The politically-minded pastor

Dave Brooks

Mondays are rough for many high school students, but when he was

young Blair Farley made it through the beginning of each week knowing

that when he got home, he could watch one of his favorite TV shows --

the Huntington Beach City Council meeting.

“When I was in high school, I was the only person my age that was

interested in city politics,” said Farley, a youth minister at First

Christian Church. “I even watched the Planning Commission.”

Meet Farley and you’ll have no doubt that he is sincere about his

interest in city government. The nice-guy candidate for a spot on the

Surf City council radiates a sense of confident optimism about his

chances of winning.

Farley would probably appeal to many people if he could just reach

them. He doesn’t plan to spend or raise a lot of money, he isn’t well

known outside of his church and he isn’t likely to win any big

endorsements.

None of that really seems to bother him.

“I think my chances are just as good as anyone else,” he said. “A

lot of the candidates who run are really involved in the system. I

want to be an alternative for people.”

Farley said he would help the city focus on improving its

infrastructure by setting aside a portion of the budget to tackle

deferred maintenance. He would also like to refocus the city’s

priorities on resident services.

“I’m interested in seeing Huntington Beach remain a city for the

residents and not turning it into a resort town,” he said. “I think

we have to reevaluate the overall feel for Downtown. It frustrates

the life out of me when I go Downtown and there’s no place to park.”

Farley supports invocation at council meetings, although he thinks

it should be made to be as inclusive as possible. That might include

asking a member of the police chaplains to say the prayer or honoring

a moment of silence.

“If there’s a way we can do it for people who want to ask for

God’s presence and not offend people, we should do it,” he said.

Farley thinks his career as a pastor might put some people off,

but he said he hopes that voters judge him based on his integrity and

command of issues, and not their own personal feelings about

religion.

“I think it will really resonate with some people,” he said of his

career, “And a lot of other people might really be turned off. I am a

person too. I am a pastor and that is my role in life. It does not

make me any less of a citizen or logical thinker than anyone else

that can handle the task of being on the City Council. I’m just as

realistic about this as someone involved in real estate or business.”