What is the biggest issue facing the...

What is the biggest issue facing the city?

Lack of ethics, out of control spending, pick one. The City

Council should concentrate on maintaining quality infrastructure,

securing police, fire, clean water and sewage services at affordable

rates. The budget should include how pension mandates will be paid

for in future budgets.

Considering such issues as the sports complex lawsuit and

improperly converted condominiums, do you agree with criticism that

the city has been mismanaged? How would you run the city better?

Absolutely, the first rule of city government should be: when you

find yourself in a hole quit digging! The sports complex started

small and grew completely out of control. It couldn’t pay for itself

so they came up with self-funding revenue schemes (i.e. the batting

cages and skate park.) So now the city’s in the batting cage

business! It’s not the city’s or the taxpayers responsibility to

provide entertainment. To date no one has been held accountable for

the fiasco, and it appears that the City Council isn’t looking that

hard either.

I wouldn’t have supported the creation of a $19-million softball

park.

I certainly wouldn’t have supported the inclusion of eminent

domain as an option under any circumstances. Given that the future of

the Bolsa Chica still is unclear, what is your position on

development on the upper portion of the mesa and other environmental

issues facing the city?

The development should proceed per the latest agreement. No more

backtracking by the California Coastal Commission.

What direction do you think development -- such as the Strand,

Pacific City, Bella Terra and a third hotel proposed between the

Hilton Waterfront and Hyatt -- should be headed in the city?

Whether or not the city needs a third hotel or another shopping

center should be determined by free market forces.