The Police Department needs to match the salaries of departments

of similar size to recruit the best talent, he said.

“[Otherwise,] we’re going to get what’s left over -- and that’s

wrong,” Coerper said.

The potential budget crisis is also a concern. While cutting city

services isn’t something he wants to do, he does admit that it may

come to that. But he isn’t ready to throw in the towel. He’s already

brainstorming.

“Do we need a bigger jail to generate revenue? Do we need to tap

into our oil wells?” he asked.

While tapping wells in the city may not sound like a good idea,

it’s better than raising taxes, he said.

“I hate taxes, but if we don’t take care of it now, we’ll be

paying triple in 10 years,” Coerper said.

While important city business is what he’ll be focusing on,

Coerper still plans on making time for residents.

“I’ll have an open door policy,” he said.