Council candidate forum results

ALLEN BAYLIS

On funding a Senior Center in Central Park with developer fees: “I’m not in favor of a senior center in Central Park in the first place. How it’s financed I think would be better addressed in terms of finding somewhere other than Central Park to build a Senior Center.”

On the proposed Poseidon desalination plant: “I’m not going to support any project that doesn’t have the broad support of the public behind it, and apparently Poseidon does not. There’s, I’m sure, a multitude of other options available”

On public safety issues downtown: “It’s incumbent upon the business owners and employees of the downtown establishments to take a little responsibility of their own. Sure it’s great to make that extra buck by selling somebody a couple more drinks, but they got to know when to cut people off.”

KEITH BOHR

On a funding a senior center in Central Park with developer fees: “We’re in negotiations with the developer on when that’ll actually get paid, and they’re also contracted to be the developer on the Senior Center. With the economy the way it is now, things have slowed down beyond the original schedule. In time we’ll get those funds.”

On the proposed Poseidon desalination plant: “It’s part of a multipronged approach. It will generate 50 million gallons of drinking water per day at no cost to the city.”

On public safety issues downtown: “We need to enforce the rules and regulations we have today, occupancy being a big one… Our police force is very able do that, and the chief is working with business owners and property owners and operators. We need taxi queue lines to get people out there in orderly fashion.”

BRUCE BRANDT

On a funding a Senior Center in Central Park with developer fees: “We traded present day dollars for future dollars, and it’s awful hard to do that and have it work out right.”

On the proposed Poseidon desalination plant: “I’m not against desalination… but this particular project is bothering me quite a bit because it’s old technology desalination tied to an old technology power plant.”

On public safety issues downtown: “The businesses down there all follow proper processes and all have their permits and licenses, so it’s all about enforcement.”

DEVIN DWYER

On a funding a Senior Center in Central Park with developer fees: “I’m a little worried as to when the project is going to start. It’s been delayed by the city as far as they were fighting over these park in-lieu fees.”

On the proposed Poseidon desalination plant: “Does anyone think that the government runs anything better than we do? … We have a problem, and we need to solve it. If Poseidon’s the answer, we need to get behind it.”

On public safety issues downtown: “We need to bring other businesses into the downtown area…more of an adult atmosphere. We need to balance the alcohol with dining and shops and bring in an older crowd.”

DON HANSEN

On a funding a Senior Center in Central Park with developer fees: “It’s long overdue given the state of our current Senior Center and, once the issues with financing and the market get worked out, I think it will be something Huntington Beach will grow to love.”

On the proposed Poseidon desalination plant: “We’re going to need the water, it’s private money, it’s not us building the plant, it’s all private investment [and] it makes sense to have a multipronged approach to water policy.”

On public safety issues downtown: “I go downtown late at night. I even got my wife on the mechanical bull a couple months ago. We’re having growing pains down there, but I feel safe down there. It’s just going to take a little step up in enforcement.”

DAN KALMICK

On a funding a Senior Center in Central Park with developer fees: “We need a new Senior Center … but I don’t think the money’s ever going to show up. I don’t think that paying [developer] Makar to built a dirt lot down on PCH and another dirt lot is ever actually going to happen.”

On the proposed Poseidon desalination plant: “The existing plan right now for Poseidon doesn’t make sense. … It’s very scary, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense financially why you would want to build this plant.”

On public safety issues downtown: “We do have many bars down there… They can get dangerous at night. It’s definitely pretty sketchy. The police presence there could be increased so that people could feel more comfortable going down there.”

Note: Candidate Erik Eichler did not participate in the forum.