Seven-district plan proposed

Jenny Marder

A fiery debate ended with the City Council narrowly agreeing to add

an initiative to the March ballot that would slice the city into

seven council districts.

The plan would compete with an initiative already on the ballot,

known as the Fair District Initiative, that would divide the city

into five districts and reduce the council’s number from seven to

five. Both measures, if approved by voters, would eliminate

residents’ ability to vote for members at large.

The alternative was proposed by Councilman Dave Sullivan, who said

that while he ultimately supports the status quo, he considers the

new seven-district plan to be vastly superior to the first.

Sullivan’s proposal calls for one council member to be elected

within each district to represent that area.

“I have grave concerns that a five-member City Council cannot do

the business of this city,” Sullivan said at the meeting.

Councilwoman Debbie Cook spoke out vehemently against Sullivan’s

alternate proposal.

“I don’t care what you think about the fair initiative,” Cook

said. “I think we should allow it to stand or fall on its own merit.”

Cook advised council members to go out and lobby against the

original initiative instead of proposing a second plan with the

intent of defeating the first.

“Leadership is about motivating people to take on difficult

tasks,” Cook said. “It’s a difficult task to educate people. I

challenge the people on the council to get out and motivate people,

to educate people...We’re not representing leadership on this

council.”

Critics of the measure were opposed to losing the power to vote

for more than one council member. They also feared that a resident

could lose all representation if their district’s council member was

unable to help them due to a conflict of interest, or even if that

person was unwilling or able to talk to them.

Southeast Huntington Beach resident Tim Geddes called the plan “a

poisonous proposal only slightly less toxic to our body politic than

the original.”

Voters in Huntington Beach have elected seven council members at

large since at least 1968. Before that, only five council members

held seats.

One of the largest of Orange County’s 34 cities, Huntington Beach

is one of only three to have seven seated members. Newport Beach and

Santa Ana are the others, both of which have districts. Newport

council members are elected at large, however.

Houchen, Green and Coerper sided with Sullivan to prepare

documents necessary to place the plan on the upcoming ballot.

Houchen said that she felt the city was ready for a change.

“I can’t believe that anybody elected to the City Council wouldn’t

have the whole interest of the city in mind,” Houchen said.

The vote will be finalized at the Nov. 17 City Council meeting.

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at [email protected].