New city councilman pumped up for future

Lolita Harper

New City Councilman Allan Mansoor is no stranger to fix-up

projects.

The work he has done for his Westside house is symbolic of the

hard work and progress Mansoor, who ran on the platform of improving

Costa Mesa, plans to bring to the dais.

Before taking on the sizable task of remodeling his modest

three-bedroom home in the 2000 block of Wallace Avenue, which he

bought in 1995, Mansoor was prepared. He had a vision of what he

wanted to transform the run-down, dirty and neglected home into. He

worked diligently to make the necessary changes.

He transformed the front lawn from brown and littered with junk to

a vibrant green. He restructured the interior. Mansoor added five

skylights, three French doors, expanded the bathroom, added a half

bathroom and re-landscaped the backyard.

“Basically it’s a whole new house,” said Mansoor, who was sworn

into his seat at Monday night’s council meeting. “I saw a fixer-upper

as a good investment opportunity, even though it is a lot of work.”

While he doesn’t want to change Costa Mesa entirely, Mansoor will

bring the same work ethic to the council because, he says, he is

equally invested in his community. Despite the long hours of tedious

labor, Mansoor hopes to spruce-up the city.

Like his home, Mansoor wants to concentrate on the essentials. On

the city’s exterior he wants to see more road improvements and police

presence. Behind the scenes he expects to take a hard look at all

proposals and reorganize the budget process.

Mansoor supporters, who call themselves “improvers,” said they

voted for him because of his drive and commitment. Westside resident

and previous council candidate Joel Faris -- who took himself out of

the running this year to support Mansoor -- said the councilman is a

man of word with high integrity. His interests lie in the advancement

of the city and not in special interests.

Councilman Gary Monahan said he looks forward to working with

Mansoor and sees a chance for real change. Monahan and Mansoor met

twice after the election to discuss common goals and get to know each

other better.

“I think it’s going to be good,” Monahan said, nodding. “It’s

going to be good.”

Monahan, who has served on the dais for eight years, said

political newcomer Mansoor was eager to learn about the process and

willing to work. Mansoor has been doing his homework by reading

agenda packets, meeting with city staffers and asking lots of

questions.

Mansoor admitted he was preparing himself for a challenging four

years. Giving a rare glimpse of his silly side, the Orange County

Sheriff Deputy broke out of his “business mode” with a laughable

impression of “Saturday Night Live” characters Hans and Frans.

“I have been doing a lot of pumping up to get ready for my

councilman job,” Mansoor said in a bad German accent. “I am pumped.”

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.