Next council will have a lot to do
Right now maybe a dozen or more Yorba Lindans are thinking seriously about entering the race for three City Council seats on the ballot in the general election this November.
They have plenty of time to make a decision—signups start mid-July—but those who see the need for early planning are considering how to raise the minimum $30,000 necessary to finance a credible campaign in a high-turnout Presidential election year.
But whatever assessment they make of their electoral chances will impact the rest of us, since key issues affecting quality-of-life in the community await the council’s direction after the votes are counted.
Anyone pondering a run for office should be ready to take clear stands on municipal matters and not offer the generic “I’ll do what’s best for all Yorba Lindans” platform, since specifics are required for voters to determine if a candidate knows “what’s best.”
First among the issues to confront the next council is the selection of a city manager. The current council plans to work with an interim manager for the next year, so naming a new top official will take place in 2009.
The opening should draw dozens of quality applicants, unless a split council and divided community make the position less desirable for candidates with vision for a built-out city seeking to preserve the environment people moved here to enjoy.
A second issue is the future of the Black Gold Golf Course, which, says respected city Finance Director Susan Hartman, is not meeting revenue projections. When originally conceived, the upscale amenity was to provide $1 million annually to the city treasury.
Will the course instead become a long-term drain on city resources? Was the trade-off of cluster housing on smaller lots worth the eventual cost for a golfing paradise? Candidates have much research to do before suggesting solutions to this potential financial trap.
And, of course, major decisions regarding Old Town redevelopment lie ahead, with any future action complicated by past councils buying up downtown properties years before they had a renewal plan accepted by the community in place.
The Town Center issue more than any other reminded residents they must remain vigilant to maintain a consistent identity as a low-density city honoring a rural past.
So, a message to anyone planning a run for the city governing body: You have hours of homework ahead as you develop a platform of ideas to take to Yorba Linda voters.
A FINAL NOTE
Mayor Jim Winder’s March 18 council statement led many to believe Tammy Letourneau was fired as city manager. He said council “terminated” Letourneau to achieve “a change in management leadership.”
But veteran Councilman Hank Wedaa says Letourneau “asked to be relieved,” which better explains the 5-0 decision after three members voted her a raise four months ago.
Wedaa thinks she made the request because of three issues: the failed landscape vote, controversy about her salary and a proposed inquiry on a now-dead Town Center plan.
They have plenty of time to make a decision—signups start mid-July—but those who see the need for early planning are considering how to raise the minimum $30,000 necessary to finance a credible campaign in a high-turnout Presidential election year.
But whatever assessment they make of their electoral chances will impact the rest of us, since key issues affecting quality-of-life in the community await the council’s direction after the votes are counted.
Anyone pondering a run for office should be ready to take clear stands on municipal matters and not offer the generic “I’ll do what’s best for all Yorba Lindans” platform, since specifics are required for voters to determine if a candidate knows “what’s best.”
First among the issues to confront the next council is the selection of a city manager. The current council plans to work with an interim manager for the next year, so naming a new top official will take place in 2009.
The opening should draw dozens of quality applicants, unless a split council and divided community make the position less desirable for candidates with vision for a built-out city seeking to preserve the environment people moved here to enjoy.
A second issue is the future of the Black Gold Golf Course, which, says respected city Finance Director Susan Hartman, is not meeting revenue projections. When originally conceived, the upscale amenity was to provide $1 million annually to the city treasury.
Will the course instead become a long-term drain on city resources? Was the trade-off of cluster housing on smaller lots worth the eventual cost for a golfing paradise? Candidates have much research to do before suggesting solutions to this potential financial trap.
And, of course, major decisions regarding Old Town redevelopment lie ahead, with any future action complicated by past councils buying up downtown properties years before they had a renewal plan accepted by the community in place.
The Town Center issue more than any other reminded residents they must remain vigilant to maintain a consistent identity as a low-density city honoring a rural past.
So, a message to anyone planning a run for the city governing body: You have hours of homework ahead as you develop a platform of ideas to take to Yorba Linda voters.
A FINAL NOTE
Mayor Jim Winder’s March 18 council statement led many to believe Tammy Letourneau was fired as city manager. He said council “terminated” Letourneau to achieve “a change in management leadership.”
But veteran Councilman Hank Wedaa says Letourneau “asked to be relieved,” which better explains the 5-0 decision after three members voted her a raise four months ago.
Wedaa thinks she made the request because of three issues: the failed landscape vote, controversy about her salary and a proposed inquiry on a now-dead Town Center plan.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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