Monahan appears mayoral

Lolita Harper

Councilman Gary Monahan centered his reelection campaign on

preserving the unparalleled charisma of the city, but the character

of its governing body is up for grabs, he said.

The new City Council will vote on its new leader Monday, after

saying farewell to Mayor Linda Dixon and welcoming newcomer Allan

Mansoor. Monahan, who presently serves as mayor pro tem, is the

favorite and most probable choice for the top position.

He already has a list of his goals prepared. At the top of the

list is making the council more efficient. The current council comes

to meetings unprepared and wastes the taxpayers’ time and money by

postponing things because of questions that could have been answered

by city staffers earlier in the week, Monahan said.

“Right now, we are attempting to make tweaks from the dais without

alerting staff, and it creates inefficiency and a feeling of distrust

from the public,” Monahan said.

The Orange Coast College swap meet, for example, was cut in half

in May at the city’s request because of traffic problems, he said.

City Council members reviewed the issue Nov. 18, but voted to postpone it because of unanswered questions.

The City Council was given an extremely thick packet, days ahead

of time, that included a copy of the consultant’s report on traffic

and parking data, a copy of an updated staff report, and the previous

staff report given to the Planning Commission, Monahan said.

“This has been going on for what, eight months?” Monahan said.

“Council members should know what their issues are by now.”

Monahan said he wants the entire council to make a commitment to

the public that it will show up ready to address the issues before

them and stop the unproductive habit of continuations.

If council members are not going to be prepared for Monday’s

meeting, they should let city staffers know by Friday so they can

tell the residents and applicants not to waste their time, he added.

“We don’t need to drag people down to City Hall just to put them

off,” Monahan said.

The City Council veteran’s long list of goals includes “taking a

hard look” at various standing committees, scrutinizing the budget,

reviewing the approval process for home remodels -- especially second

stories -- and a renewed commitment to recognizing accomplishments in

the community.

“Look for a lot more proclamations and resolutions,” he said, in

addition to the return of the monthly mayor’s award.

Councilman Chris Steel, who feels he is also a strong candidate

for the mayoral position, said Monahan shouldn’t get too far ahead of

himself.

“Gary is poised like he is going to be the next mayor, but that

has yet to be seen,” Steel said.