Part Two: Candidates Debate in Public Forum

City Council candidates , , , , and squared off in a public forum in City Hall last night. Here are a few more highlights from the evening.

Also check out , where the candidates address issues like the Kensington project, general fund spending, Tea Party affiliations and municipal election spending limits.

Have you ever been laid off, and have you ever had to lay anyone off?

Layoffs were proposed at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting as a solution to the city’s budget woes. No final decisions have been made by City Council yet, and residents came out in droves to speak out against layoffs.

Capoccia said that he had been laid off, right after he got a mortgage on his house in Sierra Madre. He is a former AT&T general manager and now retired, but said that he has had to lay off good employees as a last resort. Braudrick, a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, said it would pain him to let go any long-term employee, and that he has had to make the difficult decision to fire someone.

As a professor and Chair of the History and Political Science Department at Long Beach City College, Goss said that he is currently faced with laying off adjunct professors. Due to state education budget cuts, Goss said that layoffs will enhance LBCC revenue, though he seemed to struggle with the knowledge that for many of these professors, this would reduce a sizable portion of their income.

Harabedian, a lawyer, said that while he has never been laid off, his father lost his job on the day that he graduated high school, and that he knows how it can tear apart a family. Harabedian said that the city shouldn’t micro-manage and said that it would be in the best interest to allow individual departments to figure out if there’s a way to cut costs without resorting to layoffs.

Koerber said that while he hasn’t been laid off, he has had his hours reduced drastically. As a business owner, he has had to terminate at least one employee. Koerber stated he’s ready if needed to let go of employees, though he offered a solution for easing the blow- putting together buyout packages for workers or encouraging eligible employees to retire early.

MacGillivray, who is currently on the city council and manager of the Chemistry Laboratory at United Methodist Hospital, said that she has had to terminate an employee. Her workplace is currently doing flex hours to save money, and she said she hopes the council won’t have to resort to city staff layoffs.

If more city budget cuts are needed, what specifically would you cut?

Braudrick said that as far as he’s concerned, there are “no sacred cows,” and that cuts across the board, including police and fire departments, community services and administration, would have to be considered if the budget needs balancing.

MacGillivray said that budget cuts are not clear yet and there is time to plan a few years down the road. She said that the people of the community can decide what cuts need to be made.

The other candidates did not provide specifics on cuts they would make.

Measures 12-1 and 12-2, the Utility Users Tax Increase Extension

One of the most popular questions this campaign is whether the candidates support the Utility Users Tax Increase Extension.

MacGillivray said that there is no urgency to put the UUT increase extension on the ballot now, because the current tax increase lasts until 2015.

Capoccia made a similar point, saying that if it’s so urgent to secure the UUT increase revenue, why wasn’t it put on the ballot as a permanent tax?

Koerber is also against 12-1 and 12-2, calling it a tax increase and saying that the revenues from the UUT will continue to grow without it, due to residents’ expenses growing.  

Read more about their stance:

Braudrick is for the UUT increase extension, saying that he doesn’t see how residents can expect to have the same Sierra Madre they have now without it. He said that a leader needs to have vision for planning for the future of the city.

Goss is for Measures 12-1 and 12-2, but said that it is not his intention to raise taxes. He would aim to keep the UUT at 10% through 2018. Goss also said that he knows where and how to plan for the long-term sensibly.

Harabedian is also in favor, saying that the council needs to look past 2015 in planning for the city. He said that it’s important to consider that every dollar from the UUT stays in Sierra Madre.

Even more about the candidates’ takes on the UUT:

Would you support a bond that would pay for the repaving of all of Sierra Madre’s streets?

None of the candidates said they would support this type of bond right now.

Koerber said that residents would end up over-paying and that he did not want to mortgage future generations of Sierra Madreans. Braudrick said it would not make sense because the city is financially on life support, and Capoccia said that the tax burden of such a bond would be too high.

MacGillivray said that now is not the time for a bond like this, though there are some streets that are problematic.

Harabedian said perhaps the streets could be addressed in other ways, such as having residents pay for materials while the city pays for labor, which is done in other towns.

What does the UUT have to do with Sierra Madre’s bond rating?

Braudrick said that this question was asked because of a statement he made on Patch – “My decision about the UUT is based upon the threat to our bond rating and combined with the potential impact the loss of future revenues would have on our already severely slashed budget.”

Braudrick said that if the UUT increase extension is not passed, then our general fund would shrink and it would create uncertainty over whether the city’s revenue is stable, and that would influence the bond rating.

Goss said that in the future Sierra Madre will likely have to float bonds, and if the city cuts its revenue short now it’s sending a signal that Sierra Madre is running on less gas.

Capoccia argued that there is no relation between the UUT and bond ratings, because no bonds are secured with general fund money.

How would you support the arts in Sierra Madre?

All of the candidates pitched their ideas for supporting the arts in Sierra Madre. Capoccia said that the needed to be publicized more, and perhaps local businesses such as the new wine tasting room or restaurants could partner with the Playhouse to provide intermission wine or a dinner-and-a-show package.

Harabedian spoke of bringing back the Arts Committee, using the outdoor theater in Memorial Park and enhancing Sierra Madre’s website to attract tourists.

Koerber said that enhancing Sierra Madre’s cultural tourism would be wise, and perhaps a tourist bus route could be created that would include stops at local restaurants or hot spots.

MacGillivray agreed with Capoccia that the Playhouse should partner with local businesses to provide package deals.

Braudrick said that extending the beyond one day could bring more people into the community, and that residents should encourage friends and family to see shows at the Playhouse and eat at local restaurants. Braudrick also mentioned that an art walk could be a good fit for Sierra Madre.

How have you participated in the preservation of Sierra Madre?

Every candidate has spoken of their love for Sierra Madre, and all have been involved in the community in many ways.

Goss said that while he hasn’t worked to preserve specific parks or served on committees, he has raised his 9-year-old son here and has been involved in the Little League as a coach. This year, he is co-manager of a team.

Harabedian said that growing up in Sierra Madre, going to school in town, learning to read in the library and swim in the local pool, and partaking in all of Sierra Madre’s events like the Fourth of July celebrations has contributed to preserving the town culture.

Koerber was an early member of the Preservation of Sierra Madre group in 2001 and was one of many volunteers who worked to block the construction of Maranatha High School in town. He was also a board member of the Sierra Madre Community Foundation from 2001-09.

MacGillivray has worked on two Sierra Madre general plans, served on the city council from 1992-1998 and from 2008 until the present, and was mayor of the city. She has raised two children here and said that she is an activist in the community.

Braudrick has served on various town committees and boards, including the Sierra Madre Little League board and Library Board of Trustees. He is a committee member of the General Plan Steering Committee and of the Parks and Facilities Master Plan.

Capoccia has lived in Sierra Madre since 1983 and raised three children to adulthood in town. He served as chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission (which is now called the Community Services Commission), and been on the board of the Sierra Madre Little League and Pony League. He was also president of the Pony League.

Did you go to the forum last night? Which candidates and answers stood out to you?

Related:

The candidates, in their own words: