New faces, less experience headed to City Hall

Danette Goulet

The swearing in of Surf City’s newest mayor, Debbie Cook, after a mere

year of experience on the City Council is just a taste of what local

politics will be in the next year, thanks to term limits.

When election time rolls around this year, four of Huntington Beach’s

seven City Council members will be termed out.

After serving two consecutive four-year terms council members Ralph

Bauer, Shirley Dettloff, Dave Garofalo and Peter Green must vacate their

seats, leaving former mayor Pam Julien-Houchen the senior member with six

years experience.

“It’s quite a change over, I wish it weren’t that sudden,” said Green,

who is being termed out of the office for the second time.

Although it means he has to go, Green said he is in favor of term

limits.

“If you are there for an environmental group or the business

community, you can gracefully, after eight years, say I’m sorry, but --

term limits -- I’ve got to go,” he said.Green served two terms in the

1980s, then stepped down for two years before running again in 1994. But

he said this is it for him. He will not make another run for the office

in 2004.

His wife, Cathy Green, however said she has been asked to run and is

seriously considering it.

“I’ve seen it all I’m seriously considering it -- I really am,” she

said. “All the votes I disagreed with Peter on, I’d say, ‘now . . .”’

“Let me get through Christmas and then I’ll really make up my mind.”

Rumors of possible candidates like Cathy Green and former City Council

members or city employees running are one of the reasons that council

members said they are not concerned with the impending turnover.

“I don’t think it’s a problem at all,” Cook said. “I think the people

who will end up winning will be the most active in the community and they

do a pretty good job of bringing us up to speed.”

Both Cook and Connie Boardman, who has served only one year thus far,

said it took about six months to be brought up to speed on city business.

Both added that they plan to offer new members their assistance.

Julien-Houchen agreed, adding that the learning curve depended on the

amount time a candidate has to give.

“I don’t think it will be a detriment to the council,” she said.

“There will be a learning curve, but hopefully in their quest to win the

seat they all become familiar with the issues.”

After 30 years of community service, nine as a Huntington Beach City

School board member, eight on the Ocean View School board and another

eight on the City Council, Bauer said it’s time for him to go, but he

will miss it.

“I think term limits at the local level has value. In a true democracy

its important to have broad participation, but what you lose is

experience,” he said.

While new blood is a good thing, Bauer said he hopes that multiple

generations will again be represented in the council.

“I think it’s good to have balance between the older eyes and the

brash younger folk,” he said.

Bauer said he has no intention of running again in the future, and in

fact has plans to write a book about local politics.

He has no worries about the future of city politics.

“When this country started no one had experience,” he said.

* DANETTE GOULET is the assistant city editor. She can be reached at

(714) 965-7170 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .