Candidate: Salaries need to match private sector

Huntington Beach resident Bill Rorick said he has a disdain for most politicians, even though he is one of 21 candidates running for City Council.

Rorick, 53, said he doesn’t want to be a career politician, and he isn’t in for the stipend.

He sees it almost as a volunteer job and thinks council members should be public servants, not act like royalty.

“I think the majority of the people around here are what I would call common-sense conservatives,” he said. “They want their government to work for them … and if they have someone reliable they’re OK.”

The vice president of Magtek Inc., Rorick has lived in Huntington Beach for about 20 years and has two grown children.

He has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s in business administration.

For Rorick, the budget is the biggest issue the city faces and to fix it, officials are going to have to get employee salaries and pensions to a more reasonable level, he said.

“I think we have to get it under control before 90% of [the] budget is going to pay people that no longer work there,” he said.

Rorick said the pay needs to be more aligned with the private sector, instead of what someone in the same position is getting paid in a neighboring city.

Cuts are the main factor in balancing the budget, but the city also has to increase revenue from businesses and tourism, he said.

The city needs to become more business friendly and Rorick said he wants to reduce or eliminate a lot of the little regulations businesses have to go through.

Rorick is for the senior center being built in Huntington Central Park and opposed to high-density development along Beach Boulevard.

“I don’t want us to be L.A. with a bunch of high rises and things like that,” he said.

Rorick said the increased development would put a stress on infrastructure and water resources and reduce the quality of life for residents.

He is opposed to Measure O, because setting aside a portion of the budget for anything is a bad idea, he said.

Rorick said he likes the downtown area, but wants to make sure new businesses have adequate parking.

The area also needs more security at the bars and a stepped up police presence, but Rorick said he wouldn’t support a moratorium on bars.

Rorick said he supports the annexation of Sunset Beach, which will be a money maker for the city, and is against Measure Q, which would allow two cell towers on two parks.

“Right now I say no, but I think we need to find a place for the cell towers,” he said. “You know, I’m just not sure the park is the right place.”